Car Rental Companies Guide

Guide to Car Rental Companies in Costa Rica 2015

Rate Comparisons for 2015

Why is car rental so expensive?

Visitors from outside of Costa Rica are often surprised by the cost of car rental.     All vehicles in Costa Rica are imported and a tax is imposed. There are some car rental operators who rent older vehicles in order to reduce their costs.

    The cost of mandatory insurance (see below).

Factors that Affect Car Rental Costs

• Mandatory Insurance

Car rental operators must charge the customer for this coverage which may or may not be clear in the quotation received by the customer.

The issue that causes contention in Costa Rica is that this cost is not always displayed clearly on the car rental operator's website or in a quote. Customers then discover the additional cost of their rental upon arrival.

The cost of mandatory insurance varies from company to company and will depend on the car category that is being rented as well. Credit cards in North America usually offer car insurance as an additional perk to the credit card holder and so North Americans in particular, are unused to having to pay for insurance on top of rental costs. However, no credit card will cover this insurance requirement.

Do ask if the given quote includes third-party insurance and check the prices on the car rental operator's website.

It is worth remembering that car rental company employees, like in other parts of the world, will sometimes earn commission for insurance sales.

Car rental operators require written proof that the customer's credit card provides CDW. • Deposit

• Airport Taxes

Customers that rent from a car rental operator's counter within an airport building are obliged to pay the airport tax.

Those car rental operators with a counter at San Jose's Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) are: Alamo/National, Budget, Dollar, Economy and Hertz. These companies will add an additional 12% tax to the rental cost.

Those car rental operators with a counter at Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR) are: Avis, Budget and Economy. These companies will add an additional 3% tax to the rental cost.

To avoid this tax, take an airport shuttle with the car rental operator to an office located outside of the airport grounds.

There are a number of other obligatory fees that car rental operators may add into the rental cost, display on-screen or show in the quote, or leave undisclosed until the customer's arrival. One car rental operator charges $20 for this additional service.

A common confusion for travelers booking a rental car is the discrepancy between international websites for car rental operators and the Costa Rican website for the same brand. A number of companies do not have a local website. Car Rental Comparisons

In May/June of 2013, I compared the pricing and services of a number of car rental operators in Costa Rica and published the findings. The car rental operators selected are those which are most frequently used by travelers:

Adobe

Alamo

Budget

Dollar

Economy

Fox

Hertz

National

Service

Thrifty

Toyota

USave

Vamos

Wild Rider

Exclusion of Companies from Final Comparison

Comparison Information

As not all pricing is completely transparent, the prices are as accurate as possible based on the information provided from the car rental operators' websites, phone calls, and/or emails. Shoulder Season (Quote for July 13 through 20)

2. Service $54.92

5. Adobe $60.13

6. Alamo $60.99

7. Wild Rider $62.86

8. Dollar $63.35

9. Vamos $64.15

10. National $67.04

11. Thrifty $74.39

Low Season (Quote for May 13 through 20)

1. National $37.04

3. Dollar $46.49

4. Adobe $52.57

5. Vamos $53.15

6. Service $53.49

9. Wild Rider $55.71

10. Alamo $60.99

High Season (Quote for March 13 through 20)

1. Dollar $55.92

6. Service $66.63

7. Vamos $67.14

8. Alamo $69.56

9. Wild Rider $70.00

11. National $73.90

The variation in ranking between seasons is marked and customers should consider their vacation dates when choosing the car rental operator. It is also significant that pricing is not consistent with ranking with car rental operators in other car categories. Information on Car Rental Operators

Adobe Rent-A-Car is a local car rental operator that has eleven offices across the country. The mandatory insurance cost is displayed as part of the online quote. The company receives mixed reviews online, but more positive than negative comments are made. Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-855-861-1250

Child Seat: $3/day

GPS System: $9/day

This makes the pricing seem high on first glance, especially when, unlike other car rental operators, Alamo includes airport taxes in their online quotation and so their pricing is honest, but appears much higher than other companies as a result. This pricing discrepancy is the lead cause of negative reviews for this company. Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-855-533-1196

Child Seat: $3/day

GPS System: $12/day

No Toll-Free Phone Number

Child Seat: $5/day

GPS System: $9.99/day

Emailed quotes showed the same pricing for all seasons as the website did. Budget receives mixed online reviews.

No Toll-Free Phone Number, but Live Chat is offered

Child Seat: $5/day

GPS System: $14.99/day

Car washing charge is enforced for very dirty vehicles. Email response is within 24 hours. Dollar receives mixed reviews from online travel forums.

Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-877-767-8651

Child Seat: $5/day

GPS System: $9/day

Economy has the worst online reputation of any big name car rental operator in Costa Rica.

Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-877-326-7368

Child Seat: $10/day

GPS System: $15/day

Offices are located at both international airports. Online reviews are generally poor.

Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-800-225-4369

Child Seat: $5/day

GPS System: $9.99/day

No Toll-Free Phone Number

Child Seat: $5/day

GPS System: $12/day

Free Phone Call Option Via Website

Child Seat: $6/day

GPS System: $12/day

Payless is part of the international car rental company and has no Costa Rican website. Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-800-PAYLESS

GPS System: $9.95/day

Service is a local company with five offices in the country. Reviews are frequently negative due to pricing complaints.

Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-800-344-1705

Free Phone Call Option Via Website

Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-800-467-3659

The company has three offices.

Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-800-950-8426

Child Seat: free

Booster: free

Additional Driver: free

Wild Rider is a small, local company located only in San Jose. The website is simple with third-party insurance included in the pricing. The other car rental operators were less transparent with surcharges or taxes, such as airport taxes or sales taxes. Pricing

Customers need to consider the pricing of other items, such as additional drivers or GPS system, and families will want to compare car seat rental pricing. It is clear that the local car rental operators are still trumping the big names in their transparency and customer service when comparing their websites and online reviews. Adobe, Alamo, and National seem to rate well as international car rental operators. Service also offers these extras at low daily rates.

Which Costa Rican Car Company Is Best?

Renting a Car in Costa Rica? Which company should you choose?

There are so many rent-a-car companies to choose from in Costa Rica - from the large international firms to the smaller national agencies. Understanding the insurance laws and charges that bind the Costa Rican car rental companies may help you to ask the right questions when you are reserving your vehicle and avoid a nasty shock upon arrival. Insurance needs, additional costs in rental and surcharges are considered in more detail below:

Insurance:

Basic insurance is mandatory. Costa Rican law is very clear on this and your rental car company cannot allow you to leave with their car without having agreed to pay it. Expect to pay somewhere between $9 and $20 per day on top of your car rental rate. An honest, car rental agency will make this very clear in their pricing. Check whether your insurance policy covers you to drive in Costa Rica. If you are covered, bring proof (in writing) for your vehicle rental company. Zero liability is offered by rent-a-car companies. Many car rental companies will charge additional fees for a child/baby seat, an additional driver, luggage racks or cooler. Surcharges:

Some rental car companies incorporate taxes and additional fees into their rental cost; others don't. Airport fees can be charged at 13% of your rental cost which is a sizable fee to pay in addition to an agreed rental charge. You may also be charged a license plate charge, environmental fee and/or any other charge that the rental car company has to meet (or pocket).

Criteria for Rating Car Rental Companies:

1) Value: Is the rental rate competitive?

Each company was researched based on a week's rental of a Daihutsu Bego with mandatory insurance.

Dollar Rent-A-Car:

Value

- $300+ USD.

- Extras are at average prices.

Efficiency

- Email inquiry returned within 24 hours.

Transparency

- Reservation price is listed as 'Base rate' and doesn't include insurance.

Vamos Rent-A-Car:

Value

- $300+ USD.

Efficiency

Transparency

- The website clearly states prices and insurance.

- Toll-free number and live chat are provided.

Wild Rider:

Value

- $300+ USD.

- Additional driver is free.

Efficiency

- Email inquiry returned within 2 hours.

Transparency

- Prices are displayed very clearly onsite and include insurance.

Budget:

Value

- Extra charges for baby seat, additional driver etc.

Efficiency

- The company has 9 offices nationwide.

Transparency

- No prices displayed with vehicles information.

- Budget has received mixed reviews.

Service Car Rental:

Value

- $400+ USD including mandatory insurance and taxes.

- Extras such as additional driver and child seat are charged, but at cheaper rates than most companies.

Efficiency

- The company has 5 offices nationwide.

Transparency

National Car Rental:

- Extras are priced a little above average.

Efficiency

Transparency

Economy Rent-A-Car:

- Extras are average in price.

- Email inquiry returned within an hour, but email inquiring about insurance was not returned.

- Website does not make mandatory insurance clear.

- Economy has numerous negative reviews.

Hertz Costa Rica:

- $400+ USD, but actual rental price is not made clear.

- 6 offices nationwide.

- No contact email.

- Mixed reviews.

Adobe Rent-A-Car:

- Extras are at low prices.

- The company has 9 offices nationwide.

- Online estimate includes insurance.

Tricolor Car Rental:

- Extras aren't listed or provided in quotation email, although cell phone price is given.

- 3 offices nationwide.

- Email returned within 2 hours.

- Reviews are mixed.

- Toll-free number is provided.

For real value, Dollar, Vamos, Wild Rider and Tricolor come out on top for competitive pricing for the basic rental fee, plus mandatory insurance. Adobe and Service have low cost extras, whereas Hertz has the most expensive rates for extras. Adobe, Wild Rider, Vamos and Service have websites that clearly show rental prices and insurance. Ask those all important questions: Does this price include mandatory insurance?