If you are looking to get around Mexico independently during your upcoming trip, you may be assessing and comparing various different car rental companies in order to decide which one is the best one to go with. In the process, you have probably stumbled across Discover Cars and you might be wondering whether they are legit and trustworthy.
This article has been written by a British Travel Writer based in the Yucatan capital of Merida (Me!). You have come to the right place here as I have been living in Mexico for the last two years and have rented cars in several different cities and states during my extensive travels around the country I call home – both via Discover Cars and via other rental providers.
So is Discover Cars Mexico legit, and is it a good place to rent a car from and secure a good deal? The short answer is yes, but we will take a look at the reasons as to why in more detail here.
Who Are Discover Cars?
Discover Cars is an aggregator car rental platform that can be used to compare and contrast deals between hundreds of different car rental companies in over 10,000 cities and 145 countries across the globe. You can think of it as the Skyscanner of car rentals.
The company was first established in 2013, and since then it has rapidly developed into one of the most trusted car rental platforms in the world. Discover Cars has won numerous awards over the past couple of years and in 2022, they were recognized as the “World´s Best Car Rental Booking Website” by the World Travel Tech Awards.
Discover Cars Mexico Review
In Mexico, you can use the Discover Cars platform in most major cities and tourist destinations across the country. Discover Cars is widely available everywhere from Cancun, Tulum and Merida, to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara or Los Cabos.
The great thing about using Discover Cars in Mexico is that the platform provides you with the best rental deals of the day. These deals also display the true total cost of the rental upfront – meaning that there are no hidden fees or additional extras that you have to pay. Meanwhile, with many other rental websites and aggregator platforms, you might find that the price looks cheaper at first glance, but when you go to reserve your vehicle, a bunch of extra taxes and fees have been added.
Alternatively, and perhaps even worse, sometimes you might think that you have secured a cheap rental car somewhere and then arrive at the rental office to pick up your vehicle, only to be told that there is an added extra that you haven’t paid for yet.
If this happens, it is harder or sometimes impossible to refuse to pay or back out of the rental because you have already paid to rent the car. This is a lot of additional stress that you really don’t want at the start of your trip.
The company’s transparency on fees, excellent customer service, simple, user-friendly interface and free cancellations up to 48 hours before departure really set them apart from other aggregator platforms.
Discover Cars works with trusted suppliers
Discover Cars works with over 500+ car rental suppliers in various locations across Mexico. This includes the likes of well-known global brands like Avis, Alamo, Sixt, Hertz, Europcar, and Budget in Mexico, as well as several trusted independent suppliers.
While smaller local Mexican rental companies should not be written off, it is crucial to do everything that you can to ensure that your experience with renting a car in Mexico is a positive one. When you enter your search parameters on the Discover Cars page (e.g. the location you are traveling to, and the dates you are traveling), it will automatically throw up some recommended rental suppliers and vehicles.
On the left-hand side, you will see the option to filter suppliers by supplier rating. It is better to choose a supplier with a rating of 8 and above so that you know that you are choosing a supplier that other travelers have had a positive experience with.
Sometimes, you might notice that there is a big difference in price between suppliers with a rating of 6 and above and suppliers with a rating of 8 and above. Most of the time, you get what you pay for and if something seems suspiciously cheap or too good to be true, it probably is.
It is always better to be safe than sorry but if you are on a really tight budget, you can look at the lower-rated, cheaper options but really scrutinize the past reviews.
The Discover Cars booking process is very straightforward
My partner and I recently used Discover Cars to rent a car in Puerto Vallarta. We were visiting his family in the area and wanted a car so that we could travel to the cute little Jalisco villages of San Sebastian del Oeste, Mascota, and Yerbabuena which are not easily reachable by public transport.
The Discover Cars interface is very straightforward and easy to use. We simply entered our search dates and location and the results page was automatically populated with easy-to-understand information on recommended rentals sorted from the lowest to the highest price.
We then filtered the results to make sure that we only saw vehicles from suppliers rated 8 and above. You can probably find rentals that are still decent but slightly cheaper if you were willing to look at suppliers with ratings of 6-7 and up but we were somewhat anxious after having previous bad rental experiences (not with Discover Cars).
We opted for an economy vehicle because the most important thing to us was finding something reliable but low-cost. There were only two of us and we knew that we would be traveling on well-maintained roads so we didn’t need an SUV or a large vehicle.
We went ahead to the booking and the payment screen which clarified exactly what was included. We chose to add full coverage insurance and paid for the entire vehicle upfront, in full.
Moments thereafter, we received a confirmation email from Discover Cars along with our booking reference and reservation voucher, important information about our vehicle pick up and drop off, useful contact numbers, and detailed information about their supplier (Avis) specific policies that we needed to know.
Book early to avoid any disappointment
Discover Cars recommends that you reserve your rental car as early as possible once you know your travel dates. This is particularly important if you are planning on visiting a popular tourist part of the country (like Cancun or Puerto Vallarta) and especially if you are going to be traveling during the peak season (December through March).
You can usually get better deals if you book in advance, and as you approach your travel dates, the price goes up along with the demand.
Automatic cars are just as widely available in Mexico as cars with manual transmissions.
The good thing is that Discover Cars offers free cancellation up until 48 hours prior to your departure time.
This means that you can reserve a car and lock in a good price plenty of time in advance of your trip. However, if you then find a better deal later on or your travel plans change, you can cancel.
Payments and cancellations with Discover Cars
Both full and partial pre-payment options are available with Discover Cars. I chose to pay for everything upfront so that I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about paying anything when I arrived at the rental office but this depends on your personal preference.
If your travel plans are fairly certain but not absolutely 100% confirmed, with no fee.
Rental car pick-up locations
You will usually find that there are multiple pick-up locations in each Mexican city. For example, in Cancun, you can collect rental cars from the hotel zone, the downtown area and Cancun International Airport (CUN).
In Merida in the Yucatan, you can collect your car from the airport, the mall outside the Fiesta Americana hotel, or the downtown area. In Puerto Vallarta, you can choose between the city and the airport, but most rental companies operate from the airport.
It is worth keeping in mind that you may need to be flexible with your locations and that prices can vary depending on where you are picking up your vehicle. Airports are often the cheapest option and this is usually where you will find the most suppliers.
When we rented a car in Puerto Vallarta, we had to take an Uber to the airport to collect the vehicle even though we were already in the city and not flying in. It would have cost us several times more to pick the vehicle up from downtown.
(You can toggle the pickup location on the left-hand side of the search results and it will give you an indication of the minimum start price before you even click. Most of the time, it works out much cheaper to collect your car from the airport).
Mileage and fuel policies
Different suppliers and car listings come with different mileage and fuel policies on Discover Cars. Most car rentals offer unlimited mileage but it is worth keeping an eye out to make sure that it is there so that you don’t incur any additional costs later on if you wind up driving more than your specific allowance.
You don’t want to reach the end of your vacation and find that you have to pay loads of extra fees when you drop off your car.
It is also a good idea to choose a fuel-to-full policy. This basically means that you are given the vehicle with a full tank of gas and you return it with a full tank of gas.
Different rental cars and their average prices
Car rental prices can vary significantly depending on where you are traveling to, whether you are planning on traveling in the peak season or not, and the type of vehicle that you will rent.
We paid $260 USD for a full-sized vehicle for four days in Puerto Vallarta including full coverage insurance. That works out at about $65 a day which is somewhat on the higher side of what you can expect, but we booked at the last minute, rented a larger car, and went with the absolute best-rated supplier on the platform.
You can find mini or small, economy-sized vehicles for around $35-$50 a day if you book in advance and have more flexibility on the supplier. For this, you are looking at cars like a Chevrolet Beat, a Chevrolet Aveo, a Volkswagen Vento or a Nissan March.
When you are selecting your vehicle, you can also choose to add any additional extras to your booking. For example, if you want to add an additional driver, a baby seat, a child seat, or a GPS navigation system.
Driver requirements for using Discover Cars Mexico
The requirements for using Discover Cars in Mexico are as per the below. This is fairly standard across all Mexican rental companies.
- A valid driver’s license
- A form of ID
- A credit card to keep on file for security or a debit card with sufficient funds for a cash deposit
- An International Driving Permit (IDP) if your license is not in the Roman alphabet
- Mexican car insurance
- You meet the minimum and maximum age brackets (usually between 21 and 80).
Always check past reviews
It is prudent to always check past reviews when renting a car and this is definitely a good idea in Mexico, especially if you are renting a vehicle from a smaller local company rather than a renowned global brand. But even if you are renting with the Hertzs and Aviss of the world, you will probably find that their service, quality, etc. can vary a lot from one country to another.
Check reviews via Discover Cars, Google, Tripadvisor etc. Be mindful of the fact that some people just love to complain about the most minor things (we had a good experience with Avis in Puerto Vallarta even though some of the reviews were terrible!) but look out for repeated mentions of the same issues.
If you are still unsure about how trustworthy Discover Cars are as a platform, you might also like reading reviews from past customers in Mexico.
Discover Cars Mexico customer reviews 2023
According to TrustPilot, Discover Cars has a rating of 4.6 out of a possible 5. Recent customers have raved about their fast response times, great experience with picking up and dropping off the vehicle, value for money, and friendly customer service staff.
Great customer experience . Impeccable service . The way how the contact center works . When you need them they are there to help you. They don’t rest until you get things right . Thank you so much and i wish that support department would work like you do
Managed to scratch the doors of my hire car on a dodgy Portuguese track to a remote beach. Luckily, I’d taken out full insurance. Got billed 500 euros which was fair. Returned home on a Thursday, filed my claim on Saturday afternoon and had it approved by Sunday morning.
Purchasing auto insurance via Discover Cars in Mexico
Purchasing auto insurance is one of the biggest headaches to navigate when renting a vehicle in Mexico as a lot of insurance-related scams exist in the country. Booking your rental car via a platform like Discover Cars helps mitigate some of the risks but it isnt completely foolproof.
A common rental scam in Mexico is for somebody to purchase perfectly valid auto insurance when they book a car rental, or for them to perhaps already possess valid insurance via their credit card or a global plan, only to arrive at the rental office and be told that it is not valid at all. Sometimes, providers can flat-out refuse to let you rent their car unless you agree to pay their auto insurance, essentially holding the car hostage and forcing you to pay.
This happened to me when another Travel Writer and I rented a car in Merida directly with a local supplier and not via Discover Cars. We had rented a vehicle for two weeks and ended up having to pay a couple of hundred dollars extra in insurance when we already had insurance, meaning we paid double and it was a pretty annoying way to start our Yucatan road trip.
Different types of Mexican auto insurance
It is a good idea to ensure that you purchase full coverage insurance via Discover Cars so that you are covered for each and every eventuality. However, you should also note that essential Mexican auto insurance is broken down into different categories.
Namely, these are CDW (collision damage waiver), theft protection and third-party liability insurance (TPL). Then, if you purchase full coverage insurance, it will cover you for the below additional extras.
- Deductible/excess charge for damage or theft
- Repair costs, including windows, mirrors, wheels
- Towing and taxi expenses
- Lost keys or lockout fees
- Administrative charges
Discover Cars’ full coverage policy is affordable and comprehensive and depending on the type of vehicle you rent, you can purchase it for less than $10 per day. With a lot of rental companies, you have to really check the small print as it is often the case that full coverage isnt really full coverage and small things like mirrors, keys, etc are not included.
With Discover Cars, you can rest assured that you have a true full coverage insurance policy in place.
Cons of booking auto insurance through Discover Cars Mexico
The only thing that gets confusing and could perhaps be clearer (and I have passed commentary on to Discover Cars about this), is that some Mexican listings show that collision damage waiver and third party liability are included, whereas others do not.
If you purchase full coverage insurance and the listing does not display collision damage waiver insurance, it will at no point in the booking process tell you that you are not covered for this. When you receive your confirmation from Discover Cars, it will tell you this in small print and advise you that you may have to pay extra at the rental desk.
That definitely could be clearer and I am sure that there are plenty of people that don’t notice this and then arrive at the rental office, not covered for CDW and assume that the rental office person is trying to rip them off. (Since trying to upsell insurance is a known issue in Mexico anyway).
Picking up the rental car
Discover Cars clearly communicates reservations made via the platform with the respective rental companies. We showed up at the Avis car rental office at Puerto Vallarta airport with our Discover Cars vouchers and were fully prepared to show our confirmation number, booking reference, etc. but fortunately, the rental company could easily find our information purely by providing our name.
The car was already ready to go and they got the keys out straight away. (Obviously, we had to provide identification to prove that it was us who made the booking.)
We spent about an hour in the car rental office but that was largely because the person behind the counter was new and kept making small errors and needing the assistance of their coworkers. I guess you could easily be in and out within 30 minutes or so if there isnt a queue and it isnt peak season, etc.
The driver (my partner) had to show his identification, and driving license, and provide a credit card for the security deposit. It is important to note that the credit card needs to be in the name of the lead driver.
If you are adding other drivers, they also need to show their identification, driver’s license, and (if applicable), their IDP. An IDP or an international driver’s permit is only necessary if you have a license that is not in the Latin alphabet (this one).
For instance, if your license was issued in China, Korea, Japan, etc. and is in completely different letters.
Availability of cars on arrival
When you scroll through the different options of available cars on Discover Cars, you can choose between small cars, medium full-size cars, large cars, SUVs, vans and premium cars.
Although you might be looking out for the make and model of the vehicle, it is important to note that it says “or similar” next to the car name. For instance, we had reserved a Toyota Corolla for 5 days.
We weren’t particularly precious about exactly what type of car we were booking but when we arrived we were given a Kia. The car was still excellent, but you need to be aware that you may not be able to be insistent on a particular model, particularly when it’s busy.
Consider how much deposit you need to pay
Your car rental deposit can be anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000 depending on the type of vehicle you rent, the coverage you choose, and the duration of your rental. We had rented a full-sized Kia for only five days and yet we still had a deposit value of $2,500 USD.
This is actually more linked to the policies that the individual suppliers have, rather than being something that is dictated by Discover Cars.
Fortunately, because we had a credit card, we simply provided the card numbers and this deposit was charged as a temporary hold against the credit card. So it wasn’t that we were physically out of pocket for the money.
Some rental companies in Mexico accept debit cards but not all of them so do double check before making a booking anywhere if you don’t have a credit card.
Obviously, the deposit is refunded back to you at the end of your trip if you return the vehicle and is just to protect the supplier so that you don’t ride off into the sunset with the car or damage it and not have the funds to pay for the repairs. However, $2,000 to $3,000 is no small amount to be out of pocket right at the start of a vacation.
The deposit is automatically refunded back to your card within 36-48 hours of dropping off the vehicle unless there is any dispute. The additional benefit of having a credit card on file rather than a debit card is that credit cards offer additional insurance.
Check the vehicle before you drive off with it
To protect and cover yourself for any and every eventuality, it is worth doing a thorough check of the vehicle before you drive off with it. Right before the car rental agency hands you the car keys, they will ask you to sign a rental agreement specifying their terms and conditions and an inventory checklist confirming the condition in which you received the car.
Most people aren’t out to scam you but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Thoroughly inspect the interior and exterior of the vehicle and point out any issues.
Take photos with your cell phone so that you have time-stamped evidence of the condition that the car was in when you collected it. The Kia that we collected from Avis had a few bumps and scratches at the front of the car so we pointed it out to the Avis representative and he noted it down on the inventory checklist.
We also took photos of it to protect ourselves just in case. Everything else was fine with the vehicle and we were given copies of all of the documents that we had signed.
Discover Cars customer service
Our process of booking with Discover Cars in Mexico was seamless and after making the actual rental reservation, we didn’t have any further contact with them. From then, the rest of our enquiries were with the rental company directly.
The reservation voucher was sent through immediately after making the booking. Here, Discover Cars provided information on how to contact the rental company and how to contact their customer service department in case of an emergency.
We collected the car from Puerto Vallarta airport and were not sure exactly where to go, since the airport security wouldn’t allow us into the section of the airport where the rental offices were near baggage claim. We called the number on the reservation voucher and someone from Avis met us in the parking lot outside Arrivals to take us to pick up the car.
Discover Cars does have a comprehensive Help Center where you can review information and articles about common FAQs related to using their services around the world. By clicking “manage my booking” on their home screen, you can use your booking number and email address to sign in and see everything related to your reservation.
You can submit a query or a request for help by clicking “Contact Us” and filling in all of the information requested in the contact form. There is also a section that allows you to easily file a claim online should the vehicle be damaged in any way and you need to claim on your insurance.
Returning your vehicle
The process of returning our vehicle was quick and seamless but I would suppose the ease and experience of this may vary depending on the specific rental company you use. Our full-to-full fuel policy meant that we had to fill up our gas tank just before dropping off the car and we found a gas station just a couple of blocks away.
You will usually have a designated time for returning your vehicle, and returning it too late can result in having to pay fees although a lot of companies will give you a bit of lee-way if you are stuck in traffic or dealing with other factors beyond your control. The drop-off time is usually the same as the pickup time so, for example, if you pick your car up at 11 am, you will have to return it at 11 am on the drop-off day.
Take care to clear out any trash and remove personal belongings from the car before returning it so that you aren’t charged any additional cleaning fees.
We had been driving through a lot of rain and mud in the villages in Jalisco that we traveled to and unfortunately, we were not able to find a car wash before dropping the car off. We paid some of the attendants at the gas station to help us clean the car with a mop and bucket and then cleaned the interior ourselves with wet wipes (!)
Although the car wasn’t perfectly spotless, Avis were fine and didn’t charge us an extra fee as they said that they would give it a quick rinse-over before handing it on to the next customer.
Final paperwork
After we parked up in the drop-off spot, we just had to sign a document confirming the condition of the car. At this point, it is a good idea to take photos of its interior and exterior to cover yourself if the rental company tries to claim that you damaged their vehicle.
Within 48 hours, the credit card hold for the security deposit had been reversed and the funds were cleared once again, but the exact amount of time that this takes may vary depending on your credit card company.
Claiming compensation against your full coverage insurance
When you reserve a car rental anywhere in the world, you should always read the fine print to make sure that you are aware of exactly what your insurance coverage protects you for. Should you be unfortunate enough to have an accident or incur any damage to the vehicle, you should advise both Discover Cars and the rental company.
When you return the car, the rental company will provide you with an estimate of how much the repairs are likely to cost. You are entitled to have full visibility on this entire process, including receipts and invoices from mechanics etc.
Then, you can claim this against your insurance. There is a simple online form that you can complete to file an insurance claim with Discover Cars and submit supporting documents but you can also give them a call if you prefer.
Documents needed for making an insurance claim
As standard, you will typically need to submit the below documentation in order to make an insurance claim with Discover Cars. They usually move fast and you could have your money refunded in as little as a day or two which is another reason why they are a great company to rent cars from.
- Discover Cars booking reference and confirmation number
- Copy of your rental agreement and full insurance coverage
- The rental company’s feedback, charges, invoices and receipts for damage
- An overview of what happened to cause the damage (provide as much detail as possible)
- A police report (if applicable)
- Relevant bank details for the company to process a refund
Advice on driving in Mexico
Driving in Mexico is, for the most part, not too dissimilar from driving in the USA and Canada. Here, people drive on the right side of the road like in the United States and most of the world, and speed limits and road rules apply just like anywhere else.
Road signs are displayed in English and are easy enough to follow, but it’s also a good idea to download Google Maps on your phone (or a similar free offline app) to help you navigate your way around.
The road conditions and safety can vary significantly from state to state but generally anywhere that is popular with tourists (like the Yucatan Peninsula, Baja California Sur, Jalisco, etc.) has pretty good, well-maintained roads.
People often (wrongly) assume that driving here will be like adventuring out into a lawless state but the reality is that there is such a high police presence in Mexico. Fines for speeding and breaking road rules here are so strict, that people don’t dare risk doing something illegal.
It is better to stick to toll roads (“autopistas”) as they are usually safer, but in some of the safest states in Mexico like the Yucatan and Campeche, the free roads are just as safe. It is better to avoid driving at night not just for safety reasons, but because many main roads are not well-lit and at night time, it is hard to see hazards like wild animals, stray dogs and steep speed bumps (topes).
Visiting gas stations in Mexico
Gas stations in Mexico are usually full service which means that an attendant pumps your gas for you. You can typically pay in cash or with credit/debit cards at the station but it’s good to always have some cash on you in case their POS machine isnt working.
A lot of websites online will warn you about gas station scams but I have honestly never had any such experience in my 2+ years living and driving here. It is customary to tip the attendant just 10-20 pesos or so, and if someone offers to clean your windows, you tip them too.
Most rental cars here take gas (“gasolina”) and only a few use diesel. If your rental car does use diesel, you will usually see little letters indicating as such close to the tank.
Of course, if you are unsure, you can ask the rental operator when you first pick up your vehicle.
Pros and cons of using Discover Cars in Mexico
We had a very positive experience using Discover Cars in Mexico and we are already planning on using them again in a couple of weeks. They essentially act as an intermediary between you and the rental company, in the same way as Skyscanner acts as an intermediary for you and the airline, and Airbnb acts as an intermediary for you and a property rental host.
Still, they assist in helping you find the cheapest deals and oftentimes, their insurance plans are better and more affordable than some which are offered directly by the rental companies. Their customer service and the way they make themselves available to customers is second to none.
But there may well be circumstances and situations where they are not necessarily the best option for you.
Discover Cars vs. a rental company you have some sort of loyalty plan with
If you travel regularly and often rent cars, it might work out more beneficial for you to try and find a car rental company that offers some sort of frequent traveler loyalty plan. For example, Avis and Hertz offer customers the chance to join a loyalty plan whereby they earn points on certain rentals in specific locations.
These points can then be redeemed on future bookings. Discover Cars have no such loyalty program as of yet, and they also do fewer promotional packages and special deals compared to certain rental companies.
Discover Cars can be more economical for longer periods
When you are playing around with the Discover Cars booking tool, you may notice that rentals for a week or longer often come with a much lower daily rate than when reserving rentals for just a couple of days. This is quite commonplace across many different rental companies but it is something that you are not exempt from when using Discover Cars.
For example, we had paid $65 per day for a full-sized Kia with full coverage insurance in Puerto Vallarta for four days but if we had rented for a week or longer, we may have enjoyed a daily rate of around $40 to $45.
In our case, we had other plans and really didn’t need a vehicle for longer, and even though the daily rate may sound a little bit on the steep side, the places we were visiting were almost impossible to access without a car and public transport would have been too expensive. It was worth it for us, but it is worth keeping this in mind.
If you thinking of only booking a car for a few days of your itinerary purely to save money, you might not be saving as much as you think.
Premium fees for young drivers
Many rental companies and aggregator platforms, including Discover Cars, charge a premium for younger drivers. Most companies require you to be at least 21 to be able to rent a car from them at all.
(Some companies accept drivers over the age of 18 but they are the exception, not the rule). Generally, though, anyone under the age of 30 may be asked to pay a young driver’s fee.
The younger you are and the less experience that you have driving, the higher this is likely to be. While again, this is pretty common across Mexico, it is worth noting that Discover Cars can be more expensive for drivers under 30 and it is always worth sense checking what rates are available elsewhere.
Discover Cars Mexico Review: FAQs
Do you have any additional questions or concerns about using Discover car hire in Mexico? The answers to some frequently asked questions are detailed below.
Hopefully, you will find the information you are looking for there. If not, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can!
Is Discover Cars in Mexico legit?
Discover Cars in Mexico is a legitimate company that has been established for over 10 years and operates in over 145 countries across the globe including Mexico. They have countless reviews from tens of thousands of past customers and are a good place for finding a Mexico car rental.
Why are Discover Cars so cheap?
Discover Cars are an affordable choice because they don’t add additional fees to their car rentals. However, they are not so suspiciously cheap that you should be wary of their prices being legit or not – they are just competitive within the industry and somewhat comparable to what other companies will offer.
Discover Cars Mexico review: final thoughts
Overall, Discover Cars is an excellent company and we will use it again. This article will be updated accordingly based on increased experience as we continue to book cars through the platform.
Have you used this company yourself during your travels here? If you have any feedback or commentary that you would like to share with other travelers, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
If you will be spending a lot of time exploring Mexico by car, you might also find this post on driving across the Mexican border, useful.
Safe travels and have a wonderful time in Mexico! Buen Viaje! Melissa xo
