Nikki Solano

Hi Laura!

I’m so sorry you felt on the spot at the rental counter! That’s always an uncomfortable feeling—when you’re forced into taking something. With respect to the $5000 rental deposit you gave, I can confirm that this is common practice since you opted to decline part mandatory insurance. When a Costa Rica car rental agency allows drivers to decline part insurance, the refundable deposit required to rent the vehicle increases significantly, often upwards of $4000-$5000 USD. In addition, since you mentioned that you always opt to decline all insurances, I should point out that there’s one part of mandatory insurance that’s required to be purchased in Costa Rica, so that’s likely the insurance you were charged. In case you’re interested in learning more about the two parts of mandatory insurance in Costa Rica (one that’s required to be purchased in Costa Rica and the other can be purchased from home) and how your decision to add or decline insurance can affect the rental deposit amount and other things, don’t miss our blog post Costa Rica Car Rental Insurance Information.

Hey lisa!

It isn’t required to have a 4×4 SUV to drive between Arenal and the RIU Guanacaste because the roads are paved. You may prefer to have one if you decide to explore away from the resort’s grounds, but if you’re just making the drive direct, it isn’t necessary to have a 4×4. If you decide to upgrade to an SUV, I’d do that as soon as you make that decision. If you wait until you pick up the vehicle, there may not be an SUV available, and if there is, you’ll have to pay whatever price the rental agency gives you at that time for it. With respect to gas, the current rate is about $1.15 per liter. You can pay in cash or by credit card. Cash tends to be best, to avoid extra fees charged by your credit card provider for out-of-country purchases or purchases made in foreign currencies.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hey Lauren!

Thanks so much for checking in about the legitimacy of this! I can confirm that it’s common practice and not a scam. When a Costa Rica car rental agency (whether it be the one we recommend or a different agency) allows drivers to decline part insurance, the refundable deposit required to rent the vehicle increases significantly, often upwards of $4000-$5000 USD. With respect to the rental rate increase, this is also common practice because (as stated on our promo code page) our rental promo code/discount—which reduces the car rental rate—only applies to car rentals that include both parts of mandatory insurance. (The promo code/discount does not apply to rentals where part of the mandatory insurance has been declined.) So, in your chat with the rental agency representative, when you requested to decline part of the mandatory insurance to use your credit card insurance instead, that act nullified the promotion code/discount. (That’s why the rental price shot up by around 50%, because our promo code/discount is equal to roughly 50%.) In moving forward, if you decide to add both parts of the mandatory insurance back into the quote from the car rental agency, the promotion code/discount would apply once again and the car rental rate would drop by the 50% again. 🙂 In case you’re interested in learning more about rental car insurance and how your decision to add or decline insurances can affect the rental deposit amount and other things, don’t miss our blog post Costa Rica Car Rental Insurance Information.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Erika!

Oh my goodness—what an ordeal! I’m so sorry that was your experience here. I’ve never heard of a company instructing drivers to leave a car parked by the departure gate. That area is a high-traffic area and parking is not permitted except for quick stops (usually by taxi and shuttle drivers) to drop passengers and their luggage off at the airport. In our experience, whenever a vehicle needs to be left at the airport (for example, when travelers need to catch an early-morning flight prior to the opening of the car rental agency’s office), drivers are instructed to park the vehicle in the airport parking lot with the keys in the glovebox and the doors locked. The rental agency then picks up the vehicle from the parking lot using their spare set of keys. I’m surprised the rental agency you used didn’t suggest that! 🙁

Pura vida!

Hey Seth!

No problem! We don’t mention them in the article above in order to keep the article generic and not swaying in any one agency’s direction, but I’m happy to point you to a different article on our blog where we share the name of the agency we use. Please see this article: This Is The Costa Rica Car Rental Agency We Rent Through.

Pura vida! 🙂