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Renting an Automobile |
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Renting a car in Mexico can be a completely different experience than in the United States. It may cost you a lot more if you don't plan ahead and be very careful as to what you are getting. It is not uncommon to pay anywhere from US$60 to $80 per day for a small rundown car. You can roll the dice and try to bargain upon arrival at your destination, but most companies know the options out there and adjust their prices accordingly.
No one likes it, but auto rental agencies located inside the airport must pay a surcharge to the airport for each rental made. This airport pick up surcharge is now 15% (June 2008) on every rental and can add up quickly for those vacationers renting a car for a week or more. HOWEVER, you can "beat the system" and save yourself from paying this 15% in airport surcharges. Simply specify in the reservation to either pick up the rental car OUTSIDE the airport (like downtown) or request that the agency bring the car to you at your hotel or vacation rental home. This will require taking the taxi shuttle from the airport to your accommodations but typically this fee is much less than what would be paid in 15% surcharges on the rental car. Then simply return the car at the airport the day of departure. So start using the airport rental car agencies because typically they have very competitive rental rates and the airport convenience speaks for itself!
Something important to remember is that U.S. insurance companies do not make direct payments for damages outside the country. If your rental car is involved in an accident, you will be required to make full payment of all damages by Mexican law before you leave the island. The rentadora is "supposed" to supply you with the necessary reports for you to take to your insurance company at home to recover payment. For those companies that require a mandatory insurance fee of US$10 a day, it will usually include collision, with a deductible of anywhere from US$850 to US$1500.
Make sure you know exactly what you are covered for!
- Spare tire and working jack
- All doors lock and unlock, including trunk
- Seatbelts available/function for all passengers
- Seats move forward and back and no sprung backs
- Windows roll up and down
- Proper legal papers are in the car with phone numbers and address of company
- Horn, foot brakes and parking brake function properly
- Clutch, gearshift, all gears (including reverse) work properly
- Note the time you picked up the car and know when it needs to be returned
- Note how much gas should be in the tank when returned
- Make sure you thoroughly check the car before you take it too far
| Cozumel Rental Car Options |
There are many dozen car rental agencies now operating on the island. With the increase in cruise ship traffic over the last several years it is much more difficult to just walk up to an agency and find an available car so advance reservations are a good idea. Please note however, that as with the airlines, it is very common for the rental agencies to OVERBOOK reservations especially during high season. You may very well arrive to pick up your car with a confirmed reservation in hand only to discover that there are no cars available. Keep in mind that the car rental agency can only control so much with clients.
Once a client takes a car and then decides on their own not to return it on time, there is very little the car rental agency can do. In large metropolitan areas where there are multiple offices of the same rental agency, most every reservation can be accomodated by the offices working together to adjust/move fleets to where the cars are most needed. But because Cozumel is an island, fleet adjustments are not really feasible or cost effective so there will be times when there just are no cars!
Most agencies here on the island work together to try to help each other out in fleet shortage situations but in the end analysis: Cozumel is in fact an island with limited resources. As a visitor to the island it can be helpful to remember this! |
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Support Our Website! Reserve One of These Autos Online!
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 AVIS Group A Autos - Fiesta First, Chevy Pointer & Similar (Standard) |
| Autos have 2 or 4-Doors, Standard Transmission & Air Conditioning
From $32 Daily / $192 Weekly
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| AVIS Group B Autos - Ford Fiesta, Corsa & Similar (Automatic) |
| Autos have 4-Doors, Automatic Transmission & Air Conditioning
From $35 Daily / $212 Weekly
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| AVIS Group C Autos - Dodge Attitude & Similar (Automatic) |
| Autos have 4-Doors, Automatic Transmission and Air Conditioning
From $43 Daily / $ 307 Weekly
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| AVIS Group D Autos - Focus, Optra & Similar (Automatic) |
| Autos have 4-Doors, Automatic Transmission and Air Conditioning
From $54 Daily / $ 326 Weekly
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| AVIS Group M Autos - Voyager, Prestar & Similar (Automatic) |
| Autos have 4 or More Doors, Automatic Transmission and Air Conditioning
From $97 Daily / $ 584 Weekly
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| AVIS Group O Autos - Jeep Wrangler (Standard or Automatic) |
| Autos have 2 Doors, Automatic or StandardTransmission
From $54 Daily / $ 326 Weekly
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| GEO Automobile from Less Pay |
| GEO from Less Pay
$49.50/day (out the door) low season
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| Jeep Automobile from Less Pay |
| Jeep Automobile.
$49.50/day (out the door) low season
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| Pointer with A/C Automobile from Less Pay |
| Pointer with A/C Automobile (similar to the USA version of GOLF)
$44/day (out the door) low season
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| VW Convertible Automobile from Less Pay |
| VW Convertible Automobile
$38.50/day (out the door) low season
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| VW Safari Automobile from Less Pay |
| VW Safari "Thing" Automobile
$44.00/day (out the door) low season
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AVIS Group C Autos - Dodge Attitude & Similar (Automatic)
AVIS Group A Autos - Fiesta First, Chevy Pointer & Similar (Standard)
VW Safari Automobile from Less Pay
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We searched for rental agencies before we got there on a cruise Thanksgiving last year and decided to use Less Pay. They delivered as advertised. Other rental agencies were much higher for the same type of vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler.
We're spending a week in Cozumel in August of and are making arrangements for 3-4 jeeps. Look forward to the same service again. Ron B ~ Opelousas, Louisiana
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Everything worked out great. Dolphins were wonderful. Less Pay vehicle was drivable, didn't use as much as I thought I would so glad I saved $100 or so instead of using Avis. We loved Cozumel, saw your office, and visited your neighbors at the real estate office downstairs. Thanks for all your help and great web site! S. Dooley ~ not given
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Just want you to know that everything worked out great with LessPay! They honored their web price, let us pick up a day early, and when the car had problems (bad brakes & clutch), they happily swapped it out for another car the next day, no questions asked. We were very impressed with how efficient they were with paperwork, and they even offered to drive us to the ferry when we turned the car back in! We will definitely use them again and will recommend them to others. Their prices were reasonable and they were very friendly (and spoke English, too). R. Wolf ~ Mimon, MA
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