Car Hire in Puerto Vallarta: Liability Cover, Deposit and Excess – What Appears at the Desk

The short answer: third-party liability insurance is required by law in Mexico, and at the Puerto Vallarta airport it is added at the desk unless you can show valid proof of Mexican cover. Cover bought on a travel website or included with a US credit or debit card is, according to Enterprise’s airport page, not accepted for that purpose. Plan for a deposit on a credit card in the main driver’s name as well. The figures below come from what Enterprise publishes for Puerto Vallarta International Airport; other companies set their own, so read them as the shape of the problem and not as a quote.

If a rental is only for one trip north, there is a way to do that day without a car: the San Pancho and Sayulita trip is €49 per person, 3.8 stars from 211 reviews, 6 hours, with hotel pickup.

See dates and prices for the San Pancho and Sayulita trip

What the law requires, and what that does to the price

Enterprise’s page says it directly: “In Mexico, 3rd party liability insurance is required by law on all vehicles.” You can obtain it by buying the company’s own third-party liability protection, TPL, and that purchase is required unless you present valid proof of current liability insurance that specifies cover in Mexico. The same page says that most auto insurance policies from outside Mexico do not provide cover in Mexico, and that liability insurance bought on third-party travel websites and insurance that accompanies US credit or debit cards are not acceptable forms of cover.

That is the reason the desk price can look nothing like the screen. It is a legal requirement presented late, not a trick. Whatever you booked online, ask before you pay: Is Mexican third-party liability included, and will you accept it as booked?

Discover Cars, the booking site we link to, has its own help page on this. It says third-party liability is a separate type of cover, usually included in the base rental price to meet local legal requirements, and that its Full Coverage does not cover damage to third parties. Whether the liability cover is in the price shown for your Puerto Vallarta booking is something to confirm in the booking terms; we have not found a statement for Mexico on that help page.

The deposit

Enterprise says a passport and a credit card with available credit in the renter’s name must be presented, and that a hold of at least 500 US dollars is placed on the card, varying with the vehicle, the number of days, the extras and the protections you accept. Debit cards are accepted only as a form of final payment. If you decline the TPL it sells and show acceptable proof of Mexican cover, an additional hold of 45,000 pesos, about 2,500 US dollars, is placed. Release depends on your card company’s terms.

The practical point: the hold reduces the credit you can use for the rest of the trip. Do not put it on the card you need for the hotel.

Collision waiver and excess

The collision waiver, CDW, appears on Enterprise’s page as CDW-TP, covering collision and theft. The company says plainly that it is not insurance, that buying it is optional, and that a deductible of up to 95,000 pesos, about 5,000 US dollars, still applies if you buy it. If you decline it, you are responsible for the full value of any damage to the car. In the language of a booking site, that deductible is the excess, and it is the number to read before you compare two quotes with the same headline rate.

Discover Cars sells a different product: Full Coverage is a reimbursement policy that refunds the excess and eligible costs after you have paid the supplier. Its help page says the supplier cannot see this cover, that you still leave the standard security deposit at the desk, that you pay for damage first and then file a claim within 90 days of returning the car. Whether it suits you is your call; what it does not do is replace the deposit or the Mexican liability cover.

Age, fuel and the other lines

• Minimum age. Enterprise says 21, with a maximum of 75, and an extra 9 US dollars a day for drivers from 21 to 24.
• Fuel. Three options: return the car and pay a refuelling surcharge plus the fuel, return it full yourself, or pre-pay a tank with no refund for unused fuel. Returning it full is the simplest; leave time near the airport.
• Additional drivers, child seats, one-way fees. We have not found figures we can stand behind. Ask before you book.

Before you compare prices

Read these in this order: deposit, excess, whether Mexican liability is in the price, fuel policy. The headline rate comes last. Then compare car hire in Puerto Vallarta with those lines in front of you.

For most readers whether you need a car at all comes first, and the drive to Sayulita and San Pancho is the trip we think justifies one.

Our recommendation

One trip north, no driving worries: the San Pancho and Sayulita trip at €49 sees both towns without a car or a desk, though at 3.8 stars it is not the best-rated trip on offer.

Booking a car anyway: book it with the desk in mind, not the headline rate. Ask for liability, deposit and excess in writing, bring a credit card in the driver’s name, and photograph the car before you leave the lot.