Costa Rica Car Rental Insurance Information

Thanks, betunada! 🙂

Pura vida!

Hi Tom!

This is a tough question for us to answer! 🙂 Every traveler who rents a car in Costa Rica is faced with the same dilemma, and the way they lean is ultimately decided by the amount of risk they’re willing to take, a decision that only they can make.

Personally, we always opt for full insurance whenever we rent a car. It’s wildly expensive, and every time we rent a vehicle we groan about that, but we like the peace of mind that comes with having full coverage. If it helps any, I have 20+ years of driving experience, consider myself a safe and careful driver, and know most of Costa Rica’s roads like the back of my hand. Still, I opt for full coverage because there are things that can damage a vehicle or cause an accident that are out of my control. Also, in our experience, we’ve found car rental agencies to be more relaxed and willing to forego small issues (e.g., a small ding on the car body) when full coverage is purchased. When the least amount of possible insurance is purchased, that can (in our opinion) open the door to possible discrepancies, debates, and/or nonnegotiable extra charges when damage or an accident does occur, which we prefer to avoid—literally and figuratively—at all costs.

Pura vida!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Nikki Solano.