What to now about driving in Mexico
Driving in Mexico is an adventure on its own. But worth it.
Renting a car is generally easy and lets you explore the country at your own pace – and this driving in Mexico guide helps you understand what to expect on the road, from toll highways and topes to safety tips and practical advice.
There are several areas in Mexico you should avoid visiting. If you have to cross them by car, you need to be extra cautious. Usually, you can find reliable information about which regions to avoid on the website of your Federal Foreign Office – for example, Germany’s Auswärtiges Amt, the U.S. State Department, or the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
One critical area is the Ruta 199 in Chiapas. If you want to know more about this section, you can jump to that part of the article.
Do not rely solely on this Driving in Mexico guide. Always check current safety advice before planning your route – especially on your national foreign office’s travel pages.
Avoid “smaller” streets – especially in more remote areas. Always try to stick to federal roads and highways, if available.
The best preserved and fastest roads are the so called “Cuota”. In order to drive on those streets, you usually must pay a toll. Be prepared to pay those fees in cash as there is no possibility to pay them by credit card. Those toll roads are the only possibility to avoid the endless “topes”.
One critical area is the Ruta 199 in Chiapas. If you want to know more about this section, you can jump this article.
It sounds like a general advice to drive carefully – but for Mexico this advice has another dimension to it. You need to be aware that Mexican streets – and this also includes the federal streets (!) – can be full of topes and potholes. Topes are speed bumps and most of the times they are not signposted (at all!) and they might also tremendously differ in size as well as in their texture and character.
This makes the topes quite unpredictable. You always need to be aware, that right after the next curve, there might be a tope, stopping you. Therefore, you should always drive carefully and be ready to reduce your speed dramatically.
