Congratulations - you're embarking on an exciting road trip adventure to Mexico. you've got your vehicle tuned and every one of your gear packed, and now it's time to get your Mexican tourist auto insurance. Your Mexican auto coverage decision might be the foremost important decision you create , but unfortunately it's often one among the foremost rushed and least researched decisions that a lot of Mexico travelers make. don't make the error of assuming that each one Mexican insurance is that the same, because the differences in insurance coverages and benefits can vary tremendously between Mexico insurance companies. albeit researching coverage isn't very exciting for many people, this text will show you ways 5 to 10 minutes of research on the web could prevent thousands of dollars and lots of frustrating hours if you were to truly got to use your Mexico insurance to buy a loss.
Use the web to quote and buy Mexican tourist auto insurance
The overwhelming majority of Mexican auto insurance is now purchased directly from the web . There are variety of internet sites that sell Mexico insurance, and buying your insurance from the web makes tons of sense for the customer. Would you rather wait till the eleventh hour to shop for your insurance at the border, or would you favor to shop for your insurance from the convenience of your own computer before you allow on your trip to Mexico? Most customers like better to get their insurance taken care of before time.
The best websites to shop for your Mexico insurance from are ones that provide multiple Mexico insurance companies. this enables you to try to to comparison shopping through one website rather than filling out multiple quotation forms on multiple websites. One good Mexican insurance website with a comparison insurance rater will prevent tons of your time and confusion.
Which websites are often trusted?
Before getting your insurance quote, confirm to seem for a legitimate insurance license and get in touch with information. Also, you'll want to seem for a 'Surplus Lines Broker' registration number . A surplus lines broker is an insurance agent who features a direct contract with the Mexican insurance companies and is licensed to sell foreign coverage within the us . A surplus lines broker license may be a good sign that the web site is travel by a corporation who focuses on Mexico insurance. If the insurance license isn't a surplus lines broker license, this suggests the web site is presumably travel by an insurance broker who is selling through a surplus lines broker. This doesn't mean the products on the web site aren't valid, but you'll not receive an equivalent level of customer service as you'd from a surplus lines broker who specializes entirely in Mexican insurance. you'll also want to seem for a far better Business Bureau listing and a few kind of internet security approval like Hacker Safe or McAfee Secure to make sure that your information are going to be secure during your internet transaction.
Mexico coverage to seem for
Once you've got selected an internet site that sells Mexico tourist auto insurance, you'll fill out the fast insurance quote form. Within a moment , you ought to be ready to get a firm quote and start researching the advantages of the insurance products offered. Remember, this may be a way quicker and streamlined process if you employ an internet site that gives multiple competing insurance companies all under one quoting system (a comparative quote rater).
Look for a chart below or above the insurance prices that clearly explains exactly what the Mexico insurance limits are and what's actually covered. during this chart, you'll want to seem at the subsequent categories:
Deductibles: the simplest Mexican insurance policies will offer fixed deductibles, meaning the deductibles are going to be locked at a group amount no matter what the worth of your vehicle is. a number of the less costly policies will base deductibles on a percentage of the vehicle value. If the vehicle's value is a smaller amount than $20,000, percentage based deductibles could also be fine, but when vehicle values rise up within the $30,000 range or higher, the share based deductibles can get very high. If the web site doesn't specifically list the deductibles, you ought to not use that website!
US Hourly Labor Rates for Repairs Made within the US or Canada: within the old days, most Mexican auto insurance companies tried to form customers repair their vehicles in Mexico. Repairs made in Mexico rather than the US were often much less costly for the Mexican insurance companies, and lots of customers were unwilling to go away their car in Mexico, therefore the company got out of paying these claims. Today, many of the higher Mexico insurance programs allow you to repair your vehicle within the US or Canada if you would like . The catch is that a number of the less costly Mexican insurance programs will only pay a limited hourly labor rate for repairs made within the US (some as low a $20 per hour). this suggests the customer would need to pay the difference in hourly labor rates out of their pocket. the simplest Mexican insurance programs can pay very high US labor rates like $70 per hour or state that they're going to pay regardless of the current US hourly labor rate is. These policies could significantly minimize your out of pocket expenses within the event of a claim. If the Mexico insurance website doesn't specify if repairs within the US are allowed or what the hourly labor rate is, don't use that website to get your Mexican insurance!
Vandalism and Partial Theft Coverage: Vandalism and partial theft (meaning only a part of the car is stolen like the tires, door panels, etc) is usually not covered by standard Mexican auto insurance. within the past few years the upper quality Mexican insurance programs have began to offer this coverage in their enhanced coverage programs. If you would like to guard yourself against as many sorts of losses as possible, you ought to search for this coverage.
Liability Limits: this is often the portion of the Mexican policy that pays for damages you cause to 3rd parties. This coverage is important when traveling in Mexico. most of the people within the industry feel that $50,000 worth of insurance is perhaps the minimum you ought to consider. a number of the simplest Mexican insurance programs will go up to $300,000 combined single limit (a payment for property damage or bodily injury damages), but it'll also increase the premium . Some customers wish to hold these higher limits to figure in tandem with their US umbrella liability policies. you'll want to ask your US insurance provider if your umbrella insurance will recognize your Mexico auto insurance as a primary coverage.
Medical Payments: this is often the portion of the Mexico policy that pays for medical costs for you and your passengers (people inside your vehicle). $2,000 per person with a complete of $10,000 per accident is that the lowest limit you ought to consider, but many policies will offer much higher limits. a number of the higher policies also will increase this amount if you're hit by an uninsured motorist who is guilty . you'll want to see together with your US or Canadian insurance provider to form sure they're going to cover you for medical costs incurred while traveling in Mexico. If not, you'll also want to research a world insurance plan - but that's a special subject.
Legal Service: confirm your Mexico insurance includes legal service or legal assistance. This coverage can pay for any court costs, attorney fees, or bail payments that are a results of a traffic accident in Mexico. The service also will dispatch a personal representative to carry your hand through any legal procedures. This coverage is completely essential, so don't purchase any Mexico auto insurance that doesn't include this coverage!
Road Assistance: Most of the higher Mexico insurance companies will include some level of road assistance which will cover towing expenses, flat tires, locksmith, and other services. this is often an excellent coverage to possess , so confirm this is often included together with your Mexico policy .
Medical Evacuation: because the marketplace for Mexican insurance becomes more competitive, many Mexico carriers are now bundling in phenomenal coverages to form their products stand out. When medevac is automatically included together with your Mexico auto insurance, it's a fantastic value and convenience. This coverage will coordinate and buy air or land ambulance services within the event of 'grave illness or injury'. this suggests life threatening or very serious illnesses or injuries. Purchasing a medevac program on your own will often cost many dollars per annum , and may often have many limitations. the standard Mexico auto insurance programs that bundle within the medevac coverage will usually cover multiple people in your travel group automatically up to four or more people. confirm to seem for a way many of us are covered by the medevac . If the quantity of individuals covered isn't listed within the insurance quote details, you'll assume that the medevac may only cover the driving force . Other websites do exist that specifically cover 4 or more people in your travel group, so it's highly recommended that you simply search for websites that provide this broader medevac coverage.
Plane Tickets Home: Another great benefit that a lot of of the higher Mexico insurance websites are offering is plane tickets range in the event that your car is stolen or not drivable. this will prevent thousands of dollars, and alleviate the nightmare of wanting to coordinate your transportation back to your home from Mexico. If this benefit is obtainable , confirm to ascertain for a way many of us the policy will provide plane tickets home. If plane tickets house is ex-directory , or the web site doesn't specify what percentage people are covered, you ought to check a special website. a couple of websites do offer coverage for four people or more in your travel group.
When unsure , call the web site customer service telephone line for help
The reputable Mexico insurance websites will encourage you to call their customer service departments if you've got questions on the Mexico insurance. If nobody answers the phone, or doesn't call you back within a couple of minutes (during normal business hours), you'll not want to get your insurance from that website! Most Mexico insurance websites are like ATM machines. the web site is there for your convenience if you would like to write down the policy yourself, but you're also welcome to call the web site customer service insurance agents and have the agents write the policy for you over the phone.
If you check for every of those insurance coverages and website features while buying Mexican auto insurance on the web , you're bound to purchase the simplest insurance for your situation. Five to 10 minutes of research could prevent thousands of dollars and hours, if not weeks, of headaches within the event that you simply got to file a Mexican claim . Be safe, and celebrate in Mexico!
Jeff Nordahl has over 10 years of experience within the Mexican auto insurance industry. he's currently President of Adventure Mexican Insurance Services, which may be a California based surplus lines broker that specializes exclusivley in providing Mexico insurance products.