Rental car insurance

I am planning a trip to Cancun and will be renting a car so I have been looking into this too. I have read in a few places that Car Rental Companies in Mexico are required by law to include liability insurance in the price but they always try to sell additional liability insurance. I haven't yet found out what the difference is between the regular liability insurance and the additional. I have read several posts by people who have shown up to pick up a car that they had already paid for and the company has refused to give them the car until they purchase additional insurance that costs more than the car telling them that it is mandatory when in fact it is not. Apparently Hertz is bad for this. Many of these people had booked cars through Priceline or Hotwire. I will probably book mine through a place called easywayrentacar I read some good reviews and I haven't heard of them ripping anybody off, I think they are only in Cancun though. I have also heard of people being charged for floor mats, spare tires etc when they return the car even though the items were never there in the first place so be sure to check everything when you pick up the car.

Car Rental

We rented cars for the winter for 4 years, Hertz, Budget & National at Leon Airport. Also had friends & relatives do the same. I contacted all my credit card companies and found which had the better coverage in Mexico, turns out it was my CITI MC. I printed out a copy and took it with me. When renting I refused insurance. I had to sign two credit card vouchers, one for rental, and one for repairs if necessary.
I was able to cut my rental cost for monthly rental by 75% or more in a couple of cases.
You do need be aware of two things. 1st, be very meticulous when looking at the rental car before signing. Make sure every dent & or scratch is shown no matter how small. Also check the tires, including that spare exists. Try everything, including side view mirrors. They often get hit and may be glued with temporary glue. Do not rush this step no matter how long it takes and involve spouse/others.
2nd, what you are agreeing to with insurance is that you will be billed for any damage to your credit card and that your responsibility to get the charges removed. When you look at card coverage, have a conversation with the card company about what you will need if a problem as varies.
Given this, I never had a problem.

I rent in DF with Avis every two or three weeks and overall it has been a good experience. I confirmed that my AMEX card will cover damages to the car for much less than what Avis charges, but I always take the ALI (additional liability coverage) as the AMEX coverage will take care of damage to the rental car, but does not cover damages to other parties. The ALI only coverage is not that expensive, I have never had to sign multiple credit card vouchers when declining the insurance, just had to sign another form.

I do make sure note all of the damage to the car, as well as the presence of the spare and jack (and confirm that the spare actually has air in it).

Also, if you should happen to damage the car, look into having it repaired before you return it. Once I hit a pothole and bent the rim on the car. The spare had no air in it so I couldn't change it and Avis brought me another car, but they charges me for a new tire and rim when I returned the car. On a subsequent trip. I hit another hole and bent the rim again , but 15 minutes with a hammer and the wheel was as good as new .