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Road rules abroad

What to carry

What you must carry in your car in Mexico

A hire car does not always come with these. Check the boot before you drive away. Every item links to the official source it was checked against, with the date.

Required by law

What you must carry in the car

Varies by region
  • Insurance certificate
  • Spare tyre or repair kit
  • Vehicle registration document

The insurance is the one that catches people out. Every vehicle on a federal road, highway or bridge must have third-party liability cover, and Mexico City requires that the policy come from an insurer authorised by the Comisión Nacional de Seguros y Fianzas. Your own country's policy does not satisfy that. Buy a Mexican policy before you drive, and keep it in the car with the registration card. Minimum cover set by the Secretaría de Hacienda is 100,000 pesos for injury or death and 50,000 pesos for property damage. A car must also carry a spare tyre, inflated and in good condition; motorcycles and bicycles are excused. Cities add to this list — Mexico City also wants a fire extinguisher and two warning devices.

Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source

  • Mexico City
    • Fire extinguisher
    • Two warning triangles
    • Spare tyre or repair kit
    • Insurance certificate
    • Vehicle registration document
    Every motor vehicle in the city must carry a fire extinguisher, two reflective or luminous warning devices, a spare tyre and the tools to change or repair it. Run-flat tyres or an equivalent system replace the spare. The insurance policy must be current and issued by an insurer authorised by the Comisión Nacional de Seguros y Fianzas — a foreign policy does not meet that. Carry the registration card too, physical or digital; with foreign plates, carry the papers describing the vehicle and proving it is legally in the country. At a checkpoint the officer asks for licence, registration card and insurance policy together. Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source

Looking to rent a car? Make sure you ask the rental company to show you the equipment is in the car before you leave. Not every hire car comes with it. We earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we make money.

Winter equipment

Tyres and chains are equipment too, and the rules usually apply only between set dates or on signed roads.

Winter tyres

Not required

No winter tyre rule exists. The law asks only for pneumatic tyres in a condition that grips the road even when it is wet, plus a spare. Snow is rare outside the high mountains.

Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source

Snow chains

Not allowed on clear roads

Chains, metal tyres and similar fittings may be used only when there is snow, ice or something else on the road that would make the car slide. At all other times a tyre may not carry studs, blocks or any protrusion that is not rubber. Nobody has to carry chains.

Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source