Short answer: it depends on your policy conditions, and only the adjuster can confirm it after reviewing your case. Repair location, who authorizes the shop, how the amount gets settled, and your deductible are all defined inside the Chubb Tourist Auto policy — not something a chat agent can promise in advance.
What you control is the first step: report the accident immediately and get it inspected before the car goes anywhere. That's what actually moves things forward.
Don't arrange a tow home, a local repair, or anything else before the adjuster has inspected the vehicle and authorized next steps. Skipping this can complicate your claim regardless of where you end up fixing the car.
🚦 At the Scene: Before You Move an Inch
The minutes right after a crash decide how smooth the rest of the process is. Keep it simple and in this order:
- Check for injuries and move to a safe spot only if the car is driveable and it's safe to do so
- Call local authorities if there's injury, major damage, or dispute — this is standard practice, not optional in most states
- Photograph both vehicles, plates, the road, and anything relevant before traffic or cleanup changes the scene
- Report the claim to Chubb right away so an adjuster can be assigned
- Wait for inspection before authorizing any repair, tow, or storage yourself
The adjuster inspecting your car in Mexico is the step that unlocks everything after it — repair authorization, settlement, and whether the vehicle can travel for repairs.
Who Decides If the Car Goes Home
You can't just decide to drive or tow the car back across the border and get it fixed at your usual shop. That call sits with Chubb, based on the inspection and what the policy conditions allow for repair location and authorization.
In practice, this means: no repair starts, no shop gets picked, and no tow gets arranged until the adjuster has signed off. That protects you — repairs done outside this process can be harder to get reimbursed.
Keep every document the adjuster gives you — the inspection report, any written authorization, estimates. You'll want all of it if the vehicle does end up traveling for repair.
💰 Your Declared Value Sets the Ceiling
When you quote online, you declare a value for your car. That number isn't a formality — it's what damage and theft coverage is calculated against if something happens.
Declare it accurately. Too low and you risk being underinsured on a total loss; it won't inflate a modest repair bill, but it does set the ceiling the policy works with.
Deductibles also work as a percentage with policy minimums, not a flat number you pick. If a $100 deductible is what you're hoping for, check how the math actually works first — our guides section breaks down how these percentages apply before you buy.
What Liability-Only Leaves Out
| Covers | Liability Only | Full Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Damage you cause to others | ✅ | ✅ |
| Medical payments | ✅ | ✅ |
| Damage to your own car | ❌ | ✅ (deductible applies) |
| Theft of your vehicle | ❌ | ✅ (deductible applies) |
If you only carry liability, a crash that's your fault means your own car's repair comes out of your pocket — no adjuster-authorized repair process applies to your vehicle, because there's no damage coverage to trigger it.
What a 2026 Reference Quote Looks Like
For context, here's what a 2022 sedan with a $20,000 declared value runs for all-Mexico territory. Fees are already included in these totals; there's no Mexican tax (IVA) on this product.
Full coverage, 1 day
Damage + theft + liability, deductibles apply
Full coverage, 3 days
Same coverage, short trip
Full coverage, 7 days
A typical week-long trip
Full coverage, 30 days
A month in Mexico
Liability only for 7 days on the same car runs $54.75 total — no damage or theft coverage attached, just the liability and medical limits.
The gap between $54.75 (liability, 7 days) and $113.35 (full coverage, 7 days) is the difference between walking away from a crash with nothing covered on your own car, and having an adjuster-managed repair process at all.
Prices shift by vehicle, declared value, territory, and dates — get your own number with the Tourist Auto quoter before you head out, whether you're driving the Baja peninsula or further into the mainland.
None of this replaces reading your actual policy. The repair-location question, the authorization chain, and the deductible math are all spelled out in the Chubb Tourist Auto conditions you receive with your policy — that document is what actually governs your claim, not any chat conversation beforehand.