The best Costa Rica vacation includes a sense of adventure. Renting a car and driving around is also certainly an adventure! Costa Rica is so beautiful, no matter where you drive there will be something great to see. And for sure you will get lost... and you will be glad you did!
The best Costa Rica vacation includes a sense of adventure. Renting a car and driving around is also certainly an adventure! Costa Rica is so beautiful, no matter where you drive there will be something great to see. And for sure you will get lost... and you will be glad you did!
3 DIFFERENT WAYS TO RENT A CAR
1. At your hotel. Nearly all hotels represent one of Costa Rica's rental car companies. They receive a commission and often the commission is more important than the daily rental rate of the company they represent.
2. With a broker, like Holiday cars, Car Del Mar, etc.
A broker is an intermediary between rental car agencies and consumers.
Brokers don't own rental cars. The car you rent is owned by one of
the rental car agencies.
3. With a rental car company (agency).
You will not find rental car companies at the airport, because they have to add 12% airport concours tax to the cost of any car picked up at the airport. In order to avoid this all the companies have their office outside the airport area and offer a pickup service or car drop service at your hotel.
It is common to order a rental car via internet in advance to your arrival.
RENTAL CAR PRICES:
Looking at rental car prices you are confronted with advertising techniques. Rental car prices can be very attractive, but the cost of your car insurance can easily double or triple the total price.
The following price study shows how much the price can vary among the different companies per 01 January 2012:
SEDAN-economy
high season Min. req. insurance
week price $ week price $ insurance type car type
Explorer 156 + 7x18 CD-waiver Aveo
Thrifty Car rental 162 +7x13 CD-waiver Yaris
Budget 163 +7x10 CD-waiver Yaris
Europcar 168 +7x15 CD-waiver Yaris
Avis 162 +7x16 CD-waiver Nissan
Vamos 168 +7x15 CD-waiver Aerio
Adobe Rent a car 191 +7x13 CD-waiver Getz
Poasrent a car 180 +7x21 CD-waiver Nissan
Economy Rent a Car 186 +7x15 CD-waiver Yaris
Avanti Rent a car 217 +7x15 CD-waiver Nissan
Toyota 232 +7x14 CD-waiver Yaris
Usave carrental 217 +2x7x15 CD-waiver Nissan
Dollar RentaCar 210 +7x12 CD-waiver Nissan
Mapache rentacar 223 +7x12 CD-waiver Nissan
Alamo rent a car 252 +7x17 CD-waiver Yaris
Holidaycars 227 +38
No-risk ins Yaris
EconomyCarrentals 210🙂 incl.
No-risk ins Yaris
Rentalcars 315 incl
No-risk ins Yaris
Insurance cost is a daily price, that's explains x7. It covers mandatory +reduced CD.
EconomyCarrentals, Holidaycars, Rentalcars are international brokers and supply their cars mainly through THRIFTY. Also they include or offer a no-risk insurance for a very low price.
EconomyCarrentals offers the BEST rental price at this time
4 x 4 economy
highseason Min.req.insurance
week price $ week price $ type of insur. car type
Alamo rent a car 354 +7x15 CD-waiver Jimmy
Economy RentaCar 235 +7x15 CD-waiver Jimmy
Thrifty Car rental 204 +7x18 CD-waiver Bego
Budget 250 +7x15 CDwaiver Bego
Mapache rent a car 244 +7x18 CD-waiver Jimmy
Europcar 204 +7x18 CD-waiver Bego
Avis 270 +7x18 CD-waiver Kia
Adobe Rent a car 291 +7x19 CD-waiver Bego
Dollar RentaCar 300 +7x15 CD-waiver Jimmy
Toyota 299 +7x18 CD-waiver Bego
Avanti Rent a car 313 +7x20 CD-waiver Jimmy
Wildrider 340 incl. CD-waiver Terios
Explorer 228 +7x18 CD-waiver Terios Vamos 294 +7x15 CD-waiver Jimmy
4x4 Rentals in CR 350 +7x15 CD-waiver Geo
EconomyCarrentals 271 🙂 incl no-risk ins Terios
Discount Rent a car 391 incl. no-risk ins Jimmy
Rentalcars 391 incl. no-risk ins Jimmy
Holiday cars 346 +38 no-risk ins Jimmy
EconomyCarrentals offers the BEST rental price at this timeAnother price study, which also might be very interesting, shows where to find the lowest rental price for the same type of car at Costarican Rental car companies. For this information you have to open the following website:
http://www.vacationcity.com/costa-rica/car-rental/comparison/THE CAR INSURANCE JUNGLE:
Finding a rental car is a part of this adventure but understanding all the car insurances is another part of this adventure.
Basically:
As a rental car driver you are responsible for:
1. Damage to third parties, like injury, death of other persons, damage to their cars or properties. This also means damage to road constructions, like bridges etc.
2. Any damage to your rental car, not only by a collision but also by vandalism, theft, or bad road conditions (tires, wheel suspension)
ad 1)
Third person liability: By law any car on the road is required to be at least insured for LIABILITY to third persons (mandatory insurance). This insurance is called
TPL (third party liability) and is offered by INS, a government insurance company.
TPL is mandatory and provides only minimal coverage, namely damage to someone else's property. Furthermore your own risk is 20%.
Voluntary you can buy an additional
SLP or
SLI ( supplemental Liability Protection/Insurance). This insurance covers the 20% own risk, injury and death of other persons. Be sure you read the conditions of SLP/SLI. It might differ per rental car company.
ad 2)
Damage to rental car: Rental car companies require that you also buy at least a
CDW insurance. A collision damage waiver (CDW) insurance covers damage to the rented vehicle as a result of
collision. Your own risk starts from us$750 to $1500 depending on the type of car. This amount of own risk has to be covered by a deposit.
For THEFT you can voluntary buy a
LDW (Loss damage waiver). Also this insurance has a own risk from us$750 to $1500 depending on the type of car.
For vandalism you can voluntary buy a
VAI (Vandalism Insurance).
To reduce your own risk you can also voluntary buy an
API (Additional Protection Insurance) or a
FCI (Full Cover Insurance). You have to read carefully the conditions of the API or FCI. It will not mean that your own risk is really ZERO.
Now you might understand that an attractive low rental car price can end up in an unexpected high price. But all depends on HOW MUCH own risk you like to take.
But there is an attractive cheap solution for a garanteed ZERO own risk insurance by buying a rental car insurance offered by
Insurance4carhire.com in England in stead of all offered voluntary insurances by rental car companies.
Website:
www.insurance4carhire.comFor 5 Euro per day in stead of us$ 20++ (rental car company) you have zero own risk. An other option is that you buy an annual rental car insurance for 70 Euro's
(more economically when renting a car at least 2 weeks).
For your own interest:
1)Always take pictures from the complete contour of your car when you receive it from the rental car company, as a proof for possible disputes later on.
2)Do a light test before accepting the car. Roads are badly illuminated
3)Let them show you the spare tire, the jack and the wrench. Avoid that you are helpless when you get a flat tire.
Links to the websites of all the rental companies in Costa Rica:
http://www.tourism.co.cr/travel-tourism/car-motocycle-rentals.htmlhttp://www.trycostarica.com/s/ground-transportation/car-rental-agenciesBrokers:http://www.holidaycars.com/default.aspxhttp://www.economycarrentals.com/http://www.rentalcars.com/