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Important Tips for Renting a Car in Costa Rica

October 8, 2025 By Sammi 699 Comments

If you’re thinking about renting a car in Costa Rica for your vacation, this guide will be everything you need to understand how it works.

We’ll explain the details of Costa Rican car rental insurance, best car rental agencies, car rental costs and deciding the best car for your trip to have a smooth and stress free Costa Rica car rental process.

This post has affiliate links which we may earn a small commission from if you choose to purchase, at no extra cost to you. Listed prices are quoted in USD and are estimates. More info: Disclosure

Mytanfeet Renting a Car in Costa Rica Guide

Mytanfeet is a licensed Costa Rican travel consulting company and we have helped thousands of readers rent a car in Costa Rica since 2014.

About Mytanfeet

Yeison, who is Costa Rican, has worked in the tourism industry for over 20 years and Samantha, from the United States, moved in 2012 to Costa Rica.

We’ve been traveling together throughout Costa Rica for over 15 years, gathering the most updated information to help you have the best car rental experience in Costa Rica.

Our website’s main purpose is to assist our readers plan their trip to Costa Rica: before, during and after, for a stress free, hassle free and worry free vacation.

Mytanfeet Costa Rica Car Rental Discount

If you’re ready to book your car, check out our exclusive Costa Rica car rental discount and extra benefits just for you!

We partner with Adobe Rent a Car and offer a minimum 10% discount off their rental car rate.

In addition, we offer freebies such as free additional drivers, free baby and booster seats, free luggage cover, free SIM card and a WIFI discount.

Furthermore, every single reservation made through Mytanfeet receives our customer service. We will assist you every step of the way to make sure your reservation is perfect.

Why Should You Rent a Car in Costa Rica

Here are some reasons why renting a car for your trip to Costa Rica will be the best option for you.

More Flexibility to Explore at Your Own Pace & Go Off the Beaten Path

The advantages of renting a car in Costa Rica are obvious: Go where you want, when you want.

As Costa Rica’s public transportation system is not very extensive, you won’t be restricted to anyone’s schedule but your own by renting a car in Costa Rica.

Having a rental car in Costa Rica allows you to go off the beaten path, stay at unique lodging, pick exactly what you want to do and see, leave when you want.

Explore and adventure at your own pace when you rent a car in Costa Rica.

Photo of a black pick up truck with the words "Mytanfeet" on the back, driving on a cleared dirt path with mountains in the background.
Driving through rural roads in Guanacaste

To maximize your vacation time, minimize the time spent figuring out how to get around.

For Long Term Stays in Costa Rica

Many people are visiting Costa Rica for long term stays, whether they want to experience living in Costa Rica or scope out a potential new home.

You can rent one for the entire period or rent a car when you want to explore.

Car Rental Costa Rica Monthly Rentals

Are you planning to be in Costa Rica for one month or longer?

Contact us and we will be happy to help you get a monthly rate for your rental.

If you want to experience Costa Rica like a local, then renting a car in Costa Rica is something you should do.

Costa Rica Car Rental Prices Are Comparable To Private Shuttles and Domestic Flights

When you add up the cost of booking private shuttles/domestic flights vs renting a car, renting a car is not outrageously more expensive.

Full Itinerary Transportation Cost Example

A classic Costa Rica 10 day itinerary is San Jose – La Fortuna – Monteverde – Manuel Antonio – San Jose. With private shuttles, the approximate cost is around $1100 USD for 1-6 people.

During high season, you can rent a 2wd subcompact crossover SUV for about ~$1100 USD with PLI and CDW insurance.

Without a rental car, you need to take taxis, Ubers or book tours with transportation to get around. These are extra costs to take into consideration.

Domestic Flights

Domestic flights cost anywhere from $80-250 USD per person one way. You are also limited to how much luggage you can bring on the small jumper planes and the schedules.

Furthermore, there aren’t local airstrips in every destination.

Convinced? Check out our car rental discount to compare prices and get quotes.

What Documents are Required to Rent a Car in Costa Rica as a Foreigner?

These are the required documents to rent a car in Costa Rica as a foreigner:

1. A valid original driver’s license
2. A valid original passport with a valid tourist visa stamp given at immigration
3. A physical credit card with the cardholder present that has enough funds for the payment and security deposit.

Canadians and Americans can rent a car in Costa Rica with their US and Canadian driver’s license.

An international driver’s license is not required in Costa Rica for Americans, Canadians and most countries in general.

However, if your driver’s license is not in Roman (Latin) script, then you will need to get an international driver’s license.

For example, if your license is 100% in Arabic or Russian without any English translation, then you will need an international driving permit or license.

Temporary paper copies or photocopies of your driver’s license are not accepted. Your driver’s license and passport cannot be expired or will expire during your car rental period.

Even if you have rented with the same company before, you need to bring your original driver’s license and original passport with you every time.

Requirements for Driving in Costa Rica

What is required to DRIVE in Costa Rica as a foreigner:

1. Your valid original passport with a valid tourist visa stamp given at immigration
2. A valid original driver’s license from your home country

You must have your driver’s license and passport with you whenever you drive in Costa Rica as a foreigner.

Read our driving in Costa Rica post for local tips to stay safe on the road.

Minimum Age

The minimum age to rent a car in Costa Rica ranges from 21-25 years of age.

Each company has their own minimum rental age policies which you will need to check. Some companies allow drivers younger than the minimum age with an extra fee/insurance.

Our partner Adobe Rent a Car has a minimum age of 23. They don’t allow drivers younger than 23 even if they are willing to pay an extra fee/insurance.

As for maximum age, there isn’t really a maximum age to rent a car in Costa Rica, depending on the agency.

Adobe doesn’t have a maximum age limit and senior drivers don’t need to pay an extra insurance or fee.

Adobe also has another condition that the driver must have been driving legally for at least 2 years.

What Side of the Road Does Costa Rica Drive On?

Costa Rica drives on the right hand side of the road, same as USA and Canada.

Cost of a Costa Rica Car Rental

Costa Rica car rental prices are not cheap.

How much your Costa Rica car rental costs depend on many factors such as, but not limited to: the type of rental car, demand, availability and the time of year.

Also, car rental rates in Costa Rica are dynamic, like flights. They are not static prices, so the price you see 6 months before your trip, will change when it’s 1 month before your trip.

Whether the price goes up or down, depends on the market at the moment.

Most Expensive Time to Rent a Car in Costa Rica

The most expensive time of year to rent a car in Costa Rica is the high tourism season. This is generally mid December to April.

Christmas, New Years and Easter week have the most expensive prices (peak season).

If you are visiting during peak season, book your car rental at least three to four months out. Car rentals go very fast during these times of year.

A mid size 4wd SUV can cost around $800 USD for one week in high season.

Fluctuating price depends on availability and demand and I’m talking about just the car rental rate.

Cheapest Time to Rent a Car in Costa Rica

The cheapest time to rent a car in Costa Rica are during low tourism seasons months such as May, September and October.

October usually has the cheapest rental car rates as it is the slowest tourism month.

Cost of Gas

Gas prices in Costa Rica fluctuate constantly.

However, gas prices are the same at every station.

The cost of gas in Costa Rica is around 662 CRC per liter which is approximately ~$4.99 USD per gallon (regular).

Super is around 677 CRC per liter and is around $5.11 USD per gallon.

Diesel in Costa Rica costs around 566 CRC per liter which is around $4.19 USD per gallon.

*Gas prices change very often, so these rates may not reflect the exact prices today.*

On average for a 1 week trip, if you drive around 500 kilometers (310 miles), you may spend around $70-80 USD for gas for a mid size gasoline SUV.

Additional Costs

There are a few additional costs to renting a car in Costa Rica.

First, from San Jose, there are several highway toll booths. These costs from 100 – 1000 CRC, about $.20-$2 USD.

Second, if your rental car is dirty inside, you may need to take it to the car wash ($10-20) before you return it.

If you return the car extremely dirty (vomit/mud/food stains/wine stains/excessive pet hair/excessive sand), agencies will charge you a fee of around $113 USD since they have to get it professionally cleaned.

Third, you cannot smoke inside rental cars in Costa Rica. If you do, the company will charge you a fine for this, usually around $113 USD.

Fourth, if you pick up and return from different offices or a location without an office, there will be an extra fee for this, for most rental car agencies. This can be from $25-$300 USD.

Lastly, if you get any extras like child booster seats, Wifi hot spot, SIM card, these have an extra cost.

We offer some freebies like free child seats and free luggage cover with our Costa Rica car rental discount!

How to Save Money on Car Rentals in Costa Rica

  • Travel during low season months like May, September and October.
  • Create an itinerary that does not require a 4×4. Here is a one week family itinerary flying to SJO Airport that does not require a 4×4.
  • Use your credit card car rental insurance to save money on insurance. It will be necessary to provide proof of coverage.
  • Rent a diesel car. Diesel is cheaper than gas in Costa Rica.
  • Avoid different pick up and return locations.

One more tip if you’re really counting pennies – rent a manual transmission car. Automatic cars can cost a few dollars more than a manual car a day.

You have to be a proficient and confident manual driver as Costa Rica has a lot of narrow roads, steep hills, mountain routes and unpaved streets.

Get our Costa Rica car rental discount to save on rentals and get extra benefits like 2 free drivers, free pre-paid SIM card, free cooler and much more!

The Process of Renting a Car in Costa Rica

Below is our recommended process.

Deciding Which Company to Rent With: Best Costa Rica Car Rental Companies

The first step is to decide which company to rent with.

Disclaimer: Mytanfeet has partnered with Adobe Rent a Car. They are Costa Rican operated and offer all-inclusive pricing.

Our partnership gives our readers car rental discounts and extra freebies such as free additional drivers, free child seats, free prepaid SIM card and much more.

However, you can find large international companies such as Alamo, Enterprise, Hertz, Sixt, Thrifty, Economy and Budget in Costa Rica.

There are also a couple Costa Rican car rental companies like Poas and Vamos.

That being said, the first step when it comes to deciding the company is to comparison shop.

Then you need to make sure to note specific details about each rental car company. It’s not just about finding the cheapest car rental possible.

You need to check the model and year of the rental car, number of offices, quality of customer service, amount of the security deposit and the insurance options for every single company.

Just because the rate is much cheaper, you may end up paying more (time and money wise) in the long run due to unfriendly agents, slow/unresponsive customer service, poorly maintained vehicles and shady practices.

Number of Offices

Something else when deciding which Costa Rican car rental company to rent with is the number of offices.

This is because some companies may only have two offices: one at San José International Airport and the other at Guanacaste Airport.

Why does the number of offices matter?

For example, if you are in Uvita and you run into issues with your car, the closest office of your car rental agency may be in San Jose which is a ~3.5 hour drive away.

Since they are so far away, it will take a whole day out of your vacation to get them to come check it out. You may end up wasting even more time if they have to change your car or tow it.

If it’s an emergency after business hours, you will be in even more trouble because many small agencies do not have a 24/7 emergency line.

Adobe has around 15 offices in Costa Rica and an after-hours emergency line, so if you run into any issues, there is a good chance there is an office nearby and they can assist you quickly.

What to Know About International Companies

You may have read from other tourists that car rentals are a scam in Costa Rica.

We completely understand why they feel that way. This is because of the way international companies present the taxes, fees, insurances and deposit in Costa Rica.

The thing with those companies is that they aren’t fully transparent about taxes, fees, the deposit and insurance.

You need to contact the Costa Rican office directly to be 100% clear about all fees and insurances.

Third Party Booking Sites: How to Avoid Hidden Fees/Taxes/Insurances When Renting a Car in Costa Rica (Why Your Quote is So Cheap)

If you book a car on third party sites like Expedia, Kayak, Carrentals, an airline, Orbitz, etc. they usually only show you the car rental price, which can look insanely cheap ($5 USD a day, $10 USD a day).

This is because these third party websites only show you the car rental price. They do not include ANY of the insurances, deposits, taxes and fees.

So when you go to pick up the car, they will add on all these insurances, taxes and fees you didn’t know anything about and it’ll end up being way more expensive.

This is why many people feel like they got scammed when renting a car in Costa Rica.

To avoid this situation, check directly with the Costa Rican agency to get the final price and ask them about the deposit amount and insurances.

With our partnership to offer our readers a car rental discount, what you see on your reservation is exactly what you pay.

No hidden fees, taxes, insurances. All clear and upfront. All inclusive prices from the beginning to end.

Costa Rica Car Rental Insurance: How it Works

This is the most confusing thing about Costa Rica car rentals because every company sells insurances differently and uses different names.

Furthermore, there is a mandatory insurance in Costa Rica, so make sure that is included in your quote so you know your total price breakdown.

When it comes to our partner, Adobe Rent a Car, they offer 3 types of insurances online:

Liability (PLI), Car Protection (CDW) and Extended Protection (SPP).

Adobe rent a car insurances
Adobe Rent a Car insurances

They offer 1 insurance in person, called TPW, which is only for those who use their credit card car rental coverage to decline Car Protection.

Liability Insurance (PLI)

This is the mandatory car rental insurance in Costa Rica. The mandatory third party liability insurance from Adobe costs between $13-25 USD a day.

This Liability insurance covers up to $20,000 USD in 3rd party damages with 20% deductible and 3rd parties (not in vehicle) up to $100,000 USD with 0 deductible.

This mandatory insurance in Costa Rica cannot be declined or removed using credit card insurance since there are no companies that cover this exact insurance.

Car Protection Insurance (CDW or LDW)

This basic insurance covers the rented vehicle damage in a collision, rollover or theft.

You are still responsible for the $1000 + tax USD deductible (total $1130 USD) and the rental company then covers the rest. This insurance does not cover any third party damages, vandalism or tires.

You can decline this insurance by using your credit card world wide car rental coverage. You will need proof of coverage in order to decline the Car Protection Insurance.

My Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Infinite credit card offers worldwide car rental insurance and I can use it to decline Adobe’s Car Protection insurance.

Extended Protection Insurance (SPP)

This insurance is 100% optional. It goes on top of Liability and has 0 deductible and covers windows, vandalism, 24/7 road side assistance (one of the Mytanfeet benefits is 24/7 road assistance in every reservation), tire damage and tow trucks.

The insurance also covers 100% of 3rd party damages up to $2 million USD.

You can add this insurance when you sign the rental agreement if you’re not sure if you want to add it beforehand.

Third Party Waiver Insurance (TPW)

The TPW insurance is offered ONLY in person, and only to those who are declining Car Protection Insurance by using their credit card car rental coverage.

It increases your third party (Liability) coverage to $4 million USD from $20,000 USD. The Liability deductible goes down to $0 USD from 20%. This insurance costs $9.99 + tax USD a day.

You can read more detailed information about Adobe Rent a Car insurance in this post.

Flat Tires

Flat tire change are not covered under any of the insurances. You will be provided all the necessary tools and a spare tire to change the flat/punctured tire yourself.

If you need help, you can go to any gas station and they can help you change out the flat tire for a small fee.

Then, you can go to any of the rental offices of your agency to change out the spare.

Extended Insurance only covers damaged tires. It does not cover flat tire change. In order to be covered for damaged tires, you will need to get the LDW + CDW + SPP insurances.

Deposit

The security deposit is the amount the company will hold on your credit card during the duration of your car rental.

The Costa Rican car rental deposits have a huge range as they are based on the type of insurances your purchase. These deposits vary depending on the rental agency.

For example, if you purchase only mandatory insurance, your deposit may be $3000 at one agency.

If you get every insurance available, your deposit may be $500. If you waive one insurance and only get mandatory insurance, your deposit can be $5,000… or more.

So you will need to make sure the credit card you’re using has a big enough limit for the deposit and payment.

Some companies will allow clients to use one credit card for the deposit and another for the payment in case your card doesn’t have a high enough limit for the deposit and car rental.

The condition is that both credit cards must be the same brand. For example, they cannot accept one VISA and one Mastercard.

How to Pay the Deposit

Deposits and payment of the rental cannot be paid in cash in Costa Rica. Credit card holders have to be present to sign paperwork and pay for the rental.

This is another reason why we prefer working with Adobe Rent a Car. Their deposit is straightforward ($1000 USD flat). But we have a benefit for readers who book through Mytanfeet!

For Mytanfeet reservations, we offer a special deposit benefit. It is $750 USD for all reservations that decline Car Protection Insurance. It is $500 USD if you purchase all 3 insurances or purchase Liability and Car Protection Insurance.

Are Debit Cards Accepted for the Deposit?

Adobe does take debit cards if clients sign a waiver form.

However, the debit card deposit can take up to 7 business days to return to your bank account, whereas it is 24-72 hours for credit cards.

IMPORTANT: Our deposit benefit does NOT apply to those using a debit card. Your deposit will be $1000 USD if you use a debit card, no exceptions. Clients need to sign a form saying they understand these conditions when using a debit card.

Also if you have one of those cards that function as both a debit and credit card, then Adobe will treat it as a debit card.

Digital cards are not accepted, meaning no Apple Pay, Google Wallet, etc.

Airport Pick Up and Return

Can you pick up your car rental at the airport in Costa Rica?

Yes and no. San Jose International Airport and Guanacaste Airport are too small for car rental companies to operate inside.

Therefore, all the offices are located around a 10-15 minute drive from the airport. Rental companies offer transportation to their office to collect the car.

There are some companies that do offer their cars inside the airport but this is very few, mostly these are ultra VIP clients.

Even if the rental car companies has a counter inside the international airports, they will still take you to their off site office to sign the rental agreement and collect the car.

Adobe airport pick up - Costa Rica car rental
Adobe Rent a Car airport shuttle at San Jose Airport

Adobe Rent a Car offers a complimentary meet and greet shuttle for their clients.

The Adobe agent will meet the clients outside the airport terminal exit, bring them to the shuttle and take them to their office to complete the rental agreement and collect the car.

You can watch videos of the pick up process for Adobe at San José International Airport and Adobe at Guanacaste Airport here.

Returning the Car

For airport returns, clients will return the car to their airport office. Then Adobe shuttles them for free to the airport. Most other car rental agencies also work this way.

Early Morning/Late Night Return to SJO Airport

At the San Jose International Airport, clients who have a flight at an odd hour can arrange to leave the car in the parking lot with the keys in the glove box for an extra fee.

Be sure to arrange this with your agency.

For those who rent through Mytanfeet by booking with our Costa Rica car rental discount, we will help you arrange this and take care of the details.

Gas and Mileage

Some companies have an option to choose for prepaid gas. Or clients can fill it up before returning the car, or they can return it at whatever level and the company will charge a fee to fill it up.

For Adobe, when clients receive the car, the tank will be full. For the return, clients can fill up before returning the car or the clients can return it at any level and Adobe will charge accordingly.

Read about how to get gas in Costa Rica here.

There may also be restrictions on mileage for some rental car agencies, depending on the type of rental car. Adobe has unlimited mileage for rentals under 30 days.

Costa Rica uses the metric system (kilometers) but it is the same when they say unlimited mileage.

Extras

Common car rental extras are additional drivers, GPS, Wi-fi hot spot, baby/booster seats, SIM card, dog seat cover, luggage cover, cooler and surf racks.

Prices vary between agencies.

With Adobe, our deal gives readers 2 free additional drivers, free baby and booster seats, free SIM card with 1000 CRC preloaded credit, free cooler (if available), free dog seat cover, free luggage cover and free surf racks.

We also have a Wi-fi deal that if you rent for more than 10 days, you only pay for the first ten days.

adobe rent a car extras
Adobe extras: Mytanfeet readers get free baby and booster seats and 33% off GPS

The Wi-fi hot spot is useful if you do not have an international data plan. You can connect up to 5 devices and it has unlimited data.

That way you’ll always have Internet on your phone so it’s useful if you don’t plan to get an international data plan.

The prepaid SIM card is also useful to have a local phone number.

What Kind of Car Should You Rent in Costa Rica?

Rental car companies have many car categories for all budgets and needs. The type of car you rent in Costa Rica will depend on your itinerary and the size of your group.

Here are some common cars and vehicle categories.

Full size 7 seater SUV: Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Toyota Prado, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Palisade.

Mid size SUV 5 seater: Toyota Rav4, Nissan Rogue, Kia Sportage, Ford Explorer, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Kona.

Compact SUV: Hyundai Venue 2wd, Hyundai Creta 2wd, Mitsubishi ASX 4wd, Suzuki Vitara 4wd and Geely Gx3 2wd.

Sedan/compact sedan: Hyundai Verna, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai i10, Hyundai Gran i10, Suzuki Swift, Kia Soluto.

Vans (8/9 – 12 seaters): Hyundai Staria

Jeeps are not readily available to rent in Costa Rica. There are 4×4 cars and trucks, but not specifically the brand Jeep.

Convertibles are also not available to rent in Costa Rica. Trust me, you will not want to drive a a convertible in Costa Rica anyways.

Get more information on the type of cars to rent in Costa Rica here.

Automatic vs Manual

Make sure the car you rent is an automatic if you can’t drive manual.

Some companies will label the car as “AT” for automatic transmission and “MT” for manual transmission.

Manual transmissions cars are a tiny bit less expensive. Nowadays, most Costa Rican car rental agencies have automatic transmission for the majority of their fleet.

If you rent a manual transmission, you need to be a confident and proficient manual driver. Costa Rica has a lot of steep and curvy hills, potholes and unpaved roads, especially in the rural and remote places.

If you think you won’t feel comfortable driving manual in a foreign country, don’t. It will be worth paying a little bit more for an automatic to not have that stress.

Furthermore, if you’re from any of the countries that drive on the left side of the road, we highly recommend an automatic transmission.

Avoid worrying about driving on the other side of the road and changing gears with the opposite hand at the same time.

Car and Engine Size

Engine sizes in Costa Rica are smaller than the USA. A sedan in Costa Rica normally has a 1.6 L, 4 cylinders engines.

SUVs are typically 1.6-2 L, 4 cylinders engines. Full size SUVs with diesel engines are 2.4 L – 3 L.

If you want a bigger engine like a V6 or V8, it is not common in Costa Rica. If you find one, it will be much more expensive as they are considered premium/ultra premium.

You will pay more if you want to rent an automatic, V6 engine, American car.

IMPORTANT: Due to smaller engine sizes, your car may have trouble going up a hill, even if your entire group of 4 plus luggage fits in the sedan.

You may want to consider a bigger car in those situations if your accommodation is up in the mountains and you will be fully loading your car.

Rental Car Condition

If you notice a company offering very cheap rates, check the year of their rental cars. Some companies that have cheap car rental prices in Costa Rica use old cars (5 years or more).

You will need to take that into consideration because of the rough roads and how tourists drive.

The older the car, the more mileage it has, the more problems they may have and more incidents/accidents they may have been in.

Adobe changes their rental cars every 2 years or when they hit 100,000 kilometers (around 62,000 miles).

However, some car rental agencies with very cheap rates rent cars that are 5, 7, even 10+ years old with 300,000 kilometers or more (around 185,000 miles).

The condition of a 5 year old rental car in Costa Rica isn’t the same as a 1 year old rental car AT ALL!

I would much prefer to pay a bit more for a newer car in excellent condition and low mileage, rather than an older, less well maintained rental car with hundreds of thousands of miles on it.

Inspection

Some rental car companies no longer offer doing an inspection with the agent when you collect the car.

Do your own inspection, take your own photos and videos and document anything you see when you first get the car.

Is a 4×4 necessary in Costa Rica?

Some places may require a 4wd but in general, a car with high clearance is more important for many places in Costa Rica, particularly during the dry season months such as January, February, March and April.

In rainy season, it will be required to rent a 4wd for more rural areas or mountainous places with unpaved roads.

That time of year has bigger potholes and muddier roads. These are months such as May through December.

Renting a car in Costa Rica views
Our Mitsubishi Montero Sport

Here are some popular routes:

  • Guanacaste to Arenal: 4×4 not necessary. See the Guanacaste to Arenal route here.
  • Monteverde: High clearance car highly recommended due to the Monteverde roads. 4wd/4×4 recommended in rainy season if staying outside of the town center.
  • Puerto Viejo: 4×4 not necessary. The road to and around Puerto Viejo is paved.
  • Uvita: High car recommended and 4wd is necessary for many hotels up in the mountains.

We created two driving in Costa Rica posts with more information: Driving around Costa Rica videos and Costa Rica road conditions.

Other Important Things to Know About Costa Rica Car Rentals

  • If you get a ticket, pay it when you drop off the car. There is a law that can prohibit you from exiting the country if you don’t.
  • Child seats are required for children under 12 years of age.
  • Rental vehicles cannot be driven across the Costa Rican border to Nicaragua or Panama.
  • Keep the contract and car documents (registration). If you lose them, you may pay a fine.
  • All drivers must have their passport and driver’s license (original, not copies or photos) with them while they are driving.
  • For payments, you cannot use the credit card of a person who is not present.
  • If you get into an incident, report it to the necessary authorities and the car rental company ASAP. If you do not, you can face fines or legal issues.
  • Damage from driving through rivers or any body of water is not covered by any type of insurance.
  • Damage from driving under the influence is not covered by any type of insurance.
  • It is the law to wear seat belts in Costa Rica, front and back seats.

The Mytanfeet Costa Rica Car Rental Discount

Mytanfeet is very pleased to partner with Adobe Rent a Car to give our readers an exclusive Costa Rica car rental discount and extra freebies!

“Why Adobe?” you may ask.

When it comes to reputable Costa Rica car rental companies, Adobe Rent a Car is the leader.

They are a 100% Costa Rican operated company with the largest fleet of cars that are no more than 2 years old.

Furthermore, they offer all-inclusive pricing.

We also offer extra benefits: 2 free additional drivers, 0% deductible on Liability Protection insurance (up to $20,000 USD), road assistance on all reservations, a free prepaid SIM card for duration of booking, free baby and booster seats, free surf racks, free dog seat covers, WiFi deal, free car delivery and pick up, one hour car return leniency and a special deposit deal.

You’ll also receive Mytanfeet customer service, as we’ll help you make sure your reservation is exactly the way you want it and help you with any questions you have.

Get our Costa Rica car rental discount to book a car, have a trip of a lifetime and save money while doing it!

You can read about our experience with Adobe Rent a Car and why we recommend them.

If our renting a car in Costa Rica article was helpful, feel free to pass it along. Our goal is to give the best information and help our readers out as much as possible!

Filed Under: About Costa Rica

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. yeison says

    April 3, 2015

    Hi Meg is not crazy at all :), actually it is a good idea to have a car in Flamingo beach, with a car you will be able to visit all the beaches around the area like Playa Conchal and Tamarindo. You can read more about those two places here:Playa Conchal and here is Playa Tamarindo

    Reply
  2. Meg says

    April 2, 2015

    Hi there. My family and I are visiting Playa Flamingo in June. My aunt has Rapid Reward points from Sountwest Airlines and wants to fly into San Jose then rent a car to Playa Flamingo. Am I crazy for thinking this is a good idea or would you recommend taking a bus? Thank you for any advice on this!!
    Meg

    Reply
  3. henry says

    March 23, 2015

    DON’T rent a car at Alamo San Jose – Costa Rica!!!

    Don’t let yourself be ripped off like I was! They will charge you huge extra fees when you arrive to pickup your car!

    My reservation online total including fees and insurance was $590. After a 12 hour flight when I arrived at the pickup location they charged me $900!!! I got told that if I didn’t pay $900 (an extra 50% of the original price) I wouldn’t be able to pickup the car!

    I contacted Alamo international and they gave me the worst customer service ever!

    Reply
    • yeison says

      March 23, 2015

      Hi Henry!

      I am sorry to heard what happened, we have had email from readers saying the same from Economy, Hertz, Enterprise and all those International companies. For the same reason we recommend a 100% Costa Rican company that gives an special rate to our readers are there are not hidden or extra charges, the price they gave you is the final price with the mandatory insurance included.

      Thanks for your comment and I am sorry for your bad experience so far 99% of our readers have positive reviews, just one guy lost his sun glasses but they found them next week. Please let us know if you come back to the country we will make sure that you get an excellent service, Like I said this is because of these huge international companies.

      Have a great day and thanks for sharing your experience.

      Reply
  4. yeison says

    March 13, 2015

    Hi Pauline! Driving from San Jose to Manuel Antonio is very easy I recommend you to take the route #27 from Sam Jose, then just head to Jaco you will see signs everywhere. As soon as you are in the road that will take you to Jaco you just have to keep going and you will get to Quepos where the entrance to the Manuel Antonio National Park is, so no worry too much about the road or how to get there is one of the most used routes here.

    In regards to the car, it will be up to you we always recommend Adobe they give great discounts to out readers and they have a mini van for 9 people ( Hyundai H1) they are very comfortable, but if you have big guys in your group two cars will be better for their comfort, they trip from San Jose takes around 4 hours or more depends if you find traffic.

    Please let us know if you have any question about your trip and here is the link if you want to check the price with our discount (including mandatory insurance) Costa Rica car rental discount

    Reply
  5. Pauline says

    March 12, 2015

    Hi, We will be heading to CS this April 2 with a group of nine for a week. How is the drive from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, specifically in Villa Feliz . Can you recommend a mini van that can fit nine people plus nine small luggage and can handle the terrains ? Or should we rent two SUV . Thanks for your help.

    Pauline

    Reply
  6. Geni says

    March 10, 2015

    Hola! Thanks for your great advice renting a car with Adobe! We are currently at the Hilton papagayo with one day left on our vacation a and were wondering if you had any advice on what we should see/do on our last day.

    We’re interested in seeing as much wildlife and tropical scenary as possible without having to drive all the way to arenal or Monteverde. were thinking about hiking in miravalles or trying to do a tour at palo verde. We would love to hear what you recommend since your site has been so helpful thus far. Do you think either of those are our best bets or would you recommend something different??

    Reply
    • Sammi says

      March 11, 2015

      Hi Geni,

      I’d personally go on a boat tour at Palo Verde, you can see a lot of wildlife there: birds, crocodiles, monkeys, iguanas/lizards and it is a really nice leisurely boat ride. I went on it with my family and loved it, we saw a ton of wildlife! And you’re sure to see animals even if you don’t have a guide since they are fairly easy to spot and the animals can be easily seen on shore.

      Reply
  7. Darcie says

    March 9, 2015

    Hello,
    My husband and I are traveling to Costa Rica in April for the first time and we have almost all our itinerary set already.
    We do need to rent a car to drive from SJO to the Sloth Sanctuary, I’m wondering how long the drive is and how the roads are? Will we need a 4×4 or will a sedan suffice?
    Thanks for all the info, your website is very helpful!
    Darcie

    Reply
    • yeison says

      March 9, 2015

      HI Darci,

      To drive there might take you around 4 hours from San José, they road is fine so it is up to you if you would like to rent a 4×4 or a sedan both will make it. Also we have new special rates for renting a car plus some really good FREE benefits like extra free driver and cell phone for local calls. You can check the route here https://www.google.co.cr/maps/dir/Sloth+Sanctuary+-+Costa+Rica,+Limon/Juan+Santamaria+International+Airport,+Alajuela/@10.075168,-83.4952001,10z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x8fa6ff8e87552023:0x6520ebccd419922d!2m2!1d-82.915112!2d9.799565!1m5!1m1!1s0x8fa0f9a3b2d2fb1d:0xaec408305a420af4!2m2!1d-84.20408!2d9.998238?hl=en

      Have a great day and please let us know if you have any question.

      Pura vida

      Reply
      • Darcie says

        March 9, 2015

        Thanks very much, booked the rental car!! 🙂
        Here’s hoping all goes well. We are very excited for the trip.

        Reply
        • Sammi says

          March 9, 2015

          Awesome! I hope you have a wonderful trip!

          Reply
  8. yeison says

    February 23, 2015

    Hi Geni,

    Hope you are doing great!

    In regards to your question we live 15 min away from the Hilton Papagayo and without a car it is very difficult to move around, there is a public bus system but I don’t even use it it takes forever and it just don’t take you to the nice places.

    It is way cheaper to rent a car that get a shuttles around, for example a shuttle from the airport to the hilton might be around $40 and you can rent a car for a similar price a day and go wherever you want, The Hilton beach is ok but the nicest beaches are around that area so definitely you need a car.

    For prices we have an exclusive discount for our readers and you can check the prices here:Costa Rica car rental discount We are always on top of everything so if you rent a car using our promo we get a copy and then we follow the reservation to make sure everything is perfect.

    For the Arenal Volcano and Monteverde, you can go in a car for me that is the best way to go, you can stops whenever you want go to all the different attractions and at the end you save money by having your own car, in case you don’t want to drive we know an excellent company that is run by local guides with excellent English, when our friends come to visit and want to do a tour we always send them with them, just let us know what you want to do and we will put you guys in contact.

    For your last question what I like the most cloud forest vs Arenal volcano, both are great and if you can do both, do it 🙂 Costa Rica is a very friendly country to travel and drive around.

    I hope this answer might help you to finish planning your trip.

    Please let us know if you have more question or if we can help on anything.

    Reply
    • geni says

      February 28, 2015

      Thank you so much for all your help and advice! Its so great to have such a prompt and thorough response! I really appreciate it. we are now going to rent a car— we see your offer for adobe rental car service. if we book on that website and the price says it includes an insurance — (such as a basic insurance) will the final price given on the website be the actually bottom line price or are we going to be hit with charges once we pick up the car?? we dont want to be misquoted a price and then be surprised when we get there since i know insurance is required.

      thank you. geni

      Reply
      • yeison says

        February 28, 2015

        Hi Genni,

        You can be 100% sure that the price you see where it says total will be the final one no extra charges, that is why we like Adobe they gave us a special rate for our readers and they don’t have hidden fees or anything. We have a good relation with them and they know our readers are our #1 priority. If you would like to add an extra driver please let us know, we can get it for free ;). Also let us know if you have a cell phone in Costa Rica we might be able to get you one for free with one hour credit :).

        Reply
  9. geni says

    February 23, 2015

    hello-

    thank you for all your helpful advice in this article. I will be traveling with my boyfriend in 10 days to Costa Rica. We will be flying into Liberia and will be staying at the Hilton Papagayo resort. We are staying for 5 days and I would love your advice on if it makes sense to rent a car or not. We both want to do tours- after looking at the prices for airport shuttles and some of the tours with transportation included- we thought that maybe it would be more economical to rent a car.

    We definitely want to do at least one tour that explores the Arenal Volcano or the Monteverde Cloud forest. We do know both of these places are quite some distance away from our hotel. For one day we also would like to check out nearby parks/beaches by our hotels.

    In your opinion would renting a car be more costly (with gas, insurance, possible tickets if they target foreigners) and more of hassle (road conditions, directions) than booking tours with transportation included and taking taxis around the nearby parks/beaches?

    also, with our limited time period we are trying to decide what excursions would be most memorable because we would rather not spend the whole time in a car– perhaps two days devoted to longer-distance excursions. would you recommend the cloud forest over the arenal volcano or vice versa? any tour packages, companies you highly recommend?

    thank you so much for all your advice and help!

    Reply
  10. yeison says

    February 20, 2015

    Hi Daniel,

    First of all congratulations for your weeding! We wish you the best to both of you 🙂

    Now in regards to your question this is one of the most common complains from tourist, in the United States or Canada insurance sometimes is cover by some credit cards or you can choose which insurance you want to get also you have the option of just don’t get any insurance.

    Here in Costa Rica is different whenever you rent a car is mandatory to get at least a “basic” insurance, there is no way you can’t avoid the payment or use your Credit Card car insurance it has to be paid and that’s it. The problem with all those international companies is that they give to the client how much the car will cost but then when the client shows up, surprise ! there is an additional charge of $12 to $15 extra a day for the basic insurance, I do not blame this International companies because they operate all over the world and they cannot change their system just because Costa Rica is a little different.

    We always recommend Adobe because they are not surprises not extra charges and they excellent, we always get positive feedback.

    If you would like to you can check our special deal widget here:Costa Rica car rental discount Please let us know if you have any question and if you get the car with Adobe Samantha and I are always on top of everything.

    Congratulations again and if you have questions about Costa Rica please let us know.

    Reply
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