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Mexico City car rentals - recommendation?

Posted by (Seattle, WA, USA ☔️) on

We have a trip coming up which will have us arrive in Mexico City, and after a couple days there we will head out (by rental car) to more rural areas (up in the mountains of eastern Michoacan state to the monarch butterfly reserves). A few days later we will drive back to mexico City and drop the car, before moving onward.

I'm looking for recommendations for car rentals.

We will be staying at the Hotel Catedral, in the historic old center of Mexico City. My priorities are:

1) A good car rental price and good overall experience. No surprises.

2) A location to pick up the car (and return it) that is easy to get to/return to from my hotel, and easy to drive out and away from the city (and to reach upon return). Close to our hotel would be nice, but I am aware of how challenging it is to drive in Mexico City, so if we could find a good agency located further away from our hotel, but reachable via public transportation/Uber, etc, and which would allow a low-stress get-away/return...I'd be OK with doing that away from the hotel.

I am well aware of the challenges of driving in Mexico City itself, and I want to eliminate that or at least minimize it as much as possible. As for driving around the mountains and hinterlands in Mexico, I've traveled pretty extensively in Mexico before so I am comfortable with the challenges of getting around once you're off the beaten path there.

Thanks for any advice on Mexico City car rental places.

Posted by
6788 posts

Respectfully, that is EXACTLY the kind of response that I did NOT ask for.

There's so much willful ignorance and - frankly - hysteria, about travel safety in Mexico currently. The link you posted is a perfect example.

Look: I am keenly aware of the realities of life and travel in Mexico, thank you. If you're afraid to go there, fine - less crowds for me to deal with. If you have something meaningful to contribute to this thread - which was a request for some specific info, not a request for opinions on travel safety - then please add your recommendations for a car rental agency in Mexico City that meets the criteria I described above. But if all you want to do is scare people off from going to this large, diverse, and interesting country next door, or to proclaim that it's just too dangerous for you - then please take that elsewhere.

Posted by
2822 posts

The Mexican bus systems (ETN, Primera Plus, etc.) are quite good - clean, efficient and cheap. Might suggest taking the bus to a smaller city away from the capital (Toluca for example) and starting your drive journey from there, then returning to the capital the same way. Would likely save you a lot of aggravation and still permit self-drive excursions out in the country - including out to the butterfly sanctuary.
Have only rented cars in Puerto Vallarta and San Miguel de Allende. In PV it was with a local company that only operates there so wouldn't be much help to you. In SMA we were happy with Europcar - decent rates and a reasonably clear description of insurance coverages, etc.

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