Posted by Ernie Gorrie on January 21, 1997
I know that it is very important to take out Mexican automobile insurance if one is planning to drive a car in Mexico. When we buy a car in Mexico, of course we will be getting insurance on it.
My question is, what if we have friends (Mexicans or non-Mexicans) visit us or use our house while we are away? Will our insurance cover them while they are driving?
I guess in a sense, the question is… does the insurance cover the car owner and family members or does it cover the vehicle, regardless of which licenced driver is driving?
If the insurance covers them, what possible ramifications would there be on us if they were involved in an accident? e.g., any possibility of civil liability for us, increased insurance rates, etc.?
Posted by Marvin Kemel on January 25, 1997
Ernie: you sure have a lot of car questions. Here goes:
My Mexican insurance policy specifically prohibits anyone other than family memebers from driving my vehicles. I also think it is illegal for Mexican Nationals to drive a foreign registered vehicle in Mexico. My policy cost is based on vehicle replacemnt value, not on driving records. You may find some other insurer with different rules, BUT, be carefull. Some Mexican insurance companies are not very good at paying claims.
Stick with one of the “biggies”.
Most Mexicans do not carry insurance on their cars. Hell, with the economic crisis they can hardly afford gasoline. I think you are getting hung up on trying to “import” your Canadian lifestyle to Mexico. My advise would be to ” go with the flow”. You will find that most people do not worry about all these rules. In many communities foreigners have autos that still have Us or Can. registration.
As I stated before we have a proper 6 month permit on our vehicles and return to the border every 6 months to renew. It is a big pain but untill the regulations change I feel it is best. BTW have you tried to find out if a vehicle can be imported with your belongings as ” settler’s effects” ?