How To Get Car Insurance for Mexico (2024 Guide) (2024)

Do You Need Car Insurance in Mexico?

The Mexican Federal Liability Law requires all tourists who plan on driving in the country to carry Mexican car insurance. So, your U.S. auto insurance company’s policy alone won’t cover you. You’ll need to purchase a liability auto insurance policy from a licensed insurance company in Mexico.

Alternatively, you can buy a Limited Mexico Coverage endorsem*nt. Some providers, such as USAA, allow you to buy this if you’re traveling within a specific distance of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Keep in mind Mexico’s strict adherence to insurance laws. If authorities catch you without Mexican liability coverage, you could face steep fines.

What Do I Need To Get Car Insurance in Mexico?

When buying a policy from a Mexican insurance company, you’ll need to provide the following information:

• The dates you plan to drive in Mexico
• Where in Mexico you want to drive
• The policy number of your U.S. auto insurance carrier, found on your insurance ID card, the declarations page or premium statements
• Your U.S. driver’s license
• Vehicle details, including make, model, year and vehicle identification number (VIN)

If you extend your stay in Mexico, contact your insurance agent to have your coverage extended. If your policy lapses and a police officer pulls you over, you could incur fines. If you cause an accident and have no Mexico-specific insurance, you might face significant out-of-pocket expenses.

What Does Mexico Car Insurance Cover?

At minimum, Mexico car insurance covers property damage and bodily injury. You can purchase additional coverage for physical damage, roadside assistance, medical expenses and more.

Liability Car Insurance for Mexico

Liability car insurance for Mexico covers property damage and bodily injury. It’s important to have high liability limits because Mexico’s federal liability law states that when a driver causes an accident that kills another motorist, the driver is responsible for compensation equal to 5,000 times the Mexican state-minimum wage plus funeral expenses. A judge can multiply this amount up to five times.

To demonstrate how the Mexican Federal Liability Law works, suppose you caused an accident that killed a driver in Nuevo León. According to the law, you would be responsible for an amount equal to the state-minimum wage of $207.44 pesos multiplied by 5,000, which totals $1,037,200 pesos. That equals $60,915.80 in U.S. dollars at the current conversion rate.

Should the judge multiply the damages by five, you could be looking at a $304,579 judgment plus funeral expenses. Maximizing your liability limits can protect you from having to pay out of pocket for costs that exceed the limit.

Other Coverage Options for Mexico

Along with liability insurance, you can purchase additional coverage for vehicle damage or injuries you or your passengers sustain. Extra coverages include:

• Physical damage: Similar to collision and comprehensive coverage, physical damage covers damage done to your vehicle resulting from car accidents, fire, theft, flood, hail and falling objects.

• Medical expenses: Like MedPay or Personal Injury Protection, this coverage pays for medical bills you or your passengers sustain after a collision or other covered event.

• Medical evacuation: Medical evacuation pays the transportation expenses if you suffer injuries in an accident and need a ride to a hospital or medical facility.
• Legal expenses: This provides legal expenses for court dates, bail bonds and more if you’re involved in a car accident.
• Roadside assistance: It covers towing, jump-starting a dead battery, fixing a flat tire and locksmith services if you break down in Mexico.

Where To Buy Mexican Car Insurance

You can buy a Mexico auto insurance policy in the States prior to your travel dates. Some of the most popular providers that offer Mexico car insurance include:

• Geico (through Grupo Nacional Provincial)
• Baja Bound
• Allstate

• The General (ABA Seguros, ACE Seguros, Grupo Nacional Provincial, or SA de C.V.)

• Progressive

• Liberty Mutual

• MexInsurance
• MexPro

The type of insurance you’ll need depends on your destination. For example, if you’re visiting a border town like Tijuana, your U.S. auto insurance carrier might offer the additional coverage you need.

Alternatively, you can purchase Mexican car insurance if you rent a car when in the country. You can also buy this through your travel agent when you plan your trip.

Tips for Driving in Mexico

Here are some best practices for driving in Mexico:

• Keep documents readily accessible. Have a copy of your Mexican auto policy in your vehicle to furnish at the time of a car accident or if a cop pulls you over.

• Get a Mexican tourist card. You’ll need your passport or passport card to get one. You can do this online before you come to Mexico, or you can get one at the border.

• Get a Temporary Vehicle Import Permit. Mexico has border zones — extending 12 to 16 miles from the border — where you won’t have to get a permit. However, if you go further into the country, Mexico requires you to have this permit. You can buy these at locations in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and California.

• Have the proper insurance for your rental car. If you rent a vehicle in Mexico, the company handles this for you. However, if you rent a car in San Diego and plan to drive into Mexico, you’ll need to notify your rental car agency at the time you pick up the vehicle. It can ensure you have the proper protections in place.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP is a free travel assistance service that provides safety alerts and direct communication with the U.S. Embassy in cases of civil unrest or natural disasters.
• Be aware of travel advisories. As part of planning your trip, you can check the U.S. Department of State’s website for any advisories it has issued for dangerous locations, visa requirements and more.

Car Insurance for Mexico: The Bottom Line

Mexico law has minimum-coverage requirements for car insurance policies. Before you take a road trip south of the border, you’ll need to buy Mexican car insurance. Providers such as Geico and Allstate can help you with this.

When buying a policy, you’ll have basic car insurance with liability included, with the option to add property damage, legal expenses, roadside assistance and medical expenses. When looking at coverage limits, go for the maximum, as Mexican law can find you at fault and charge you up to five times the judgment amount if you cause a fatal collision.

When driving in Mexico, keep your insurance documentation on hand, get a Mexican tourist card and have the proper insurance for your rental. Ultimately, planning ahead ensures that you have adequate financial protection when driving in Mexico.

Car Insurance Providers in Mexico

You should get multiple insurance quotes to find the cheapest rates for your Mexico auto insurance policy. Geico and Allstate offer Mexican car insurance coverage. One of these top-rated insurers may be right for you.

Geico: Best for Budget-Conscious Drivers

Geico allows you to secure a Mexico insurance policy through agencies like El Aguila Compañia de Seguros or Grupo Nacional Provincial. Geico offers liability car insurance with the option to upgrade to full coverage to pay for vehicle damage due to car accidents, falling objects and climate events. You can also buy coverage for any medical expenses you or your passengers owe. Most importantly, Geico offers policies with liability coverage up to $500,000.

Read more: Geico Insurance Review

Allstate: Best for Higher-Limit Coverage

Allstate offers up to $500,000 in liability coverage when you buy a Mexican car insurance policy. You can buy a liability-only auto policy or add coverage for roadside assistance, legal expenses, medical evacuation and more. Before traveling to Mexico, you can contact your Allstate agent to inform them of your travel plans. That way, they can put together a policy that ensures you’re compliant with Mexican law for the duration of your trip.

Read more: Allstate Insurance Review

Compare: Allstate vs. Geico

Mexican Car Insurance: FAQ

We’ve answered some frequently asked questions about Mexican car insurance below.

Our Methodology

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

• Cost: Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
• Coverage: Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
• Reputation and experience: Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
• Availability: Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
• Customer experience: This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.

Our credentials:

• 800 hours researched
• 45 companies reviewed
• 8,500+ consumers surveyed

*Data accurate at time of publication.