In Mexico, it is required by law that liability insurance be included in the rate of all car rentals. If a rental car company tries to tell you otherwise, don’t believe them. You may, however, still be interested in comprehensive rental insurance. This additional coverage will also cover you in the event that your belongings are stolen while in the car. Be aware of the applicable deductible that comes with comprehensive coverage before deciding if it will be beneficial to you.

If you get in an accident in Mexico, La Policia will just laugh about Hertz’s bent up car. They might even say it makes it look like it belongs. So only Hertz’s cares if you have Numero Uno.

But if you get into an accident and hurt someone or something, no matter how slight, and you don’t have Numero Dos, you’re going to jail. It IS a felony and La Policia will hold you (your body, not your money, your car, your lawyers’ name, YOU) until you stand trial for the felony you just committed.

And one thing about Numero Dos: the policy better be written in Espanol and have a Mexico City or other Mexican address, because only insurance issued by a Mexican company is recognized. And VISA no habla.

Finally, chances are if you’re like most gringos and find yourself in an accident on vacation, some guy named Jose Cuervo may have played a role, and not having Numero Dos would make a very bad situation even worse.

Buy the freakin Mexican insurance. And while sipping/gulping Cuervo ponder the irony: middle class gringos saving what amounts to at most $200 on a trip where they can act like ultra wealthy people for a week or two (and in Mexico, you are). But in Mexico the government still trumps wealth.

I’m glad to see this post, because I never get additional insurance, and always tell them my credit card will cover it–which I think is true, but of course you get that nagging feeling that maybe you’re misunderstanding the terms when the guy at the desk says you really need extra insurance. From Hertz, though, I’ve only gotten light push-back, with the desk guy saying I really need extra insurance, a couple of times. I ignore it, but always wonder.

This last trip, I initially booked through a different rental agency–not Hertz. I noticed that its online booking page said liability insurance was absolutely _required_ at Mexican offices. I checked with Budget and a couple of other international agencies, and they all said the same thing.

Hertz’s website did not specify this, so I rented with Hertz, and had no issues at the office.

So, in fact Hertz seems to currently be the best of the lot. I don’t mind having the hold on my card. I _would_ mind having to pay for unnecessary insurance.