Mexican car insurance

[Morgana]

Does anyone here have direct experience with buying/using Mexican car insurance and have any or to share?
I am aware that there are other sources of information and I am consulting those too. I'm asking here about y'all's experience. I know there are a few people here who go to Baja and possibly other destinations.
Thanks!

 

[eDJ_]

When I was a kid visiting Texas relatives we would visit Mexico's boarder towns such as Douglas or Nuevo Laredo. Dad or my Uncle purchased the insurance for the car and was issued a 5 inch diameter orange disc with black lettering etc (back then) to place on the drivers side of the dashboard under the windshield. I saw these all over the place on cars from the USA. We never had a problem. The insurance wasn't expensive then.

There were a few cars sitting around on vacant lots with wheels removed, hoods raised...batteries gone, and children loitering around telling those from the states...."they didn't have insurance". (Dad was sure those kids were company employees)

Looked something like this:



I asked Dad what it meant and my Uncle said it is like a warning that if any one messes with the car or these people they risk getting their throats cut. Uncle seemed to believe it was like a "Mafia Mutual" type of insurance policy.

 

[NctryBen]

I’m looking for the same… going in tomorrow for Kira… the place I thought I could get it doesn’t handle it anymore.

 

[rruff]

Does anyone here have direct experience with buying/using Mexican car insurance

Just a heads up to check crime rates where you are going. Baja had the 2nd highest murder rate of any state last year, and was 1st in car thefts.

 

[eDJ_]

As I remember, it had to be purchased before you crossed the boarder into Mexico. There was a place on the edge where a hole punch indicated the date entering thru the date you intended to leave. The holes were odd shapes and our only had the date for that day. We were day trippers.

I figured from what Dad & Uncle were saying that it was some kind of racket. Probably why it's difficult to find reputable sellers of such insurance.

You may want to ask some locals on the state side about it.

USNews & World Report best Mexican Insurance 2024

 

[Morgana]

Baja had the 2nd highest murder rate of any state last year, and was 1st in car thefts.

There was that murder of three surfers last week near Ensenada, they're thinking a carjacking gone wrong. So much for "the cartels keep the anti-tourist crime down because they don't want the attention"!

 

[Morgana]

I’m looking for the same… going in tomorrow for Kira… the place I thought I could get it doesn’t handle it anymore.

FWIW, the impression I've gotten from people here is that the outlets that sell it right on the border are not necessarily disreputable, it's just that they charge you more than if you bought it from, I dunno, a regular insurance agent or the company hq. One person I've talked to uses Sanborn and she's happy with it, and you can buy from them online so that might work for you.
I'm looking for a longer-term policy so I want to make sure I'm getting a decent deal, but hopefully a short-term policy won't break your bank.
You could also call your regular car-insurance agent and see if they can connect you.

 

[Morgana]

"they didn't have insurance".

Yikes maybe a different kind of "insurance"? The people I've driven down with don't seem to have anything on the dashboard, just some paperwork in the glovebox.

 

[rruff]

There was that murder of three surfers last week near Ensenada, they're thinking a carjacking gone wrong. So much for "the cartels keep the anti-tourist crime down because they don't want the attention"!

I've been trying to get stats on just how likely it is for a US citizen to get killed in Mexico, and it's tough. There is one bit of info that is quite apparently bogus, that is often repeated:

"Mexico may be more dangerous than the US overall, but not for Americans.
According to FBI crime statistics, 4.8 Americans per 100,000 were murdered in the US in 2010. The US State Department reports that 120 Americans of the 5.7 million who visited Mexico last year were murdered, which is a rate of 2.1 of 100,000 visitors. Regardless of whether they were or weren't connected to drug trafficking, which is often not clear, it's less than half the US national rate."

Assuming that the numbers are correct, do you see what's wrong with their conclusion?

 

[Morgana]

Not comparing like populations, for one (people fit and solvent enough to travel to a foreign country vs all the people living in their home country). Though the comparison would still be interesting.

 

[rruff]

^^^ It's worse than that.

It's the time factor. They are comparing the likelihood of being murdered during a trip to Mexico, to the likelihood of being murdered in the US if you lived there all year!

 

[NctryBen]

I’m getting three days of Sanborn Mexican liability insurance for 54 bucks.
Kira is going in tomorrow…

 

[rruff]

^^^ Only $6,570/yr... liability...

 

[eDJ_]

That's 110,376 peso's. But for 3 days 54 dollars are a bargain. And if one was buying for a whole year, the scale would likely adjust lower.

 

[Morgana]

But for 3 days 54 dollars are a bargain. And if one was buying for a whole year, the scale would likely adjust lower.

The price I've seen for a year (without digging deep or looking for bargains) is just under $450. Someone told me she gets it for <$200 but I think that might have been a miscommunication.

 

[VanFan]

Kira is going in tomorrow…

Best wishes for the two of you!

 

[LoupGarou]

Never had to use it. Be mindful of the fine print, repairs might have to be made in Mexico at their shop rates. If parts aren't available you may have to leave the vehicle, and return to pick it up.

 

[Morgana]

The required insurance is liability only.

 

[NctryBen]

I could only get liability with a 99 truck. Sad outcome at vet today. Tumor in bone.

 

[Happy Camper]

Morgana, I believe @Texas Gypsy lives in Mexico and has dual citizenship. You might try messaging her, as she likely has local knowledge.