Liability-only vs full coverage in Mexico: what $27 vs $37 a day actually buys

The short version

Liability-only costs $26.97 USD a day or $228.52 a year (Chubb Tourist Auto, all of Mexico, measured 2 September 2026). It pays for what you do to others: $100,000 USD for injuries and property damage to third parties, $2,000 USD medical, legal assistance and 24/7 claims help in English. It pays nothing for your own car.

Full coverage costs about $37 USD a day or about $531 a year for a car worth $20,000-23,000 USD. It adds collision damage and theft of your own car, with a fixed-amount deductible (not a percentage). Chubb sells it as a package: there is no theft-only or damage-only plan.

The gap is small per day ($10) and real per year (about $300) because full coverage is priced on the value of your car and liability is not. The older and cheaper the car, the less full coverage adds in dollars — and the less there is to protect.

Liability-only is what the law requires and what a police officer asks for. Full coverage is what a lender requires on a financed or leased car, and what most people want on a car they could not afford to lose in a Baja ditch.

Same length, same coverage limits, same PDF and same claims network on both. The chat shows both prices side by side before it asks for an email.

Short answer with the numbers: liability-only costs $26.97 USD a day or $228.52 a year; full coverage about $37 a day or about $531 a year (Chubb Tourist Auto, all of Mexico, measured live on 2 September 2026). The first pays for what you do to other people; the second also pays for your own car. That one sentence is the whole difference — the rest of this guide is the detail that decides which one you buy.

The line that explains the price gap

Liability is priced on the risk you pose to others, so it costs the same for a 2009 Corolla and a 2024 Tahoe. Full coverage is priced on the value of your car, because that is what it insures. That is why the two plans are $10 apart for a day and about $300 apart for a year.

Price by length, measured 2 September 2026

Length	Liability only ($100k + $2k medical)	Full coverage (car ≈ $20k USD)	Difference
1 day	$26.97	≈ $37 ($36.68 measured)	≈ $10
7 days	$63.51	$131.49	$67.98
30 days	$166.58	$390.58	$224.00
6 months	$207.99	$460.00	$252.01
Annual	$228.52	≈ $531 ($508.52 measured)	≈ $300

USD, Mexican tax included, via Timi. Full-coverage figures were measured on a car declared at $20,000 USD; the site's anchor of about $37 a day and $531 a year corresponds to a car of about $23,000. Your own numbers appear in the chat before you give an email. Price by duration is explored in how much a week costs and is annual insurance worth it?.

What each plan pays for

Situation	Liability only	Full coverage
You damage someone else's car or property	Yes, up to $100,000 USD	Yes, up to $100,000 USD
You injure a third party	Yes, within the same $100,000	Yes, within the same $100,000
Medical expenses for you and your passengers	$2,000 USD	$2,000 USD
Legal assistance and 24/7 claims in English	Yes	Yes
Collision damage to your own car	No	Yes, minus a fixed deductible
Theft of your car	No	Yes, minus a fixed deductible

The deductible on full coverage is a fixed amount printed on the policy, not a percentage of the car's value — a detail that matters on a $40,000 truck. Chubb does not sell theft without collision or collision without theft: it is liability, or liability plus the package. The tiers for your exact car are on the coverage comparison page.

Who buys which

Liability-only: the day-tripper to Tijuana or Los Algodones, the old paid-off car, the driver who wants exactly what the law requires. It is also what an officer asks to see at a checkpoint.
Full coverage: a financed or leased car (the lender expects it), a new SUV or pickup, anyone driving the length of Baja or parking on the street in Rocky Point for a week.
Snowbirds and 6-month stays: six months of full coverage costs $460 against $207.99 liability-only; the car sits in Mexico for half a year, which is exactly what the theft part is for.

How to see both prices for your car

Open timi.mx/tourist, give the chat your plate and dates, and it shows liability-only and full coverage side by side; you pick one and the Chubb PDF arrives in about 3 minutes. Related reading: what "cheapest Mexican insurance" really compares, the 2026 cost guide, an accident in Mexico without insurance, how much Mexican insurance costs, daily coverage, annual plans and every Southbound destination and question page.

Frequently asked questions

What does liability-only Mexican insurance cover?

Damage and injuries you cause to other people: up to $100,000 USD in liability (bodily injury and property damage to third parties), $2,000 USD medical expenses, legal assistance and Chubb's 24/7 claims line in English. It does not cover damage to or theft of your own car. It costs $26.97 USD for one day and $228.52 for a year, measured live on 2 September 2026.

What does full coverage add, exactly?

Collision damage to your own car and theft of your car, each with a fixed-amount deductible printed on the policy rather than a percentage of the car's value. Everything in liability-only stays the same. It costs about $37 USD a day and about $531 a year for a car worth $20,000-23,000 USD; the exact figure depends on the value you declare.

Why is full coverage only $10 more per day but $300 more per year?

Because the day price is mostly Chubb's fixed $18 USD policy fee, which both plans pay: $26.97 vs $36.68 for one day. Over a year the fee disappears into the total and the real price of insuring your car shows: $228.52 vs $508.52 for a $20,000 car. The annual gap grows with the value of the car.

Can I buy theft-only, or damage without theft?

No. Chubb Tourist Auto has two tiers: liability-only, and liability plus own-damage and theft together. If you only want theft, the package is still the price. The comparison page shows both tiers for your car and dates.

Does full coverage pay for my car if it is stolen in Mexico?

Yes, that is the theft part of the package: the declared value minus the fixed deductible, through Chubb's claims process. Liability-only pays nothing for your own car in any scenario, including theft, vandalism or a rollover on a dirt road.

Which one should I buy for a week in Baja?

If the car is worth less than a few thousand dollars, or you would shrug off losing it, liability-only ($63.51 for 7 days) does what the law asks. If the car is financed, leased or simply matters, full coverage ($131.49 for 7 days on a $20,000 car) is the one that pays for the car. Both cover you against the other driver identically.