# Rental car insurance



## oldjack (Nov 12, 2009)

I am looking for an alternative to the insurance offered by the rental car company in Guadalajara... I will be renting a small car for at least two weeks and the daily rate they quote would pay for my trip... My AMEX card will cover the collision part but NOT the liability part... anybody have a recent alternative that worked??? HELP!!!!!!


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Only Mexican insurance applies in Mexico and you may have no choice but to take what they require.


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## f3drivr (Nov 18, 2008)

I am planning a trip to Cancun and will be renting a car so I have been looking into this too. I have read in a few places that Car Rental Companies in Mexico are required by law to include liability insurance in the price but they always try to sell additional liability insurance. I haven't yet found out what the difference is between the regular liability insurance and the additional. I have read several posts by people who have shown up to pick up a car that they had already paid for and the company has refused to give them the car until they purchase additional insurance that costs more than the car telling them that it is mandatory when in fact it is not. Apparently Hertz is bad for this. Many of these people had booked cars through Priceline or Hotwire. I will probably book mine through a place called easywayrentacar I read some good reviews and I haven't heard of them ripping anybody off, I think they are only in Cancun though. I have also heard of people being charged for floor mats, spare tires etc when they return the car even though the items were never there in the first place so be sure to check everything when you pick up the car.


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## oldjack (Nov 12, 2009)

As you may have noticed it is easy to get a lot of "free" information.... I have been told that the Mexican law requires car rental companies to include the liability insurance in their advertised daily rate.... can anyone tell me where I can find that so that I may copy it and have it with me when I rent on the 22nd.....


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Mexico is not a litigious society and 'having it with you' wouldn't do you any good; it might actually make it difficult for you to rent anything at all. Please leave US customs behind and put on a good smile, handshake and pleasant demeanor; all will be well, you will be treated in a welcoming and helpful manner. If you try to 'change Mexico' to your ways, you won't enjoy your stay.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

*Car Rental*

We rented cars for the winter for 4 years, Hertz, Budget & National at Leon Airport. Also had friends & relatives do the same. I contacted all my credit card companies and found which had the better coverage in Mexico, turns out it was my CITI MC. I printed out a copy and took it with me. When renting I refused insurance. I had to sign two credit card vouchers, one for rental, and one for repairs if necessary.
I was able to cut my rental cost for monthly rental by 75% or more in a couple of cases.
You do need be aware of two things. 1st, be very meticulous when looking at the rental car before signing. Make sure every dent & or scratch is shown no matter how small. Also check the tires, including that spare exists. Try everything, including side view mirrors. They often get hit and may be glued with temporary glue. Do not rush this step no matter how long it takes and involve spouse/others.
2nd, what you are agreeing to with insurance is that you will be billed for any damage to your credit card and that your responsibility to get the charges removed. When you look at card coverage, have a conversation with the card company about what you will need if a problem as varies.
Given this, I never had a problem.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Foreigners should also be absolutely certain that your insurance coverage includes legal coverage and the 'get out of jail' feature. Otherwise, one may be a guest in a Mexican jail for a very long time until all financial 'arrangements' have been made. That can lead to bankruptcy.


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## Mr.Chips (May 23, 2008)

We recently rented a car at the airport in Veracruz.With insurance,the cost for one week was almost 600.00 u.s. for a Nissan Sentra.If you dont have good spanish language skills,its very difficult to figure out what you need or dont need in regards to insurance.We were very careful on having every scrape ,dent etc.(and there were many) marked on the rental sheet.When we returned the car,they spent more time than we originally had in looking for any new damage.They had only a 1/4 tank of gas in the car at the time of the rental and they checked the level on our return.To me it appears to be a ploy to have the customer leave more gas in the vehicle than was there originally.Having the rental certainly allowed us to see a lot of country between Tajin and Catemaco .


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## tanderson0o (Aug 30, 2009)

I rent in DF with Avis every two or three weeks and overall it has been a good experience. I confirmed that my AMEX card will cover damages to the car for much less than what Avis charges, but I always take the ALI (additional liability coverage) as the AMEX coverage will take care of damage to the rental car, but does not cover damages to other parties. The ALI only coverage is not that expensive, I have never had to sign multiple credit card vouchers when declining the insurance, just had to sign another form.

I do make sure note all of the damage to the car, as well as the presence of the spare and jack (and confirm that the spare actually has air in it).

Also, if you should happen to damage the car, look into having it repaired before you return it. Once I hit a pothole and bent the rim on the car. The spare had no air in it so I couldn't change it and Avis brought me another car, but they charges me for a new tire and rim when I returned the car. On a subsequent trip. I hit another hole and bent the rim again , but 15 minutes with a hammer and the wheel was as good as new .


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