Renting a car can definitely be cost-effective depending on your location. Cancun and Tulum are definitely one of those locations. The average cost for a taxi to take you from Cancun airport to Tulum airport is $100 ONE way! Yikes! This is the downside of not having a car. These destinations now thrive on tourism and now hail overpriced cabs, Collectivos, and tours. There is an Avvo bus (sort of like a Greyhound bus) but it does not run every hour. This will result in you wasting time that could’ve been used to enjoy your trip.

If visiting the Yucatan Peninsula I highly recommend renting a car. I rented a car for 7 days and paid about $60!

Is it safe?

Cancun and Tulum are popular touristic areas and is known to be safe. There are rarely any incidents involving tourists. I felt safe and I did not encounter anything that can make me say otherwise. I drove around Cancun to Tulum to Holbox and back to Cancun. When driving ANYWHERE, you should always take the necessary precautions and not venture/wander into dangerous roads.

Common Companies

There are familiar companies such as Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Sixt, and Europcar. I booked with Europcar. I suggest going with one of these well-known global companies, though a local company can get you the best price. It will eliminate any headaches should anything go wrong with the car.

Prices

I have seen rates as low as $5/day. A great bait to make you book, but once you arrive there will be many added fees. As someone who is familiar with the rental industry, they make their money through additional services such as insurance.

If you have a travel credit card such as an American Express Platinum card or Chase Sapphire your insurance coverage also applies to Mexico. They will try to tell you otherwise so it is good to have a printout of this.

You can decline all additional insurances as I did. I was told that I would have a hold on my credit card between $300-$1200 which I did not mind because it is just a hold and would be released when I return the car. They tried to convince me to pay for additional insurance to lower my hold, but I declined. It is good to be direct and hold your ground. Pre-booking is even recommended.

I would NOT pay more than $20/day if I absolutely had to, but $10/day is the standard average for those using their travel credit cards. Keep in mind, when getting a car for the lowest daily price, the amount of money on hold is usually the highest.

The Car

Take photos and videos of the vehicle that you receive. This will save a back and forth if they try to say you caused damage that was already there so that they can milk you for fees.

Getting Around

Google Maps > Apple Maps

Google maps is great for many reasons. I have found them to be very reliable as far as updates roads and timetables. The best part is that public transportation is included and accurate. I do not recommend Apple maps. I am not being biased, but when I started traveling more internationally I found Google maps to be better. While in Tulum my friend used Apple maps to drive us around. We ended up on a dead-end road by the water, during the night -_-. Team Google Maps!

avoid driving at night

Risks can come at all hours of the day, but let’s be honest, more risks come at night. Try your best to do your driving during the day, especially if it a long drive such as Cancun to Tulum. Also, keep in mind Tulum does not have the best roads. There are many potholes, and dirt filed roads. Cancun had great pavement and clean roads.

drive the speed limit

You are not in your home country. Respect the rules and laws of the country you are visiting. It would be awful to receive a ticket or even be arrested for something you are in complete control of.

US license is good

Your U.S. license is good enough for renting a car. I have also used my U.S. license to rent cars in Europe. I can only speak for U.S. license because that’s what I have. I am not sure about other issuing licenses.

Be careful with parking

Like with most places, pay attention to signs and parking rules. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to the vehicle you rented especially if you aren’t fluent in Spanish.

factor gas

It is important to remember that you will be paying for gas. Factor that into your cost of getting around. I spent about an additional $70 on gas during my 7 days driving from Cancun to Tulum to Holbox and back to Cancun. This calculation will help you identify if it would be more cost efficient to utilize taxis depending on how many people are traveling.

Have you ever thought about renting a car to save money?

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