Renting a vehicle on the island is a bit different than in the US or Europe. For one thing, you're are in no way guaranteed a spiffy under-one-year-old vehicle with that new car smell. We suggest you book ahead of time on the internet.  No credit card is required for reserving the car, so your card cannot be charged if you don't show up.  Print out your reservation form and take it with you to guarantee the price you were offered on-line or chances are you will be in line for a bait and switch game.

Arriving at the Cozumel International Airport

The first question is; Which car rental company actually have a desk at the Cozumel International Airport?

The answer is there are Five (5): Avis, Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, and Executive (also known as ACE car rental on the Internet).

Book with at least 2 on-line, and when you get there see for yourself which has the better car and the best deal.  Ask them to show you the car before signing any papers.
(No one requires a credit card to book, and your card can't and will not be charged if you don't show up).

All other rental companies may advertise desks at the airport, but will require taking a shuttle (which you have to pay for) to get the their offices downtown. Too much hassle especially when it comes to returning the car. It will end up costing you more.

Arriving via the Ferry at the Dock - Executive (ACE), Dollar, Budget, and Alamo have offices one to two blocks from the ferry Dock.  The onsite rental agent will meet you there and help you with your luggage and take you to the car rental agencies.

Car Liability Insurance - One insurance expense you must take is personal liability. If you have the misfortune to injure someone locally, you will be taken to the police station to settle up the bills. No foreign insurance card will be accepted. No credit cards will be accepted. You would have to settle up everything in cash. Take the liability insurance your car company offers; most of the time it is mandatory -- it's generally $10-12/day. This is a necessary expense. Some car rental companies bundle this in their price. Others don't. Be sure to ask when shopping for price.

Car Collision Insurance - The second insurance expense, which is optional, is the collision to pay for damages to the car you are renting. This is a big money-maker for local companies who seem to uniformly charge $10/day for $800 deductible and $20/day for no deductible. This can easily double your car rental. 

Our suggestion is to get travel insurance to cover the entire trip including car rentals, and many other travel issues, for less that you pay for collision insurance alone.  We met a couple on a plane, where the husband had a clogged artery in his leg while on a cruise, they had to forfeit the rest of their cruise, pay for emergency water taxi to get them off the ship, plus the hospital bill in cash before leaving, and for additional first class airplane tickets back home; because there were no coach seats available - Total bill $20,000 in cash.

Option 1 - Travel Insurance - Covers the car collision plus much more including health and weather related vacation interruptions, airline tickets, house rental, for the less than the price of collision insurance.
Check it out at:
http://www.csatravelprotection.com

Option2 - American Express Car Rental Premium  Protection - If you carry American Express, you can sign up for Premium Rental Protection for $19.95 per rental.  Call the 800 number on your credit card and ask.

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No matter where or what you rent, be sure to check out the car VERY CAREFULLY before you accept it. This includes things like rolling down all the windows and then rolling them back up, checking to see all the doors and the trunk locks work, etc. We don't recommend renting a Jeep except for couples (No air, not much room for a family of 4).

You will be asked to give a credit card to secure the car.

When you're comparing prices of cars, be sure to find out what is included in the base price. If you have insurance coverage for collision damage via your credit card or travel insurance company, you may be able to waive the collision insurance from the Cozumel rental company. This is a big money-maker for local companies who seem to uniformly charge $10/day for $800 deductible and $20 for no deductible.

Here again, as with all the companies listed here, be sure to find out the total price -- including insurance -- before making a decision based on price alone.

Turn signals- Many people do not use their turn signals, so stay alert and drive defensively. If they do use turn signals it can mean different things than what one might assume.

Turning left - Some times a left turn signal can mean some one is turning left, but it can also mean that they are signaling to you to let you know that it is safe to pass them. This has caused accidents in the past so just be cautious.   Beware when turning left from the highway!  It is absolutely critical to look BEHIND you to make sure there is no traffic. When making a left turn from the highway where a dedicated lane is NOT provided pull off the road to your right, put your left blinker or emergency flashers on and wait for all traffic to clear in both directions before making your left turn. Repeat, If you need to make a left turn, pull over to the right and wait and make sure there is no traffic in either direction.

Passing - When traveling on the highway be alert and vigilant for aggressive drivers. Drivers in the on-coming lane may choose to pass and cross the centerline of the highway at unexpected times. Be ready to move right. Watch for vehicles driving or stopped on the road shoulder. Let tailgaters pass.

WARNING:

We strongly advise against renting scooters on Cozumel. We have seen more accidents than we can count due to pot holed roads and inexperienced drivers who don't know their way around.

If you want to keep your expenses low, rent a VW convertible instead. Much, Much safer. You'll have more room, more shade, less wind.