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
Katie says
Hi! We are planning on renting a car through Adobe with your discount link for our upcoming trip to Costa Rica. We’ll be arriving to SJO at night, staying at a hotel next to the airport, and we would like to pick up the rental car the next morning. Do you know if Adobe would bring the rental car to our hotel? Or would they provide a shuttle to get us from our hotel to the rental car office? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Katie, if your hotel is close to their office, you can go directly there if it’s in walking distance, or Adobe will send a shuttle to your hotel to pick you up and take you to their office to collect the car.
Luisa says
Wanted to say THANK YOU once again for all the support we got from the MyTanFeet team! We got our rental car with Adobe through MyTanFeet, and it was the best decision we made regarding our transportation. As this was our first time in Costa Rica, we had many question marks about the process and costs associated with renting a car there. Thankfully, the MyTanFeet team made our experience a breeze: they were very proactive and incredibly fast on their responses, from the moment we made our reservation all the way to the arrangements after returning the car. We can’t recommend the MyTanFeet team enough!!!
Sammi says
Hello Luisa, thank you so much for your feedback and comment. We were glad to assist you and happy to hear we helped make the process smoother! We hope you had a wonderful time in Costa Rica.
Natalie Barnes says
Adobe does not have 4×4’s available for the time i need it. Who is your second choice rental from SJO?
Thanks,
Natalie
yeison says
Hello Natalie,
Thank you for your message, we will be more than happy to assist you finding your car and give you some options, we will be emailing you shorlty.
Grace says
We booked a Hyundai Tucson 4×4 with Adobe through My Tan Feet, and have only good things to say about our car rental experience: there were no hidden fees or end-of-rental surprises; the service was prompt & professional; and our vehicle was clean & well-maintained. The shuttle service from/to our airport hotel was a much-appreciated bonus! A dependable 4×4 vehicle is absolutely essential for driving around Monteverde and Osa during rainy season, so thank you for connecting us with a great car rental company. We would use Adobe Rent a Car through My Tan Feet again without hesitation!
Sammi says
Hello Grace, thank you so much for your feedback and comments. We’re glad you had a positive experience with Adobe Rent a Car and you had a good time in Costa Rica. We were glad to assist you and thank you for using Mytanfeet services.
Joanne Muys says
Your blog has been outstanding as guidance for our 3.5 week trip here to Costa Rica. We have learned so much and were able to take advantage of your discounts for the activities we did. The car rental was easy and flawless. The blogs are so very imformative – I have read many of them and they have been so helpful in our travels. Thanks for putting everything together in one very valuable spot!
You guys are awesome!
Sammi says
Hi Joanne, thank you for your feedback! We’re glad it was helpful and that you were able to take advantage of the discounts and services we offer.
gilbert says
I just renewed my license (I’ve been driving for 15 yrs). Will I be able to rent the car with Adobe?
Sammi says
Yes no problem! You do need the original license – no temporary copies, no paper copies, etc.
Kristen says
In Texas it’s illegal to retain an expired driver license after getting a new one. I moved to a new address a couple months ago so the issue date is only a few months old. I have pictures of my old licenses. Would that suffice? Or a copy of my driving record? (Driving for 20 years)
Sammi says
Hi Kristen, you just need to bring your current valid license (original, not a copy). The license itself doesn’t need to be 2 years old, they just want to make sure you have been driving legally for at least 2 years (for example, if you just passed your tests and got your drivers license for the very first time ever 3 months ago, then you cannot rent a car because you haven’t been driving legally for at least 2 years).
Daniela says
Hi Sami,
Your “contact form” doesn’t work. I wanted to share my opinion about Adobe Car Rental and request a transfer service but there is no way to type anything in the section about your request or car rental request. Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Daniela, you need to click on the box below and also do the captcha. If you can send an email to us directly at hello @ mytanfeet . com if it keeps not working for you
Moumita says
Hi we are going in late July with plans to go from San Jose to La fortuna to Tortuguero back to San Jose. Is four wheel drive necessary for this route?
Sammi says
Hi Moumita, normally a 4wd won’t be necessary for those places, but check with your hotels and places you’re planning to visit what kind of car is required. Sometimes a high clearance car can work fine. Usually for rainy season, a 4wd is required if you are going up in the mountains or more remote areas. We also sent you an email with more information
Emily says
Hi! I’d like to rent a car in Jaco, and drop off at SJO. I am not seeing Jaco listed when booking online. Am I missing something?
Sammi says
Hi Emily, you have to choose the San Jose office for pick up and return but they will deliver your car to Jaco for free (they no longer have an office there)
Andra Thorstad says
Thank you for hooking us up with Adobe Car Rental. We were so pleased with how smoothly everything went. Communication was excellent, the car spotless and reliable, and pick up and drop off quick and easy. I am so glad we went with Adobe!!
Sammi says
Hi Andra, thank you for your feedback, we’re glad you had a great experience with Adobe and were glad to assist you 🙂
Cari says
Thank you so much for all the information you share! We’re flying in to Liberia in January, and planning to do quite a bit of driving from there, then hoping to drop the car off in San Jose to fly to the Osa Peninsula. Do rental car agencies like Adobe allow you to pick up your vehicle at one location, then drop it at another?
Thanks for your help!
Sammi says
Hi Cari, we sent you an email last week, not sure if you got it but please check your spam folder if you haven’t seen it yet