Tourists traveling to Costa Rica for the holidays that didn’t book a car in advance online can still enjoy their holidays. Car rental companies provide tourists leasing services at the San Jose Airport. Renting a car at the airport is handy, hassle-free and cost-effective. This page explains how and where to rent a car in San Jose airport, the essentials for leasing a vehicle, cost and types of car.
You will also learn about what defines which car to choose, car rental insurance breakdown, other costs and vital things to know about renting a car in Costa Rica.
Where to Hire a Vehicle in the Airport and Gains
The ideal place to rent a car if you didn’t book in advance online is to rent a car in San Jose airport on arrival. Many Costa Rica car rental companies have offices near the San Jose International airport and Libra airport.
The gains of renting a car at the airport are:
- Hiring a vehicle is accessible.
- The tourist will not be hiring a taxicab to reach their accommodation.
- You won’t waste the precious holiday period applying for a car after the vacation begins.
- Begin the holiday immediately.
- Take the automobile back to the office you picked it.
- Use the rental company’s bus to the airport to catch your flight back home.
One trusted car rental company you may try is Jumbo Car agency. Their office is situated at the Car Rental Airport Zone, less than 180 seconds away by vehicle from the Terminal.
Upon arrival, their courteous staff will meet you at Terminal Exit to walk you to their shuttle bus. The officials will simplify The Papers before putting your signature on the lease contract. After that, you may take the vehicle away.
Essentials for renting a car in Costa Rica
The leasing agencies demand a valid travel Visa, original passport and driver’s license issued in the tourist’s nation. If you are American, European or from Canada, your driver’s license is acceptable to them. After three months in that country, their law demanded that travelers obtain a Costa Rican driver’s permit.
The lowest age acceptable by car leasing operators for those hiring a vehicle is roughly 21 to 26 years. They will bill younger clients an additional $10 daily. Furthermore, the leasing operators rely on the size of insurance their clients pay when assessing the amount they should deposit. If they pay a large amount, their deposit will be small.
Tourists can hire a vehicle using their credit and debit cards and deposit about $300 to $3000. The leasing firm will return that amount to customers in 1 to 7 days when they receive the hired vehicle from customers.
Vehicle hiring fee and what determines which one to go for
A tourist who books a car in advance through a vehicle leasing website gets a better deal. Travelers can pick the vehicle they like from the fleet. The possibility of getting the car when they reach the tourist destination is higher.
In some months of the year, hiring a car is cheaper. The best time to get a good deal is from September to October after that period renting a car is pricey. The rate they charge depends on the pool of usable cars, insurance, and fees. If there are more holidaymakers and fewer vehicles, causing high competition, prices will shoot up. Estimates of the fee according to types of cars, season, and weekly below:
- A Sedan’s cost weekly at peak season is $599.99, and during the off-season, it is $299.99.
- A 4×2 cost weekly at peak season is $299.99, at a slow period, it is $199.99.
- 4×4 SUVs’ cost weekly at the peak time of year is $849.99, at the slow period, it is $649.99.
The places you drive the car determines the category of the car to hire. If the routes you travel are full of potholes or the inner city roads, then you should be leasing a 4×4 SUV.
How much to hire a car, Insurance breakdown and added charges
The quotation you see on the web might differ from the amount they charge you at your destination. Although they fail to add insurance to their quote, this compulsory bill may be up to $25 daily, raising the leasing charge payable on arrival. For example, most rental quotes don’t show liability and accident protection fees in their prices.
Liability insurance is compulsory protection for 3rd party vehicle owners on the road against accidents. Tourist pay between $11 to $25 daily.
Accident Protection safeguards the vehicle against theft and accidents. To evade this charge that may set you back up to $5 to $15 daily, tell your credit card issuer to email their insurance for you to the vehicle hiring firm.
Additional things to note about hiring a car include a fee is about $9.99 to $12.99 per day for another person to drive the vehicle. GPS and Google Maps can help you find local roads, and a Wi-Fi hotspot for connecting to the internet. Both may cost you up to $13 daily.
If you hire a mobile phone, the fee is up to $10 daily. Car baby seats are necessary if you have a 1-year-old child and cost up to $10 daily. Keep car papers intact or pay a fine if you lose them.