Rental Car Cost Comparison in Costa Rica

As you can see from the rate quote comparisons below the cost for a full size SUV rental can vary from $55.59 per day from Alamo using Credit Card coverage, to $95.90 from the local company Vamos, and up to $207.92 per day with full insurance coverage.

Toyota Land Cruiser is known as a Prado in Costa Rica and is an example of a full size premium SUV rental

We’ve rented 37 cars in Costa Rica for a total of about 97 weeks and have a lot of experience shopping around.

The rental costs below are quoted for our March 2020 trip in a full size premium SUV. We always have zero deductible, full damage, theft and vandalism coverage through our credit card but the prices for optional coverage offered by the agencies are included in the comparison if you choose to do that instead (see the Damage Cost Comparison below to help with the decision).

2020 Costa Rica rent a car cost comparison chart — see below for detailed price breakdowns and options

Alamo $55.59 per day, $1,556.64 a month

NOTE: in early 2020 the Alamo.com online reservation form began forcing CDW coverage…you can no longer unselect it. We do not know if Alamo has changed policy to force all rentals to purchase CDW but as soon as we get an answer we’ll post it. The reservation below for March 2020 was made in November and does not include CDW.

4 Week(s) @222.27     $889.10
Environmental Fee $0.40 day     $11.20
License Plate Fee $1.50 daily     $42.00
SLI – Primary Liability Insurance – REQUIRED BY LAW –   $474.60
FULL – Full Coverage – provided by Credit Card $0.00
Value Added Tax (13%, new as of 2019) – $184.20
Total Savings    – $44.46 (Alamo Insider’s free to join)
Total:     $1,556.64 or $55.59 per day

Full Coverage from Alamo – OPTIONAL – $38.05 per day more than SLI, additional $1,065.40 total for the month
Estimated Total using full coverage from Alamo (includes SLI liability, CDW, theft, windshield & tire, roadside and zero deductible)
$2,622.04 or $93.64 per day

Vamos $95.90 per day, $2,685.20 a month

NOTE: Vamos was sold to Poás rental car back in 2016. Prices have gone up but the exceptionally good service continues under the new management.

28 Day(s) @85.95 per day     $2,406.60
SLI – Primary Liability Insurance – REQUIRED BY LAW – $334.60
FULL – Full Coverage – provided by Credit Card $0.00
Value Added Tax (13%, new as of 2019) – included in rental price
Total Savings    – $56.00
Total:     $2,685.20 or $95.90 per day

Full Coverage from Vamos – OPTIONAL – $26 per day more than SLI, $728.00 per month
Estimated Total using full coverage from Vamos (includes SLI liability, CDW, theft, windshield & tire, roadside and zero deductible)
$3,413.20 or $121.90 per day

Adobe $178.54 per day, $4,999.24 a month

28 Day(s) @150.29 $4,208.24
LDW+LI – Loss Damage Waiver – $791 ($1,000 deductible – you still pay for first $1,000 of damage)
Value Added Tax (13%, new as of 2019) – included in rental price
Total: $4,999.24 or $178.54 per day

Full Coverage from Adobe – Supplemental Protection Plan – OPTIONAL – $29.38 per day $822.64 for the month
Estimated Total using full coverage from Adobe (includes SLI liability, CDW, theft, windshield & tire, roadside and zero deductible)
$5,821.88 or $207.92 per day

Wild Rider

Wild Rider is a fourth agency that is frequently recommended by “destination experts” on TripAdvisor.

We have never rented from Wild Rider for a few reasons. They do not have full size SUVs, and they do not accept credit card coverage. They’re also relatively expensive charging about as much for a mid-sized economy SUV (Hyundai Tucson) as the average rate we found for a full sized Premium SUV (Toyota Land Cruiser) – $2,280 for the mid-sized rental and an additional $752 for full coverage.

Cut Your Cost In Half

If you’re on a tight budget consider skipping the SUV and renting a standard car which typically costs about half as much. Most of the popular tourist destinations are on paved roads. Click here to see if you need 4WD for your trip.

We always rent the largest SUV available for two reasons 1) We actually frequently go way off the beaten path and 2) There are many extremely bad drivers in Costa Rica and eventually one is going to hit us. We want as much steel and and as many air bags around us as possible.

Quotes from the same three companies are shown below for a small SUV or a standard 4 door sedan rental in March of 2020

Alamo
Small SUV, Suzuki Grand Vitara $49.82 per day with credit card coverage, $82.87 with full coverage
Sedan, Nissan Sentra – $36.02 per day with credit card coverage, $69.05 with full coverage

Vamos
Small SUV, SsangYong Koronado – $63.89 per day with credit card coverage, $85.89 with full coverage
Sedan – n/a

Adobe
Small SUV, Hyundai Tucson $85.10 per day with credit card coverage, $112.19 with full coverage
Sedan, Hyundai Elantra – $67.53 per day with credit card coverage, $92.41 with full coverage

Pirates

There are a number of freelance rental options where “some guy” will let you use a car. These are sometimes called “pirates” after the name given to unlicensed taxis.

Rental Cost Comparison Summary

One huge difference is how you choose to cover any damages to the vehicle. Our credit card provides free full coverage for damage or theft with a zero deductible up to the full value of the car. Credit card coverage is accepted by Alamo, Vamos and Adobe.

All of the rental agencies offer LDW (aka CDW) policies for $18 to $30 with about $1,000 deductible. If you purchase this policy you pay the first $1,000-$2,000 for any damage done to the car and the agency pays the rest.

All companies also offer an upgrade to full coverage (similar to the free credit card coverage) at a total cost of $32 to $55 per day.

Obviously it’s worth shopping around and worth finding a company that accepts credit card coverage if you choose to use it. Equally obviously we rented from Alamo and spent $56 a day instead of $179 from Adobe.

Rental Car Damage Cost Examples

No damage occurs and you return the car unscratched.

Credit Card Coverage – you pay nothing
LDW Coverage – you pay approximately $150-$250 per week for the unused insurance
FULL Coverage – you pay approximately $250-$400 per week for the unused insurance

Someone knocks the power side mirror off the rental car and the repair costs $893.

Credit Card Coverage – you pay nothing but it takes a few weeks for the credit card to reimburse your $893
LDW Coverage – you pay $1,093 – approximately $200 for the insurance plus $893 for the repair to the mirror (remember the $1,000 deductible).
FULL Coverage – you pay approximately $350 for the insurance and nothing for the repair

You total the car.

Credit Card Coverage – you pay nothing but there will be many thousands of dollars charged to your credit card and it may take a while to get it back.
LDW Coverage – you pay $1,400 – approximately $400 for the insurance plus $1,000 for the deductible.
FULL Coverage – you pay approximately $350 for the insurance and nothing for the repair

What if you damage someone else’s car?

In this case the damage to their car should be covered by the liability insurance every driver is required by law to purchase. The LI or basic insurance required by law covers your liability for the other driver when you are in an accident.

If you think about it for a second the previous sentence should be all you ever have to know about car insurance in Costa Rica. Forget CDW, credit card policies, zero liability, and full coverage. If everyone is required by law to have insurance that pays for the damages to the other car or driver then when someone backs into your rental in the parking lot…you’re covered…by their liability insurance…right? Wrong.

While you’re totally liable for damaging any other car on the road you’re also totally responsible the rental car you are driving. It’s certainly not fair and I can’t explain it but I can tell you those are the rules you have to play by if you want to rent a car.

Injuries and Death

Regardless of coverage selected it is possible to be effectively trapped in Costa Rica for years by the glacially slow and inept legal system if you are in an accident involving injuries or death (see details).

Other Car Rental Costs

Most rental agencies in Costa Rica add a few percent of insult to injury when they post the final charges to your credit card. They typically offer poor exchange rates and all credit card transactions initiated in Costa Rica are billed in Colones. So your $1,200.00 rental gets converted to ¢668,400 and charged to your credit card which then converts it back to dollars at the official exchange rate and you see $1,273.14 on your statement…

GPS – most companies offer the use of a GPS unit for between $8 and $12 a day. It’s also possible to use a GPS enabled device (phone, tablet, etc.) with free Google maps (learn more).

Don’t forget about filling the gas tank (about 2x the U.S. price for fuel), secure parking ($15 per day), ferry boats ($18) and tolls (usually under $5).

OLD (2018) Prices for Comparison

The rental costs below were quoted for our mid 2018 trip in a full size premium SUV. The biggest price difference was the introduction of %13 value added tax in mid-2019. Previously there were no taxes on rental cars.

Alamo $841.30 or $52.58 per day

2 Week(s) @215.44     $430.88
2 Day(s) @35.91     $71.82
Drop Fee     $50.00
Airport Fee 13 Pct (13.0%)     $87.54
Environmental Fee $0.40 day     $6.40
License Plate Fee $1.50 daily     $24.00
LI – Primary Liability Insurance – REQUIRED BY LAW –   $271.20
FULL – Full Coverage – provided by Credit Card $0.00
Total Savings    – $100.54 (Alamo Insider’s free to join)
Estimated Total:     $841.30 or $52.58 per day

LDW – Loss Damage Waiver, Theft from Alamo – OPTIONAL – $287.20 ($975 deductible – you still pay for first $975 of damage)
FULL – Full Coverage from Alamo – OPTIONAL – $430.30 (in addition to PLI and LDW)
Estimated Total using full coverage from Alamo $1558.90 or $97.43 per day

Vamos $1364.40 or $85.28 per day

NOTE: Vamos was sold to Poás rental car back in 2016 but has maintained exceptionally good service under the new management.

16 Day(s) @71.95     $1123.20
Drop Fee     $50.00
LI – Primary Liability Insurance – REQUIRED BY LAW – $191.20
FULL – Full Coverage – provided by Credit Card $0.00
Total Savings    – $28.00
Estimated Total:     $1364.40 or $85.28 per day

LDW – Loss Damage Waiver, Theft from Vamos – OPTIONAL – $303.20 ($1,000 deductible – you still pay for first $1,000 of damage)
FULL – Full Coverage from Vamos – OPTIONAL – $208.00 (in addition to PLI and LDW)
Estimated Total using full coverage from Vamos $1875.60 or $117.23 per day

Adobe $2391.22 or $149.45 per day

Credit card coverage is not recognized by Adobe and you are required to purchase Adobe insurance. If your credit card offers free coverage you should be aware that purchasing Adobe insurance voids your credit card coverage.

16 Day(s) @104.35     $1669.62
Drop Fee     $50.00
LI – Primary Liability Insurance – NOT AVAILABLE SEPARATELY
LDW+LI – Loss Damage Waiver, Theft, Liability – REQUIRED BY ADOBE – $400.00 ($1,000 deductible – you still pay for first $1,000 of damage)
FULL – Full Coverage – Supplemental Protection Plan – OPTIONAL – $272.00
Estimated Total:     $2391.22 or $149.45 per day