Matamoros is a border city in Tamaulipas, Mexico, sitting directly across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas, and a rental car is a practical way to get around the city and the surrounding stretch of northeastern Mexico. General Servando Canales International Airport (MAM) is a compact regional field a short drive from downtown, with counters from a mix of international and local rental companies, and pickup is generally straightforward given the airport's manageable size.
One point worth stating plainly: rental cars, whether picked up in Matamoros or on the US side, generally cannot be driven across the US-Mexico border, since almost all rental agreements explicitly exclude cross-border travel and insurance does not follow the vehicle past the crossing. Visitors wanting to move between Matamoros and Brownsville typically park on one side and cross on foot or by a separate shuttle, then arrange a different vehicle if needed on the other side, rather than expecting a single rental to carry them across.
Within Mexico, Matamoros connects south along toll highways toward Ciudad Victoria and the rest of Tamaulipas, with the coastal route toward the Gulf and the beach town of La Pesca also reachable via connecting roads. Mexico's federal highway network in this region includes toll cuota roads running parallel to free libre roads, and the toll routes are generally faster and better maintained, worth the modest fee for longer trips. Driving is on the right throughout Mexico, and while daytime routes on major highways are generally fine, many travelers in this border region prefer not to drive after dark on rural roads, sticking to toll highways and well-traveled routes during daylight hours as a simple precaution. Downtown Matamoros itself is walkable and compact, so many visitors use a rental car mainly for trips beyond the city center rather than for getting around the historic core, where market streets and plazas are easiest covered on foot.