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Do Cancun Car Rentals Require Third Party Insurance?
I am looking to rent a car from Cancun Airport and it is super confusing trying to figure out the requirements for Cancun car rentals.
Is it true you have to purchase third party cancun car rental insurance and that they won’t accept Primary CDW Coverage from CSP / CSR / Ritz cards or your own US based car insurance?
I heard National is fairly reliable but open to hearing your Cancun car rental reviews.
Looks like the major car rental chains may cost a bit more, but am more than willing to pay for piece of mind.
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11 Replies
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Book via the major companies’ .mx sites and the mandatory stuff will be included.
Decline the rest in person.
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TPL, third party liability, is mandatory, regardless of how you try to convince yourself otherwise.
National charges $15/per day extra.
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We recently rented in Cabo and third party insurance was required.
It basically cost the same as our rental.
It was either that or give them close to a $20,000 deposit.
They didn’t care about our Chase coverage.
Take a video of the entire car upon pickup and return and if you do any off paved road driving, which is pretty common in some parts of Mexico, consider getting it detailed before returning it.
We spent $8 to get the car detailed and were relieved we did because they scrutinized every inch when we returned.
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Was there last month at Hertz.
I declined everything I could but ended up paying for some type of insurance.
The rental ended up costing just about what I had at Avis as a backup.
If you are Hertz Gold, they drive you to the airport personally, not the bus.
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Credit card insurance typically covers only the damages to the rented car, not to third parties.
Hence, most countries mandate third-party liability insurance.
Even in the US, I always opt for third-party liability insurance.
I find it hard to comprehend how one can drive without it, unless there is another insurance policy in place that covers third-party liability.
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Have rented twice from EasyWay without issue.
Price was as quoted.
Withdraw cash from the airport ATM and pay for gas with cash only.
Driving in foreign countries isn’t for everyone but despite what some comments say, it’s often a lot cheaper than taxis or shuttles, especially if you plan on going off the resort ever.
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I just got back Sunday.
Yes I rented with Avis and 3rd party liability insurance is required.
This doesn’t include the coverage you get from your credit card.
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Don’t drive outside of the US unless you’re used to driving in that particular area.
I haven’t been to ANYWHERE in the Caribbean, Central or South America where all traffic rules are followed.
The local taxis are cheap and they know what flies and doesn’t.
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Most companies will include the legally required minimum liability insurance.
Some (like Hertz at the Cancun airport) will hold you hostage for hours to pay for additional insurance if you want your reserved car.
My last rental there was over 3 hours waiting them out while they tried to extort me for “only an additional $30/day! (for insurance or ‘upgrade’)” before they gave up and gave me the car at the price I booked.
Everyone who got a car faster paid the extortion.
It probably would have taken longer, but I was making a pretty big scene at that point.
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My understanding is that Third Party Liability is mandatory in Mexico.
I have rented from from National in Cancun, and it was fine.
We paid for the TPL, and were charged what we were quoted.
I’ve also heard good things about a couple of the independent places, but don’t have any experience.
It’s not what you asked, but I’d also agree with some of the comments about whether you need a car in Cancun.
If you’re going to the typical sites, a car may be more hassle than it’s worth!
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Some great comments on here already but in my view, as an insurance professional who has a CSR and many cards that provide basic car rental primary or secondary coverage, you should just take the rental car coverage and pay for it.
It’s peace of mind in a place where accidents and theft are common.
Sure it costs more but having less worry can make the trip so much better.
Driving in Cancun or Cozumel isn’t that bad and gives you a lot more flexibility.
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