Should I Rent A Car In Tulum? 5 Things You Need To Know

Hey traveler! Are you heading to Tulum next and you can’t wait to explore Yucatan, one of Mexico’s most beautiful region with cenotes, Mayan ruins, beaches, a lot of food culture and much more? We can already see you in a road trip from Cancun airport to Riviera Maya, Tulum, and then Merida and Yucatan’s inland. Sounds incredibly exciting – but to do this you will need a car. 

If you are wondering if you should rent a car in Tulum or not, the answer is most probably yes. You will need a car to move around Tulum city and – especially – from Tulum to other cities in Yucatan. Everything depends on how you will organize your trip, but we will talk about it later on in our guide. If you want some help in making your trip to Tulum flawless, we loved the FREE concierge service of Kelly and Virginia – check it out down below! 

For now, we decided to write here 5 things you need to know before renting a car in Tulum – you will know everything from the included insurance to how’s driving on Mexican roads, from the best way to pay (credit card or cash dilemma) to the best car rental companies in Tulum, from the best deals and prices per day to the car rental companies you should avoid – in a nutshell: you will be a pro on car rentals in Tulum! 

Check our tips right here below and let your trip begin!

We know you are super excited about your trip to Tulum and you can’t wait to rent a car and discover Yucatan’s peninsula beauties! But – you should know some things before rushing into a random car rental company and renting a car. So make sure to check out the list of the 5 things you need to know before renting a car during your Mexican travel! 

The price when renting a car can be the first thing you take in consideration. You can quickly check the different car models for rent and choose the best deals out there. But Mexican roads are not the same as in the US or Europe, so full coverage insurance is needed.

Many car rental companies in Tulum are hiding prices and you will find out about some extra money you will have to add on the booking sooner or later. This extra money can represent a full insurance – which can be not included in the price of the car, but which every vehicle must have in Mexico following the law – a pick up in a different location, or extra time if you deliver the car at a different time than the one agreed, and so on.

So make sure not to follow only the apparently best deals, but check in detail all the possible hidden prices! 

Talking about the price, it’s not said that if a company is offering good deals compared to other car rental companies locations is a mediocre company. Most of the time, famous car rental companies in Mexico are applying higher prices than Mexican companies because they have a larger choice of cars and all in all they are an international company, whose main location is probably in the US.

So if you are doubting about renting a car with a Mexican car rental agency, open your mind and value them because they usually offer professionalism and the best deals.

If you are planning a road trip in the Yucatan peninsula you are gonna have a lot of fun! To drive in these areas of Mexico, from Tulum to Merida and Cancun, is really an adventure and you will come back enriched from your trip. Tulum is a great destination, but a bit touristy – if you want to have a real insight about Mexico, Yucatan will give it to you.

Even though roads are pretty safe, you should have a full coverage insurance to chill and don’t think about any possible inconvenience. Always bring some cash with you because in Yucatan it is pretty rare to pay with a credit card. So, wisely choose your car rental agency and enjoy the view! 

There are many car rental companies in Tulum and it will not be difficult to pick up a car and start your trip. But, it’s always important to check out car rentals reviews because you can never know what to expect. There are many famous car rental agencies you should actually avoid because they usually scam tourists with fake excuses asking for extra money at the end of the rental.

So, better spending a few minutes more checking car rentals reviews than regret it at the end of the trip! A tip you can easily do is to call the agency and see how their customer care is – if they are nice and helpful, these criteria can help you choose the right car rental agency. 

If you book your car online before your trip to Mexico, then you will most probably pay with a credit card. This is the best thing to do if you are going to Tulum during high season – prices are higher and free cars are less.

If you are not planning your trip during high season, you can basically contact the agency checking how many free cars they have in their locations and see if you can manage to pay them with cash once in Tulum. When you pay with cash, depending on how many days you rent a car, you can even try to negotiate the price to get the best deals.

So yeah, as long as you have a bill and a car rental contract, it doesn’t make a huge difference between paying by cash or credit card. 

As we said at the beginning of the guide, yes, you should anyway rent a car during your trip in Tulum. But, if you plan to spend the maximum of your time in Tulum center or beach, you can opt for different ways of transportation. Check out our guide about the best transportation in Tulum right here!

All in all, if you stay in Tulum town and you plan only a day trip, the best thing you can do is to rent a bike or a scooter and use it to move in Tulum. On your day trip you can either book a tour, use public transport or rent a car only for 1/2 days. 

If you are planning a bunch of day trips then the best thing you can do saving money on taxis and public transports is renting a car as soon as you arrive in Tulum.

Wondering which car rental is the best? After renting cars with many car rentals here in Tulum, we found the one of the best – if not the best – deals out there! Check it out below. 

We ran into Virginia, a really kind girl, during a yoga session in La Veleta. We were planning some trips in Yucatan to explore some cenotes and we needed a car. That’s how we found out Virginia is renting cars and her business is really cool.

We told her the days we needed the car, she told us the super convenient prices and cars she had available and we decided to try her service out. We had an incredible experience – transparency, no need for deposit on our credit card, a lot of flexibility and kindness – in a nutshell: we loved our experience at BGH Car Rental and we can’t recommend you any better company in Tulum.

So if you are still wondering, let’s talk about their prices!

Their prices are really good considering the average rental prices in Tulum. If in a standard agency you pay approximately 70 usd per day, without a full coverage insurance, Virginia is renting cars at 40 usd per day with full coverage insurance and unlimited kilometrage.

She rents Nissan Versa cars, which are halfway between a compact and a station wagon – exactly the perfect car to explore the Yucatan peninsula, up to 5 people. 

If you want to rent a car in Tulum, don’t think twice and contact Virginia today! You can reach her on Whatsapp at +529842558049 and ask for her car’s availability. You will definitely not regret it!

We hope to have clarified all the possible doubts you could have had about renting a car in Tulum! Let us know below which road trip you are planning in the Yucatan peninsula – we can’t wait to get inspired by you and discover new cool destinations in Mexico!