Is Renting A Car In Cancun Worth It? (Why I Don’t Recommend It)
Traveling To Cancun And Wondering If It Is Worth Renting A Car To Get Around, Or If It’s Too Much Trouble In This Part Of Mexico?
Mexico is the foreign destination that I traveled to most, including the Riviera Maya area (where Cancun is) multiple times, and the last time I was here I got a car so I could go to the Tulum area easily, but renting a car turned out to be way more trouble than what it was worth in my experience, so it may or may not be worth it for your next trip down here.
🚗 Is It Worth Renting A Car In Cancun, Mexico?
Although I didn’t love renting a car down here in Cancun (more details why in the next section), it is a very popular way for tourists to get around the Riviera Maya area so you may find it worth the trouble depending on your travel plans.
➡️ Trying to figure out where to visit in Mexico? here’s a comparison between Cancun and Cabo to help you decide
Why I Don’t Recommend It
After my experience renting a car in Cancun the last time I visited this area, these are some reasons why I would say it is not worth the trouble, and I think it would be better to use other forms of transportation here instead (some good options listed further down):
- Car Rental Companies – after a disastrous travel day (more than a 12 hour delay), the rental car company at the airport was
- not quick to pick me up
- not quick to rent the car
- charged additional (very large) deposits
- tried to give me a car that reeked of cigarettes (I made them switch it)
- plus they are notorious for charging extra fees after returning the cars for any minuscule damage (like to the undercarriage which is easy to get on these bumpy roads)
- Road Conditions – Mexico isn’t typically known for great road structures, but in the very jungle-like areas of Cancun and the Riviera Maya it is even worse (especially in further away places like Tulum)
- expect non-stop potholes, undefined lanes, flooded roads, non-paved roads, etc.
- Driving Conditions – other drivers in Mexico are not typically the safest drivers so driving here is not the same as driving in the US
- don’t expect drivers to follow normal driving rules
- be prepared for a fairly chaotic driving experience
- be very aware of your surroundings or you might end up getting hit
- The Weather – especially during certain times of the year, Cancun and the entire Riviera Maya area can get lots of rain, bad storms, and even hurricanes
- the night I rented the car, a tropical storm was passing through and it made these already terrible roads, even worse and made the drive I was making to Tulum three times as long
🎥 If you prefer visual learning, here’s a video I made on why I don’t recommend renting a car in Cancun/the Riviera Maya
- Traffic – within the cities, traffic can be horrific so renting a car in Cancun isn’t worth it to spend so much time waiting
- one night my family was trying to drive 2 miles to meet for dinner on the main Tulum Beach road, and it took them 2.5 hours to go those 2 miles
- Gas Station Scams – they can be fine, but scams at gas stations for foreigners is not entirely uncommon
- usually during regular hours, attendants put gas in the car for you in Mexico but with foreign currency and not being in control of how much gas is going in, it’s easy for them to take advantage and give you less gas than what you paid for or not give you back the proper change
- Police Targets – foreigners driving in the Cancun area are often bigger targets for the police so it’s not uncommon for foreign drivers to get pulled over
- Parking – parking isn’t always easy to find, nor is it always free so this extra hassle is just one more reason why I feel like renting a car in Cancun is not worth it
When You Might Want To
Although I didn’t love the experience, many people enjoy the freedom of renting a car and exploring the whole Yucatan Peninsula so it might be worth it if you plan to:
- stay somewhere further away from Cancun (like Playa del Carmen or Tulum) – although there are private transfers available from Cancun to areas all the way down to Tulum
- visit Chichen Itza or cenotes on your own so you can go when you want and stay as long as you want
- go out and explore more of the Yucatan Peninsula and visit destinations like
🚐 Other Ways To Get Around Cancun & The Riviera Maya
Since renting a car in Cancun can be such a hassle, here are some other ways to get around that might or might not be worth using:
- Taxi vs Uber in Cancun – because both taxis and Ubers have had some serious issues in the Cancun area, I actually don’t recommend either to be as safe as possible, especially to/from the airport when you have all your belongings
- Private Transportation – having a private driver wait for you specifically is the best and safest way to get to/from the Cancun airport; there are even options to take you all the way to Tulum
- for a Cancun area airport transfer, Happy Shuttle is one of the highest rated options
- for a luxury Cancun area transfer, Transportadora Turística Maupome Gil is a great option
- to get to Playa del Carmen or Tulum, Advance Traveling is a good option
➡️ Check here to see the pros and cons of visiting Cancun if you’re still trying to decide if it’s worth visiting or not
- Guided Tours – by far the easiest and most stress-free way to get around and explore is on guided tours (especially to the popular site of Chichen Itza), but I’d recommend being very choosy about which ones you go with here because so many are very sketchy, cheesy, or too touristy
- the Sat Mexico Tours early morning Chichen Itza trip or NS Vacations Tours small group tour to Chichen Itza are highly rated
- this Cancun Adventures Tulum ruins tour from Cancun has great ratings
- this Cancun Adventures Cenote, Snorkeling, Sea Turtles, and Beach tour is very popular
- Public Transportation – although it’s not always the best everywhere in Mexico, there are busses that run all over the Riviera Maya area and they can be ok and very cheap
- one trip I was staying in Playa del Carmen and I took the bus to/from Akumal and didn’t have any issues
🔁 Sum Up: Is It Worth Renting A Car In Cancun, Mexico?
Although renting a car in Cancun is a popular way to get around and really explore the Yucatan Peninsula, after my experience driving here, I don’t think it’s worth it because the roads are in terrible condition, there are scams everywhere (the car rental companies, gas stations, etc.), police like to target foreign drivers, and bad weather can make driving here frustrating and dangerous. I’d suggest sticking with guided tours for visiting places like Chichen Itza or Tulum, and getting private transportation if you plan to stay somewhere further down the coast like Playa del Carmen.
