Posts Tagged ‘Vacation tips’

Reasons To Have Mexican Car Insurance

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Because of it’s exclusive beaches and resorts in places like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, or Cozumel; Mexico is a favorite place to visit. If you plan on driving in Mexico plan to purchase Mexican car insurance.

Thousands of people travel from the United States and Canada to Mexico each year, this includes vacationers and individuals with a Mexican heritage that are returning to visit family members. This has created a growing need for Mexican car insurance. Mexico is not any different than the US or Canada in that you are required by law to purchase liability insurance for your car, in order to be legal to drive on the roads.

For those people that live in Mexico and work in the United States will be traveling back and forth quite a lot. It makes sense for these people to purchase an annual policy, as opposed to a daily tourist policy, because of the savings. There are also people that live in the United States and travel work in Mexico, an annual policy makes sense for these people as well. Just like any other item, insurance will be cheaper if purchased in bulk and in this case bulk mean a longer period of time.

Some people are under the mistaken opinion that their US auto policy will be sufficient while in Mexico. It is true that some major US carriers offer limited coverage in Mexico, usually within twenty-five miles of the border. However, this policy does not comply with Mexican law and does not provide evidence of financial responsibility; therefore, if you are involved in an accident you can be incarcerated until you can provide proof of financial responsibility. After the accident has occurred the proof will have to be in the form of cash or cash equivalent, and this is even if your insurance company will cover the accident. While traveling in a foreign country it is important to obey and respect the local laws.

Mexican car insurance is a little bit different than the type purchased in the United States. The industry standard is a combined single limit of one hundred thousand dollars. Try to avoid split limits as they are a tactic that the insurance companies use to avoid a higher payout if a claim is filed. It is important to shop around and make certain that you are getting the best price and while nobody wants to pay too much for Mexican car insurance remember that price isn’t everything. Not purchasing the right insurance can be much more expensive than paying too much for the proper insurance coverage.

A variable deductible is usually a percentage of the value of the vehicle. The percentage amount will vary, but is usually between two and five percent of the value of the vehicle. The insurance deductible is handled quite a bit different in Mexico. Mexican car insurance will usually come with a variable deductible. This is the complete opposite of what most people are accustomed to, because here in the US and Canada a fixed deductible is the norm.

While your shopping around, keep the internet in mind. You obviously have internet access because you are reading this. The internet is full of places that sell Mexican car insurance. Educate yourself on the variety of coverages available and the different deductibles. Nobody want to pay more than they have too, but more importantly everybody wants to be covered in the event of an accident.

Lookin to find Mexican car insurance online, then vistit this web site on how to choose the best to choose the best car insurance for Mexico.

Reasons To Have Mexican Car Insurance

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

I am a licensed insurance agent and have been selling insurance for the last fifteen years, and during that time there have been many instances of people choosing to purchase coverage that is inadequate for their needs. I remember the first week that I started to sell auto insurance I sold a liability only policy to a man, and as soon as I handed him his proof of insurance cards he said: now I need to file a claim, my car burned to the ground last night and it’s just right outside, and I want this insurance policy to fix it. I went outside and sure enough his car was on a trailer just outside our office, and it was all burned up. Obviously the claim was denied for a variety of reasons: no insurance at the time of the fire, no comprehensive coverage on the policy, etc. I am convinced that it is cheaper to buy the right amount of insurance than it is to try to same every penny, and when traveling to Mexico, buy Mexican car insurance.

what does this have to do with travel to Mexico? Well, just like this fellow needed an education on the proper coverages in the United States there are a few things that you should know about your Mexican car insurance before you travel to Mexico.

The first thing that you should know is that you must purchase Mexican car insurance from a Mexican insurance company. It is not enough to have a United States insurance policy that will cover you inside of Mexico. There are a few major insurance carriers that will provide coverage within a limited distance inside of Mexico, but this is not enough. These policies do not provide proof of financial responsibility to the Mexican government in the case of an accident.

Under Mexican law failure to provide proof of financial responsibility to the Mexican police at the time of the accident is considered a felony, and jail time would be almost certain. I don’t know about you,but spending my vacation in jail is something that I would be willing to spend just a little more money, and maybe even a lot more money, so that could avoid it.

There are a few more things that you should know about insurance in Mexico. When buying liability insurance make sure that you buy a combined single limit of no less that one hundred thousand dollars. The combined single limit provides more coverage for property damage. You won’t need as much bodily injury coverage in Mexico because pain and suffering and emotional distress claims are almost unheard of in Mexico.

Be aware of the variable deductible in Mexico. Most insurance policies will provided for a variable deductible of somewhere between two and five percent of the value of the insured vehicle. That means that for a ten thousand dollar car, with a five percent deductible, you would need to save about five hundred dollars to pay the deductible, or one thousand dollars for a twenty thousand dollar car. Mexican insurance companies do offer some fixed limit deductible, but not all companies will offer it.

Remember my story at the beginning of the article and don’t be like the guy that bought the wrong coverage at the wrong time. Buy your Mexican car insurance before you leave, and make certain that you buy the right kind of insurance. I hope that you enjoy your vacation.

It is essential that before you buy Mexican car insurance stop by and ask the professionals. We have been helping people with their car insurance for Mexico needs for years. You can trust us.