# Mexican Auto Insurance



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Getting closer to buying a vehicle, looking for recommendations on auto insurance.

Particularly, have you driven your Mexican-insured Mexican car into the US, and were you insured when you did so, and how? I'm wondering whether I would have to contact a US car insurance company and buy a separate policy, or if any Mexican car insurance companies sell riders that include US coverage, particularly for short periods (as I won't need US insurance for more than a few days).

I don't want to just "risk it", i.e. drive as an uninsured motorist in the US, even if that's the most common choice others make. Maybe this is two problems I have to solve separately, but if I can get a solution from one provider, so much the better.

But besides the US aspect, I'd like people's recommendations for straight-up Mexican car insurance.

Someone already mentioned on another thread they have an AXA (I think) policy through HSBC that is a good one. 

And regarding roadside assistance: if the policy offers it, does that mean you can't use green angels or other roadside assistance? Are you locked into that policy's providers?

Whew, sorry, lot of questions.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

What you should do is go to a reptable insurance broker and ask about all the insurers they work with, review the policies and decide on one that works best for you. 
Sometimes policies through banks are the most expensive. 

Yes, you can get riders that willcover you in the US, at least I've heard it's so, never done it myself.

The green angels have nothing to do with your car insurance. They help you out if you get a flat tire or something and anyone can call them. They don't deal with accidents.

I have insurance with HDI. Used to have it with Qualitas, but switched, can't remember why, I think their rates were better.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I believe I am the someone who recommended AXA through HSBC.

Are you intending to have collision and liability ? 
Are you intending to also insure a trailer ?
How much coverage will you carry ?

Tell you what - do your due diligence. When you determine what you are contemplating going with. post the specifics and we can compare policies / costs.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

I don't know if cars are similar, but I buy my motorcycle insurance through a motorcycle dealer. The first year the insurance was purchased through the dealer where I bought the motorcycle. When the year ended I went directly to the insurance company thinking the dealer would no longer be involved. It was going to be way more expensive, maybe triple the cost. I ended up with a different motorcycle dealer that had opened up closer to me in the meantime. Now every year I renew through them. They get quotes from several companies and pick the best. It says I am covered in both the US and Mexico, but I have never had a problem in either country to test it. I have made four trips to the US since purchasing the motorcycle and the insurance, one each to California, Maine, Arizona and Iowa.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Finding a "reputable" insurance broker is probably harder than finding a good insurance company! It sounds, though, like the auto dealers have taken on that function. So maybe I'll go the same route as TundraGreen.

Right now I'm leaning back to not buying a trailer, but buying a used van. My research has indicated (not proven) that Toyota Hiace's and Nissan Urvans are all manual transmission as sold in Mexico, which I don't drive well, so I was thinking I'd have to buy a SUV and a trailer, but then I found they wanted a lot more for the trailers than I expected, and then I found that cheverolette Express vans were (almost?) all automatic transmissions. That's the third most common passenger van here in Cancun (and there are a tons and tons of them going back and forth to the airport, but it's a distant third), so I got hunting for a used chevy express, and found one or two that would do on the web (they're here in cancun but I haven't been to check them out yet). So that's the path I'm on, a van, used, from 2015 or so, no trailer. Drive it for a couple years then trade it in for a jeep.

Of course I'd want liability insurance, but as the vans I'm looking at are used, 6 years old, I'd probably either get a high deductable on repairs or no repairs at all, depending on what they offer.

I've also discovered there are companies that provide short term insurance for driving in the US, so I can price them vs a rider on my mexican policy if it costs extra, as I'd only need US cover for a couple days.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I am not the Mexican auto insurance expert. We have had only one fender bender accident (for our car - it nearly totaled the other taxi involved). The accident was deemed my wife's fault (very questionable). But anyway - it would appear that when an accident occurs, the world stops, and everyone waits for the insurance companies to appear on the scene. So - I would want to be sure to chose a company large enough to have support over the entire course of your travels. Even then - it would seem that an accident entails the better part of a day on scene.

Edit : If I am correct, at the time of my wife's accident we had qualitas insurance (at the recommendation of a friend). We had sat down with an agent. After that accident they made it very very difficult to cancel the policy - almost like they had a lose on our relationship and were wanting to even the score...


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Well, this is off topic, but anyway.

As I've mentioned before, once upon a time I'd done years of research about retiring to Thailand. One of the unwritten "rules" there is that when there's a traffic accident involving a foreigner and a Thai, the foreigner is at fault. Could be you ran into a little of that attitude, though I hope it's not as cut and dried here as it is in Thailand.

Their rule is actually whenever there is an accident it's the richer person's fault, and it also applies when a super-rich Thai (in their BMW or Mercedes) has an accident with someone not driving a BMW or Mercedes. 

In a case reported by a foreigner on a forum, the person reporting made a turn onto a road, not crossing traffic (it was a left turn, which, because they drive on the left, is equivalent to a right turn here, in that you don't have to cross traffic going the opposite direction to make it). So they made this left turn, at night. And ran head-to-head into a motorcycle who was traveling the opposite direction on the main road, but had crossed over the center line, and ran into their car head first. The motorcycle did not have a working headline (but that couldn't be proven, because it _certainly _wasn't a working headlight after he'd bounced off the car's front end). The motorcycle driver, inebriated and not wearing a helmet, got thrown into a ditch full of weeds and mud and suffered only minor scrapes. The driver of the car was deemed at fault, and required to pay for the Thai's totalled motorcycle. It was a clear case of driving while foreigner.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

I had one accident here. I wasn't driving, but had parked on the side of a busy road at rush hour to retreive something that had flown off the top of my car. I looked before opening my door, but a car came seemingly out of nowhere, dinged my door that was slightly open, but scraped the whole side of his car and bashed off some trim. He kept going, because there was heavy traffic and he couldn't stop, but looped back around at the next light. Boy was he relieved to see I hadn't just taken off, which is what most people in Mexico do.

It was a young man, about 18 or 19, with 3 other young people in the car, a fairly new SUV that was his mom's. So he was pretty freaked out. They were really nice kids, high class, educated types, spoke good English, too.

It took about an hour for both his insurance adjuster and mine to show up. In the meantime, a cop stopped, but when we said we were just waiting for the adjusters and there was no argument and no one hurt, he left. Then the driver's dad showed up and was very nice and also happy that I actually had insurance and wasn't arguing about responsibility ( I wasn't supposed to park there).

The adjusters did their thing, which took about half an hour, and we both drove off. My premium went up, but not that much.


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## Elizes (Mar 17, 2021)

Try out autocompara from santander, its a car insurance website, it has 50% discount in almost any car, you can also choose the cheaper or most convenient for you.

AXA gives you coverage in USA so in Mexico.(they give you mexican & US coverage
AXA generally is cheapest at HSBC’s bank, but as I said, autocompara has the same policy cheaper.
Also ive been told when you cross the border you can buy an insurance by the day, week, month.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Thanks Elizes, and welcome to the forum. Yes, I found this site: Compare the Market - Temporary car insurance which links to 3 options for short term US insurance. So I think that unless the policy I get for Mexico includes US coverage 'for free' I will go with one of those temporary insurers since I only need a couple days in the US. An extension to the Mexican policy that covers US driving for the whole year will almost certainly be more expensive than just a couple days from the temporary insurers.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

When we drove INTO Mexico (years ago) I purchased a short term policy through AAA in the US. I'm making these numbers up but if 30 days of coverage cost say $250 US, 365 days of coverage cost maybe $299 US.

My Mexican policy includes free coverage ($100,000 worth) for permanent residents of Mexico for travel to the US or Canada for up to 28 consecutive days.

My Mexican policy covers theft, civil responsibility, roadside assistance, medical costs AND legal defense.


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

Elizes said:


> Try out autocompara from santander, its a car insurance website, it has 50% discount in almost any car, you can also choose the cheaper or most convenient for you.
> 
> AXA gives you coverage in USA so in Mexico.(they give you mexican & US coverage
> AXA generally is cheapest at HSBC’s bank, but as I said, autocompara has the same policy cheaper.
> Also ive been told when you cross the border you can buy an insurance by the day, week, month.


Welcome to the forum, Elizes!


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