Rental Cars In Mexico City [A Gringo’s Guide]
If you are looking for tips to rent a car for your trip to Mexico City, read on. As a frequent and casual traveler to Latin America and Mexico for years, I have rented cars from companies and paid my dues, being scammed and all. Here, I present to you tips on getting rental cars in Mexico City [A Gringo’s Guide]
When renting a car in Mexico City, start by shopping around for the best deals. Ensure the price listed includes insurance, and always opt for full coverage. A realistic price would be around $40 for a basic car. You do not need a special license to drive in Mexico. Your US or Canadian driver’s license is accepted here.
This article explores the best places to rent a car in Mexico City and how you can do just that. We also explore issues such as insurance when renting a car and how Gringos get scammed when renting and driving around Mexico City.
How Much Does It Cost To Rent Cars In Mexico City?
A reasonable price to rent a basic car in Mexico city would be around $40 a day, with full insurance. Expect to pay more if you opt for better vehicles. Always read the rental agreement details to check for hidden fees and surprises before paying. Always ask if unsure. Most rental companies have staff that speaks English.
You will be amazed by the deals when you go online to rent cars in Mexico City. You can rent a basic car for as low as $5. Luxury cars such as BMW or Cadillac may be cheap at $15 daily.
However, these prices only include the rental, and things such as insurance and all sorts of fees may not be included.
Suppose you happily pick up one of these offers. In that case, you may suddenly be slapped with insurance, inspection, processing, and cleaning fees to the point that the final bill may be much higher.
It may feel like a scam, and in some ways, it is true. Gringos are common scam victims in Mexico, unfortunately.
Prices may change, but generally, a reasonable price for renting a car would be around $40 daily for a basic car. This price would come with full insurance as well.
It may be prudent to check and read all the details on your rental documents before paying to ensure there are no hidden surprises and sudden fees. If you have issues, do not be afraid to ask.
Most rental companies have staff who can speak English and explain to you properly what you are reading. You can always walk out if you are not happy, remember that.
How To Book Rental Cars in Mexico City?
You may book rental cars in Mexico City through a third-party site or book directly with many car rental companies. You can also walk in to see what is available for you to rent. Most major car rental companies in the US operate in Mexico City. However, local car rental companies may be more competitive.
Renting a car in Mexico City can be roughly similar to renting a car back in the US or Canada. In fact, many major car rental companies in the US also operate in Mexico.
These companies include Budget, Hertz, Avis, and also Sixt. If you have special loyalty discounts with these companies, you may consider checking their pricing in Mexico City.
However, I found local car rental companies offering better deals, such as America Car Rental or Mex Car Rental. The pricing is direct, and the level of service is as good as American ones.
You can book your cars in three different ways:
Third-Party Site: You can go to any third-party site and book your car there. The upside of such an approach is that you can get your car bookings done directly, even before you land in Mexico City. You can also arrange pickups at the airport, meaning you get your car when you land.
Aside from that, you also get to compare rates from many car companies in one place. This makes it easier to shop for the best deal.
The issue with using a third-party site is that prices may be slightly higher, as you need to pay extra for the third-party site.
If you intend to go this route, I recommend checking out Discover Cars. You can also opt for better insurance coverage by topping up an additional $7 to $10 for full peace of mind when driving.
Book Directly With Company: You can also go directly to the car rental company of your choice and book directly. Most US-based car rental companies operate in Mexico City, such as Budget, Hertz, Avis, or Sixt.
This option may be a good idea if you have some sort of loyalty discount with these companies. This means you can use the privilege while in Mexico City.
It may also be a good idea to check out what local car rental companies offer. I have used America Car Rental and Mex Car Rental before, and I am quite impressed by the level of service. The pricing is also competitive and transparent.
Walk-In: You may also walk in directly to any offices and rent a car. This may work if you have one nearby or if you are already in Mexico City.
The nice part of doing a walk-in is that you may be able to snap up some cheap deals, such as renting one-way rentals. One-way rentals are basically cars that companies want to move to another location, and they will make it cheaper to rent so a customer can do it for them. Some rental companies also give discounts on uncleaned cars.
The downside is that your options may be a little limited as you will be limited to what is available in the car lot during the time of your walk-in.
Do You Need Insurance While Renting A Car In Mexico City?
You do need car insurance when renting a car in Mexico. Always opt for full insurance with zero deductibles. You may also want to purchase your insurance directly with the rental company, rather than with any third-party insurer. Mexican car rental companies may reject this insurance and refuse to rent you a car.
Regardless of your preference at home, you must have car insurance when driving in Mexico. This is required by Mexican law, and when you are in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Consider these issues with buying car insurance in Mexico:
Get Full Insurance With Zero Deductibles
If car rental rates are reasonable, they usually come with basic insurance. However, I highly recommend you pick up full coverage with zero deductibles for peace of mind.
Deductibles refer to the limit of your full insurance coverage. For example, suppose you purchased full insurance coverage with $300 deductibles. This means in the event of you causing damages worth $500, you will pay $300, and the insurance company will pay the other $200.
It is a rather odd concept and makes the word ‘full’ in the full coverage meaningless, but we play along with it since we are in Mexico.
When you purchase your car insurance, always purchase full insurance with zero deductibles. This means you do not need to pay a single dime if there are damages to your car.
Buy Insurance Directly From The Car Rental Company
Another thing to be careful about buying insurance for your rental car is to buy the insurance directly from the car rental company.
At times, if you rent cars from third-party sites such as Discover, you may be offered car insurance with these companies. Suppose you purchase insurance from these third-party companies. In that case, you may be requested to purchase the insurance again with the rental company.
It may be hard to explain why, but perhaps there are issues with claiming insurance money when damages occur and local companies are unhappy. This could also be as simple as wanting to simplify the insurance process.
Have Deposit Ready In Cash or Credit Card
Commonly, you will be required to leave a deposit for your insurance when picking up your car. Depending on your insurance coverage value, the amount you leave as a deposit may change.
If you only have basic insurance, you will need to leave up to $1500 to the rental company before picking up your car. The amount may be much lesser if you have full insurance with zero deductible.
Paying in cash or a credit card makes sense when leaving the deposit. This is because if you use a credit card, rental companies generally do not bill the card but call in and ‘block’ out the deposit money, to be charged if there is a need to. This may not be doable with a debit card.
If you pay cash, rental companies would simply keep the cash until you return the car. As such, many rental companies prefer cash.
Check The Details
Some car rental companies may offer you what they call ‘Full’ car insurance. But when you look into the details, what you see instead are insurance terms that are not as ‘full’ as you would expect.
Sometimes, you may notice that these so-called ‘full’ insurance do not include windscreen and tires. Some terms are unclear, such as minor damage to body parts. There is no way to decide what constitutes minor damage, which means they get to decide it as they like.
If they really want to scam you out of your money, expect to have to pay for the most minor of scratches. As such, ensure you read, check and confirm the insurance details before signing and paying for it.
Do Gringos Get Scammed While Renting and Driving Cars In Mexico City?
Gringos do get scammed while renting and driving cars in Mexico City, unfortunately. These scams may range from dishonest pricing to scamming distracted drivers at the gas pumps. Insurance scams may also happen, as well as car theft scams. Police corruption is also not a myth, and you should be prepared for it.
Here’s the thing, gringos do get scammed while renting or diving cars around Mexico City. This is because of the common beliefs amongst the locals that gringos are wealthy and do not mind being parted with money.
Of course, they are not true. Not all Mexicans think that way. But generally, some circles believe so and do not hesitate to lay their knife on gringos.
This means when you rent or drive cars in Mexico City, you should be careful about the potential scams that may befall you, and ensure you are safe from them.
Change Scam
Probably the simplest scam, this scam takes advantage of tourists’ general familiarity with the Mexican Pesos (MXN). This scam may be implemented in the following ways:
- You are paying for something slightly more expensive, such as gas.
- You pay for your gas, then the pump attendant refills it.
- When you wait for the change, the pump attendant mentions that you paid MXN200 when you actually paid MXN500 and returns a smaller change.
- If unsure or not confident about it, you may just accept what the attendant says and accept the smaller change. As a result, you just lost MXN300 to scams.
Gas Refill Scam
Gas refill stations are also where scams happen. This is because, in Mexico, gas pumps are still operated by attendants and not a self-service system in the US. As a result, there are multiple ways these unscrupulous attendants may try to scam you out of money. First is by performing the change scam.
Another popular way is by altering the gas meter. In some parts of Mexico City, the gas pumps are still analog, meaning these gas pump operators may alter the meter’s measurement. These may be smaller, independent gas pumps.
As a result, you may get less gas than you actually paid. Say you paid for 20L, but you may only get around 17L, but the meter shows 20L has been pumped in.
Another way you may be scammed is to start the meter not as ‘0’ but as a predetermined value. This means you may also get less gas than you paid simply because the meter does not start from 0.
Insurance Scam
Insurance scams may be more detailed, meaning you may have been scammed without knowing it. The insurance scam usually is executed by offering you what is called ‘full’ insurance.
However, after you have paid for your insurance, you notice that the insurance does come with some deductibles. If an accident happens, you will be liable to pay whatever the deductibles are. This may make the term ‘full’ insurance rather senseless.
Some companies went even further as people woke up to the deductibles scam. This time, offering car insurance with zero deductibles. On the surface, it looks like you are sorted and well-protected.
However, when you read deeper, you may notice clauses to your full insurance, such as the insurance does not cover damages to your windscreen or wheels. At worst, some will even slip in clauses that the insurance does not protect against ‘minor damages on body parts.
This means the car company can demand that you pay for the slightest scratches on the car’s body since the insurance will not cover it.
Add-On Scam
This may not be a scam, but you can also describe it as ‘dishonest pricing.’ You may find car rental offers as low as $6 per day, with some even offering luxury cars such as Cadillac for only $15 a day.
You gladly paid for the car, and then went to the office to pick it up on the day. However, when you walk in to sign the lease, you may notice that many things are not added to the price.
You may need to pay for insurance or car cleaning fees. At a more sinister level, you may start seeing things such as ‘car booking fee,’ ‘rental processing fee,’ and all sorts of odd and weird fees that make no sense.
You have already paid for the car, so you may not get your money back if you refuse to pay these fees. As such, this may feel like you have been scammed.
Theft Scam
This may just be the most sinister and ugly of the scams here, and although not widespread, can happen to the most unlucky of tourists.
Suppose you rented a car from the company and paid for it. You then drive it elsewhere and, of course, enjoy the car. However, you may not notice that you are being followed by someone.
You then parked your car and said, Go for lunch. These two guys following you may then try to steal your rented car. You come out and notice your car is stolen. You then wonder how the car was so easily stolen.
Turns out the person who stole your rental cars is from the rental company itself. Depending on the rental contract, the rental company gets to ‘fine’ you for losing the car, claiming insurance, and still having the car.
Police Corruption
Police corruption is not a myth here, which means you may be vulnerable to it as a tourist. This may not be a scam, but it borders on tourists being taken advantage of.
You may be stopped by the local police over a traffic officer you may have or have not committed. At this point, the dishonest officer may try to ask for a small fee to ‘close one eye and let the problems go away.
At this point, you may need to decide either to:
- Challenge the officer for proof that you have committed the offense
- Bribe the officer with the smaller fee
- Ask for the ticket, and pay the full fee.
How To Avoid Being Scammed While Renting Cars In Mexico City?
To minimize the risk of being a scam victim, always check the details in the rental agreement, particularly on fees and insurance coverage. You should also be aware of what is happening around the gas pumps when refilling and consider purchasing a separate foot pedal or gear lock for your rental cars.
Read The Details
Always check the details when paying or booking for your cars to ensure you are not being scammed. Pay attention to the pricing of the car and the fees that may be added on top.
You may want to also be detailed about the insurance you are getting. Always insist on full insurance with zero deductibles, and then check if the insurance covers everything, such as glass or wheels. Of course, always ask for a copy of everything you have signed in case of disputes.
Be Aware When At Gas Pumps
Many scams happen at gas pumps, which means when you refill your gas pumps, ensure you are aware of the situation around you. Consider these steps when refilling:
- Once you park your car, walk out of your car and stand in front of your refill tank.
- Say hi to the attendant, but take note of the gas meter. Ensure it is at zero.
- Request your gas in liters and not amounts. This makes it a lot easier to verify and check your meter readings.
- When handing bills to the attendant, look at the bills properly. When refilling, you tend to use either the MXN200 or MXN500 bill. The MXN 200 bill is usually green in color, while the MXN500 bill is blue.
- In fact, if you want to be absolutely sure, mention with your mouth that you are paying doscientos (200) or quincientos (500) while handling the bill.
- Ensure to tip the attendant as well, as they get paid poorly most of the time. A 10-20 peso bill should be ok.
These steps may minimize the risk of you being scammed at the petrol station. However, it still may not protect you against meter adjustment. For this, consider refilling at major gas pumps, such as Mobil, BP, or Pemex.
Purchase A Separate Vehicle Lock
This may help to protect you somehow against theft scams. If the theft is sinisterly conducted by the rental company, it means no matter how you lock your car using their keys, they can still access it.
Which means you may need to purchase your own lock. You can go into any local supermarket and purchase locks for your transmission, steering, clutch, or gas pedal. These locks are not expensive and may give you better peace of mind.
These locks may not completely secure your car. Still, it may just be able to delay the theft slightly longer. This allows either a passer-by or yourself to go back and stop any thieving attempts on your car.
Follow Traffic Rules
Lastly, the best way to avoid having to deal with police corruption is to avoid catching their attention in the first place. What is the best way to do that? Simply follow traffic rules.
That means driving at the speed limit, putting on your seat belts, and observing traffic rules you can follow.
This reduces the chance the police can stop you for anything. If you do get stopped for unrelated matters, you at least will have the confidence to mention to the officer that you have not done anything wrong.
