Renting a car in Costa Rica is a very different experience than renting one in the USA or Canada. If you go into the process without knowing all the hurdles and potential pitfalls you’ll encounter, you could end up spending a small fortune that’s far beyond your initial estimates. You could also get snared in a lot of traps.
This is a country where a car can be really useful , especially in “up and coming” areas far away from the capital city. The roads you encounter may not be ideal though. That photo above is from a “national highway” in the country, heading to some popular destinations in the Nicoya Peninsula. Other conditions you’ll encounter could be worse, especially in the rainy season, which lasts half the year here.
According to information from Skyscanner, Limon, Costa Rica had the biggest increase in travel search volume across all destinations in the world in 2025, up 289%. Tortuguero National Park, Cahuita National Park, and Playa Chiquita are the main draws, highlighting the fact that you’ll need a driver or a rental car to go exploring the Caribbean side of Costa Rica if you aren’t on an organized tour. It’s a similar situation in many other regions that aren’t on the regular one-week tour circuit.
I’ve rented a car and explored the roads of this country multiple times, renting in San Jose, Liberia, and from the concierge desk at the Four Seasons Papagayo. The experiences I’ve had on the roads have been… interesting. Especially that time Google Maps took me down a road that got rougher and rougher until it ran right into a deep river and I had to backtrack.
So I’m going to start there for the tips you need to keep in mind when renting a car in Costa Rica.
You Need a Sturdy Vehicle for Rough Roads
There are two international airports in Costa Rica and if you’re just going to pick up a car at one of those to drive to your resort and back on regular highways, then you can pick a small sedan and it will probably turn out fine. If you’re heading into anything resembling nature, however, which is most of the land mass in this biodiverse country, then you’re going to need at least a small SUV, maybe some kind of four-wheel drive vehicle.
Many Americans drive a big SUV around, but the toughest conditions they’ll face are a thunderstorm when bringing the kids home from soccer practice. When people drive a sport utility vehicle in Costa Rica, however, that “utility” part of the term is key.
Gravel and dirt roads are as common as paved ones, especially when you get into wilder areas. Even when there are established developments with houses going for a million bucks, the road to get there may be dusty and full of potholes. (There’s a reason Costa Rica has so many internal flights on small planes: it can take the better part of a day to get from Point A to B in some areas.)
So this is not a place to look for the smallest and cheapest rental car if you’re going to do a fair bit of driving around, especially outside of the dry season. You want a vehicle that sits high off the ground (for going through streams and mud) and has large tires. Don’t rent what I did in that photo above, when I had to drive across rocky streams at times.
Liability Insurance is Required
As in Mexico, you can’t rent a car in Costa Rica without having some kind of liability insurance in place. The insurance that comes with your credit card, even a premium one, will not cover this. So either it’s folded into the rental price or spelled out up front in the price you’re quoted, as it is if you rent through Costa Rican company Vamos Rent-a-Car, or it is added onto what you are quoted later and can turn out to be a hefty charge.
This addition shouldn’t be a hefty charge, but like an airline showing you a low base fee and then reaming you on the “extras,” some unscrupulous rental car agencies will quote an enticing base fare per day and then gouge you for more than that just for the liability insurance requirement. At best it’s a high-margin profit center for them, at worst an outright scam. You want to rent from a company that includes this in the quote and walk away if they try to pull a bait-and-switch ruse on you later.
You Need to Inspect the Car Thoroughly
When you rent a car in the USA, there’s no inspection process needed usually because the companies treat minor scratches and dings as normal wear and tear that they’ll buff out/repair routinely. Companies in Costa Rica treat every little nick like it’s a major catastrophe and will charge you accordingly. This despite all the gravel and terrible roads you’ll encounter once you leave the rental car lot.
So to be sure you’re not blamed for a problem that was already there before, you need to video and/or photograph every little thing that is not perfect, both inside and outside the car. Every littel scratch, dent, or discoloration should be noted and if they give you a paper slip with the defects noted, be sure they’re all on there before signing off.
You Need Good (or Great) Damage Insurance Coverage
If you have collision damage coverage through your credit card and/or your travel insurance policy, you should be able to decline everything except the liability insurance and be all set. Often this is secondary coverage, however, meaning you first have to go through your regular car insurance company and then after that the credit card insurance kicks in for whatever the primary insurer didn’t cover.
That insurance may become primary if you don’t own a car, but they won’t make it easy for you. Plus this requires an investment of time and attention in a process that’s seldom quick or easy.
A better bet is to use a credit card that has primary rental car insurance coverage instead. Then you’re only dealing with one company and the process is usually much faster. In many cases they just need documentation from the rental car company showing the charge and they’ll credit it back to your account.
Here are a few credit cards that provide primary coverage:
Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, and Business Ink
Bilt Mastercard
Capital One Venture X
Note that some of the American Express cards used to provide primary coverage, but they quietly dialed that back for the ones that used to have it like Hilton Surpass, Amex Gold, and even the super-expensive Amex Platinum. You can purchase it per rental rather than per day with Amex Platinum, but you’re better off pulling out a Chase card at the rental counter instead.
You’ll Need Three Items for a Car Rental
When you go to pick up the car, you’ll need to hand over three items. First, your driver’s license. You generally don’t need an international driver’s license unless your own is in non-Roman letters like Arabic. A US or Canadian one if definitely fine.
Next you’ll need to show your passport and they may flip through to find your Costa Rican entry stamp.
Last, you’ll need a physical copy of the credit card (not a debit card) you are using for the vehicle. While you may be able to get away with one you have stored on your phone, often they want the real thing because they’ll make a photocopy and/or they need to physically swipe it. This credit card should have a healthy credit line on it that you’re not using because there will be some kind of deposit in addition to the rental charge. This deposit can be anywhere between $500 and $5,000 depending on the insurance situation, the agency, and the type of car.
If you want to prepare for every scenario, it’s also good to have proof that your credit card (or travel insurance) covers the collision insurance also. Take a screenshot of the terms and conditions or have that page ready to pull up on your phone.
Gas is Expensive, but Prices are Standard
Gas costs more than in the USA but if you’re used to European prices for petrol, the costs will seem reasonable. Depending on the exchange rate, the prices of gas in Costa Rica is usually between 650 and 700 colones, which comes out to around $6 a gallon at the pump.
The good news is, you don’t have to hunt around for the best price in a city in order to avoid overpaying. The fuel price is standardized, so stop where it’s convenient; the rate will be the same.
You Should Rent Far Ahead for Peak Seasons
If you’re taking a vacation in Costa Rica in high season, especially around Christmas or Easter, you should book as far ahead as possible. Costa Rican rental car companies do not have football-field-sized lots full of cars waiting like you’d see in Orlando or Las Vegas. Inventory is limited, so if you wait too long it may be slim pickings on what’s left.
Since our strongest recommendation goes to Vamos Rent-a-Car, we suggest you go there as soon as plans are firm and pick out an appropriate vehicle. It’s generally a bad idea to book through a third-party agency like Expedia or Hotwire for Costa Rica because they won’t tell you how much the required liability insurance or the deposit will be, only the base rate.
You Can’t Leave the Country in a Rental Car
If you’re planning to a grand tour of Central America that starts in Costa Rica, be advised that you won’t be doing it in a rental car. If you pick up a vehicle in Costa Rica, you can drive down to the Osa Peninsula or to the border of Nicaragua, but you won’t be able to cross into either of those countries. You’ll need to cross by bus, plane, or taxi then start over with a rental car on the other side.
The items in this article don’t cover every possible thing to look out for. You may need to pay extra for a child seat, you may need to pay a drop-off fee if you’re doing a one-way rental, and some unscrupulous companies will tack on extra charges for anything from an airport pick-up to an “environmental fee.” (The airport fee is only 3% in Liberia, for example, but some companies will add on much more.) Again, use Vamos and everything will be spelled out ahead of time, no surprises.
Not sure where to stay yet? See our reviews of the best luxury Costa Rica hotels.
