Renting a car in Costa Rica and have no idea which company to go with? In this post, we’ll share with you our personal recommendation for our car rental in Costa Rica experience: Adobe Rent a Car.
And for those of you who want a jump start on booking your car, we have teamed up with this Costa Rica car rental company to give discounts and extra benefits to our readers. Just click on our Costa Rica car rental discount link here to check quotes, availability and make reservations with our promo. Also check our renting a car in Costa Rica post for more tips!
Adobe Rent a Car Costa Rica: Best Car Rental in Costa Rica
Why did we choose Adobe for our very first car rental experience in Costa Rica? Adobe Rent a Car Costa Rica is 100% Costa Rican, have been in business for over 30 years and have offices all throughout the country. They offer the latest car models, excellent customer service and all inclusive pricing which will make planning your vacation to Costa Rica less of a headache.
Read more below!
The Importance of All-Inclusive Pricing in Costa Rica
What is all inclusive pricing and why is it important in Costa Rica? Well you may have heard that renting a car in Costa Rica is a scam and read many horror stories from previous tourists. Unfortunately, there are companies in Costa Rica that implement what we see as dishonest practices regarding insurance.
For example, if you check third party booking sites (not the direct car rental website), you may see a crazy cheap price like $5-10 USD a day. When you go to book that car, your total will be only like $50 for a week. Score! You got such a good deal right? You book it and think that everything is done and confirmed with nothing else to do for your car rental.
However, when you arrive in Costa Rica and pick up the car, the agency tells you that you have an additional X amount of hundred dollars to pay and that your deposit will be something crazy like $3000 USD. And that you have to pay an extra airport fee. Or that you have to purchase all these other insurances or if you didn’t purchase any insurance, then your deposit will be $5000 USD. This happens because the third party booking site you booked with only showed the “base” price and never included any taxes, fees or insurance. Because they never mentioned or showed it, you had no idea there were other charges to pay.
So you’re left with an incredibly awful experience and you feel like you were scammed.
Adobe Rent a Car doesn’t do ANY of that. They offer all-inclusive pricing so the total amount on your reservation is exactly what you pay when you pick up the car. No extra fees, taxes or charges. You know exactly which insurances you will pay for and which are optional. You also know how much your deposit will be.
What to Know About Costa Rican Car Rental Insurance
Adobe Rent a Car’s insurances are easy to understand as they are very straightforward. Plus, there are only 3 options offered when booking online. Read more about Adobe Rent a Car’s insurances here.
Some other agencies make it super confusing. They may have up to or more than 5 insurance options, use confusing language and just aren’t clear. Also some of them may offer options such as If you purchase insurance 1 but not 2, 3 and 4, your deposit is $5000 USD. If you purchase insurances 1, 2 and 3, your deposit is $500. If you purchase insurance 1, 2 and 4, your deposit is $2000.
SO confusing right?
Adobe Rent a Car doesn’t do that at all.
One of the benefits of renting a car through Mytanfeet is that we offer a $500 or $750 USD deposit instead of the original $1000 USD deposit.
Pros About Adobe Rent a Car
They are 100% Costa Rican
As a traveler, I much prefer my money to go to the locals than the foreign companies. And this is especially in a country that depends on tourism so much like Costa Rica.

The entire Adobe Rent a Car company is Costa Rican, from the owners to all employees.
Being a 100% Costa Rican company also gives a bit more peace of mind because they know Costa Rican laws inside and out.
Everyone in the company knows the roads, knows what it’s like to drive in Costa Rica and knows what tourists are looking for when it comes to a good car rental experience.
Easy to Understand Insurance
Adobe Car Rental makes it easy to understand exactly what you are paying for and what insurance covers what. They also clearly explain which insurance is optional and which insurance is not.
Excellent Service
When it comes to customer service, Adobe has excellent customer service. From their reservations department to their counter agents, everyone is polite, knowledgeable and friendly.
Well Maintained Fleet
Another reason why Adobe Rent a Car is the best car rental in Costa Rica is their well maintained fleet. They have a fleet of cars that are no more than 2 years old, keeping them in very good condition.
This is something very important to consider when price comparison shopping. You may see a cheap car rental but keep in mind that that company may use really old cars, like 5 years or more. A 1 year old rental car vs 5 year old rental car is drastically different in Costa Rica. The 5 year old car may have something like 500,000 kilometers on it and the condition of that car will not be the same as a 1 year old rental car.
Transparency
No hidden fees, no surprise taxes, no last minute charges. Nothing. You don’t need to worry about any of that when you rent a car with Adobe!
As mentioned earlier, they use an all-inclusive pricing structure so clients pay exactly the amount written on their confirmation.
My Experience: Our Adobe Rent a Car Review
I first rented a car with Adobe Rent a Car in 2014 before our partnership with them. I wanted to rent with a local company and heard many great things about Adobe. My experience went flawlessly. They delivered my car to our condo in Jaco and had to picked up there as well. I rented a sedan (Hyundai Accent) for me and 2 friends and we drove from Jaco to Manuel Antonio National Park and Playas del Coco.
The car worked great, was comfortable and clean. Everything was clearly explained to me by the agent and I had no confusion about what I was paying for. After my car rental experience with Adobe Rent a Car Costa Rica, we knew that we wanted to partner with them for our blog.
We are very happy that we are able to give our Mytanfeet readers a car rental discount and extra freebies to help them save money on their vacation!
If you have any questions about our discount or about Adobe Rent a Car Costa Rica, please feel free to contact us.
Read more Costa Rica travel tips below!
Tips for using Airbnb in Costa Rica

Tammy Gaddy says
Hi Sammi,
We love your blog, it has been so helpful to us in planning our first trip! We are planning on flying in and out of San Jose, traveling to La Fortuna, then Playas del Coco, then Manuel Antonio and back to San Jose. During the Manuel Antonio trip portion, we were thinking about going to see the whales tail and possibly the Nauyaca waterfall. We’re trying to decide if these last two locations are going to be the only places that would require a 4×4? Also, does Adobe have rental locations near Manuel Antonio?
Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Tammy, the last two would be where a 4wd would be highly needed, the other destinations don’t. Adobe has an office in Uvita and Manuel Antonio. Let me know if you have other questions!
Luis says
Hello, just came across this page because I will be traveling with my wife in late June. I’m glad to know this rental company tells you the full price up front which many don’t! My question is in regards to the deposit, how will I be able to get the $750 instead of the $1000? Your help would be greatly appreciated!
Sammi says
Hi Luis, the deposit is automatically included for all Mytanfeet readers and it is in the Adobe system automatically 🙂 You don’t need to request it or anything. Let me know if you have other questions.
Julia Mcneal says
Hi! Does adobe accept debit card? We don’t have a credit card and are looking for the most affordable way to book a car without one
Sammi says
Hi Julia, they do except for debit cards they are classified as cash transactions, so if you use your debit card for the deposit, it can take up to 3-4 weeks to return to your account (depending on your bank) whereas a credit card returns the deposit 24-72 hours after.
Grace C says
Hi! Great blog 🙂 My boyfriend and I will be heading to Costa Rica in two weeks. We’ll be in Tamarindo from Mar. 19-22, La Fortuna 22-25 and thinking about Playa del Coco 25-27. I was thinking of just biking Tamarindo but renting a car for the rest of the way. Would you recommend purchasing/reserving it now or when we get to Costa Rica? Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks!!
Sammi says
Hi Grace, I would definitely book your car asap. Adobe, our partner is already running out of cars for end of March and we have a pre-reserved amount of SUVS set aside for us because of this reason. But from Tamarindo, La Fortuna and Coco, you can rent a sedan, a 4×4 or big car is not necessary especially since it’s just the two of you. But I would definitely reserve it now because end of March is spring break for many North Americans and it’s an incredibly busy time here.
JZ says
Thanks, I was really glad I had taken your recommendation and rented through Adobe, and even more so when I got into an accident. They were so helpful and everything was smooth. Full insurance was a good idea too.
Sammi says
Hi JZ, glad to hear you had a good experience! We hope you enjoyed your time in Costa Rica 🙂
Mary Burtness says
What a wonderful resource your blog has provided. We especially appreciated the tip on using Adobe car rental. They are a great company! And it is always important to us to support the local economy.
Sammi says
Hi Mary, we’re glad the blog is helpful and that you had a good experience with Adobe! We always enjoy supporting local companies 🙂
Sammi says
Hi Josee, you can make a quote on this page here: Costa Rica car rental discount to see how much your rental would be and the widget on that page already includes our discount.
Josee says
Hi, i need 2 defferents quote amd i can’t find where to do it. One quote from 10 of february to 18 with a pickup at the airport. Or from the 11 to 17 at the office.
Thank you
Suzette Taylor says
Hi There,
This info is very informative. I had heard not to be fooled by rental car prices online because of the costly insurance. I am staying in Jaco via San Jose Sun Nov. 18 – Fri Nov. 23. There is 5 of us total. We’ll have 2 surfboards. We are planning on touring around the Jaco/Hermosa area. Definitely need racks and interested in the WIFI hotspot for GPS purposes. Would please recommend an appropriate vehicle and send a quote?
Thank you.
yeison says
Hello, Suzette I just send you a quote for the car I would recommend you which is the Hyundai Tucson. Here is a video of the car just in case you were wondering about the size of the car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAtCn_oWitw
Please let us know if you have more questions and thank you for reading our blog.
Steve Watt says
Thank you MyTanFeet. The van you arranged for us thru Adobe was perfect. The final price was exactly as stated, service was fast, quick and professional. We left a small bag in the shuttle after being dropped at LIR and the driver came back and found us to return it. Will definitely use you and Adobe again.
Steve & Louise, BC Canada.
Sammi says
Hi Steve, I’m so glad to hear you guys had a great time in Costa Rica and experience with Adobe. They are a great company! Thanks for reading Mytanfeet and we hope to see you in Costa Rica again 🙂