Renting a car in Cozumel

[WicketsMom]

We've always rented scooters in Cozumel for in-town travel, and gotten a car for a day to tour the rest of the island. The Mexican insurance laws have changed in the last couple of years and you now have to purchase their insurance, or put up a $10,000 deposit on your credit card. (They told us that was the total value of the car, although I wouldn't have paid that much for what we had.) If you take the lower cost/lower coverage insurance, you still had to put a substantial hold on your card - around $5,000. We went ahead and bought the full coverage.

We rented one in Cabo San Lucas earlier this year, and the additional insurance more than doubled the cost of our rental (and it was not disclosed at the time we made our reservation online). It's just a cost you have to factor in now unfortunately.

Also, I would suggest paying in cash instead of putting the charges on your card. The dollar to peso conversion rate the rental company used was very different that what the actual conversion rate was. Our card was charged more than $100.00 than what it should have been. I did dispute this, and they did a 'good faith' refund of the overcharge though, possibly because I am a member of their frequent renter program.

We'll still rent a car when we travel in Mexico, it's the best way for us to get out and see everything. But it's really become a headache dealing with all the extra charges recently.

 

[ggunn]

We've always rented scooters in Cozumel for in-town travel...

Scooter accidents are the single largest contributor to emergency room visits by gringos on Cozumel. They are very dangerous if you aren't accustomed to riding them and/or if you have been drinking. They have tiny little wheels that will throw you for a loop if you hit a sand patch at with the front wheel turned. I don't recommend renting a scooter.

 

[sharky60]

Yeah, stay off the scooters.

 

[Diver Kat]

We've always rented scooters in Cozumel for in-town travel, and gotten a car for a day to tour the rest of the island. The Mexican insurance laws have changed in the last couple of years and you now have to purchase their insurance, or put up a $10,000 deposit on your credit card. (They told us that was the total value of the car, although I wouldn't have paid that much for what we had.) If you take the lower cost/lower coverage insurance, you still had to put a substantial hold on your card - around $5,000. We went ahead and bought the full coverage.

We rented one in Cabo San Lucas earlier this year, and the additional insurance more than doubled the cost of our rental (and it was not disclosed at the time we made our reservation online). It's just a cost you have to factor in now unfortunately.

Also, I would suggest paying in cash instead of putting the charges on your card. The dollar to peso conversion rate the rental company used was very different that what the actual conversion rate was. Our card was charged more than $100.00 than what it should have been. I did dispute this, and they did a 'good faith' refund of the overcharge though, possibly because I am a member of their frequent renter program.

We'll still rent a car when we travel in Mexico, it's the best way for us to get out and see everything. But it's really become a headache dealing with all the extra charges recently.

??? We rented a car in March, and didn't run into any of the problems you mention with insurance, or with the exchange rate using our credit card. What company did you use?

 

[Martha]

Thanks for the list Sharky. After numerous Coz trips, we've never ventured to the other side, so it's on my "to do" list for our next trip. We'll be using a cab so we can both enjoy a margarita or two without any worries.

 

[WicketsMom]

We used Thrifty (this was in Cabo San Lucas, but they said this was a new Mexican law... of course the time share guy was there to offer you $$ for touring a timeshare that almost offset the extra cost of the insurance). I felt it would be safer to go with a large US-based chain, but maybe not.

We had the same thing happen with Avis in Cozumel, but the large hold wasn't discovered until we got home. Luckily, we weren't planning on using that card while we were there.

To clarify the scooter rental suggestion, we are both very experienced motorcycle riders (and off-road enduro racers). If you aren't used to riding a bike, I wouldn't suggest Cozumel as a place to learn. The topes are nothing compared to some of the roots you encounter in the woods in Alabama!

 

[tboxcar]

One good thing about using a credit card is the ability to 'dispute charges' sure you will get screwed on the rate, but its nice to have recourse with the card! Just my opinion. Then again I rented a scooter last time and was driving at night, when I should not have, YES, very stupid, then again I rented a scooter in Cambodia in '92, that wasn't smart either, I guess it's all relative?