Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Do you have friends who are ‘Confidently Wrong’ about driving in Mexico? A perspective from our CEO

One of the most common questions I hear from people about Mexico is, “Is it safe to drive there?”

People always want to know how we get around locally, and if we drive the three hours from SMA to Mexico City when we go there. Another popular question is if I have ever been stopped by the federales?…and if so, if I had to bribe them to continue on my journey?

Driving in Mexico is a complicated topic, and of course, everyone has different experiences doing so.

The constant? It is nothing like driving in the U.S. or Canada. It is not always easy and requires advanced planning and patience, but it can be extremely rewarding and beautiful. Renting a car is often stressful and frustrating. And when you learn that, up until 2018, Mexico City only required a written test and a fee before granting 16-year-olds a license, you might hesitate before merging into the chaos.

I have often been given, and even more often heard, advice for driving in Mexico that was confidently wrong.

I have shared my driving experiences in previous articles:

But given the consistently wrong comments we hear on this topic, we decided to make this week’s episode of Mexico News Daily’s Podcast on “Confidently Wrong about driving in Mexico.”

Check it out and let me know what you think! Do you agree with our thoughts and recommendations? Please share!

You can listen on our YouTube channel, Mexico News Daily TV, below or here on Spotify.

Confidently wrong about driving in Mexico - Episode 6

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

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