That’s why renting a car in Costa Rica is so different

This is one of the best countries in the world for a road trip, with cloud forests, volcanoes, and beaches all within a few hours’ drive of each other.

Renting a car in Costa Rica is, however, very different from anywhere else, and it comes with its own quirks, and one insurance trap in particular that catches out more travellers than anything else.

Here’s everything you need to know, from picking up your car to driving off with a fair deal.

Picking Up Your Car

Costa Rica has two main international airports: Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) near San José and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) in Liberia, north of the country.

At both of Costa Rica’s airports, rental companies are grouped together just outside the terminal; you’ll spot the desks for the on-site operators or walk out from the terminal, turn right, and you will be at the shuttle pickup point.

It looks a little chaotic the first time, but it’s genuinely straightforward. It’s just Central America,

I personally prefer the off-site operators; at least I am sure 100% they don’t charge any Airport Surcharge Fee, typically a one-off $40-50 (they usually do it once you are at the counter, when you don’t have any option but accepting)

Your Driver’s Licence and the IDP Question

If your home licence is written in Latin letters, English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and so on, it’s accepted in Costa Rica as it is. If it’s in a script that can’t be read here, Mandarin, Arabic, or similar, you’ll need an International Driving Permit organised before you arrive.

Under Costa Rican law, a foreign licence is valid for up to 90 days from your arrival date, as long as your tourist visa is still valid, plenty for most trips. Bring your passport along with your licence; you’ll need both at pickup.

The Mandatory Insurance Trap

This is the single biggest thing that will affect your budget, and it’s gotten worse in recent years because providers tend to play a lot with the level of car rental insurance needed in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican law requires a specific liability policy called Third Party Liability Insurance, or TPL, sometimes listed as PLI or LIA. It covers injury or damage you cause to other people or their property while driving.

Here’s the scam, one of the many in Costa Rica: rental websites often quote a very low daily price and simply leave TPL out of it. You only find out at the counter that it’s mandatory, and it can cost an extra $20 to $25 a day on top of what you thought you were paying.

It’s gotten trickier still. Some operators now do quote TPL upfront, but with a low coverage limit, sometimes as little as $10,000. At the counter, they’ll rightly point out that’s too low for real protection, and offer Supplementary Liability Insurance, or SLI, at another $20 to $25 a day, presented as though you have no choice.

Sometimes, you genuinely don’t; some operators won’t hand over the keys until you accept it.

One more thing worth knowing: neither your home insurance policy nor your credit card’s travel cover applies to TPL or SLI in Costa Rica; they simply aren’t accepted for this specific requirement.

The way to avoid getting cornered at the counter is simple. Confirm TPL is included in your quote before you arrive, check what the actual coverage limit is, and if it’s under $100,000, make sure SLI is already factored into the price you’re comparing.

Ask for a revised quote showing TPL, SLI, and the coverage limit together, in writing, before you book.

On top of this mandatory insurance, a few providers include CDW but with a very high excess, which means you will have to buy full insurance, which you can do it at the counter (expensive) or when booking (more info later).

How to Book Without Getting Burned

Costa Rica’s insurance rules make it genuinely hard to compare operators directly on their own websites; the information is often thin, which tends to be exactly where the counter surprises come from later.

I’d suggest using a comparison site that shows included insurance upfront rather than burying it in the fine print. For the last six years I’ve used DiscoverCars, which rates every operator from 5 to 10 stars based on real customer feedback, similar to how Airbnb rates places to stay.

Costa Rica’s rental market is tricky enough that I filter above 9 stars here specifically, well above what I’d use in most other destinations, since that alone rules out a lot of the worst counter surprises.

From there, I check that TPL sits above $100,000, or SLI is included. I make sure that Collision Damage Waiver is part of the deal, and finally add full insurance to cover the CDW excess/deductible, which typically runs $8 to $10 a day and is genuinely worth it for the peace of mind, also because it includes Roadside Assistance that is honestly mandatory in Costa Rica

Roads, petrol and directions

Road conditions are not the best; potholes are more common than not, and that’s reason number 1 I never suggest driving at night. Once you leave the main roads, things get even worse. 4WDs are a better option than 2WDs, but they cost more.

Fuel prices are fixed nationally, so there’s no point shopping around for a cheaper station; current prices sit around $5 a gallon, roughly €1.15 a litre.

And Waze remains the more useful navigation app in Costa Rica, since it’s crowd-sourced and flags bad roads, accidents, and diversions that Google Maps sometimes misses entirely.

There are plenty of road trips in Costa Rica. And to be honest, it’s hard to suggest one of the other. I love the north and the west coast; however, the Caribbean vibe of the east coast is just as beautiful. In this video, I am showing 3 of them

Choosing the Right Car

Costa Rica has every kind of road, well-paved highways between major destinations, and plenty of steep, unpaved side roads once you’re off the main routes. What you need depends on where you’re headed.

If you’re travelling in the green season, roughly May to November, when afternoon rain is a daily occurrence, and some roads get rougher, a 4WD is worth the extra cost. In the dry season, December to April, a 2WD is usually fine if you’re sticking to the main routes.

Speed Limits and Police Checks

Speed limits in town typically sit at 30 km/h, occasionally up to 50 km/h. On the open road, it’s generally 70 km/h, with a few main highway stretches allowing up to 90 km/h.

Police checkpoints are common, and Waze usually flags them if other drivers have marked one recently; oncoming cars flashing their lights are also a reliable local signal that one’s just ahead.

Locals drive noticeably calmly in Costa Rica, and speeding really isn’t worth the risk; between the checkpoints and the road conditions in places, sticking to the limit is simply the safer, more relaxed way to travel.

Petty Crime and Car Watchers

Petty theft can happen, usually when something valuable is left visible inside the car: a phone, a camera, anything spotted through the window. Store bags out of sight rather than leaving them on a visible seat.

In most towns you’ll find someone in a yellow vest offering to watch your car while you’re parked, for a dollar or two. It’s a small cost for real peace of mind, and it genuinely reduces the odds of a break-in.

Parking and the Yellow Line

Parking itself is usually easy to find. The one rule to never break: never park on a yellow line. If you do, police may tow the car or simply take the plates, leaving you to sort it out at a police station, filling out forms and paying a fine, a process that can eat up two or three days of your trip.

Photograph the Car Before You Drive Off

One more habit worth building in before you leave the lot: take plenty of photos of the car’s exterior, including the roof and the undercarriage, plus the interior. Do the same when you drop off the car and remember to include the dashboard for fuel level and kms driven. In this way you have before/after documentation.

This is your best defence against being charged for damage that was already there when you picked the car up, a well-known problem at Costa Rican rental counters.

Petrol Stations

Fuel prices are fixed nationally, so there’s no bargain to chase; just fill up wherever’s convenient. On your first stop, it’s worth checking your tyre pressure yourself rather than trusting the rental company did it, a small habit that makes the rest of the drive noticeably smoother.

Child Seats

If your child is under six, a car seat is mandatory, and between six and twelve, a booster seat is required. For a short one or two day rental, it makes sense to add one through the rental company directly.

For longer trips, it’s worth bringing your own. On a three-week trip, renting a booster seat at $4 to $5 a day adds up to close to $100, buying one before you travel can cost as little as $15 and covers the entire trip.

Watch for Unexpected Extra Fees

Beyond TPL and SLI, it’s worth asking upfront about any other counter fees. On one trip, a License Plate Fee, charged at 6% of the total rental cost, showed up unexpectedly at pickup. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s exactly the kind of add-on worth asking about before you sign anything.

A Stop Worth Building Into Your Route

One of the best things about having your own car here is stopping wherever looks interesting. Rainmaker Conservation Park, between Quepos and Uvita on the Pacific side, is a great example: a private reserve with hanging bridges through the forest canopy and natural waterfall swimming holes, and genuinely manageable for most fitness levels and ages.

Final Thoughts

Costa Rica’s roads and police checks haven’t changed much over the years, but the insurance side of renting a car here has become genuinely more complex. Filter for well-rated operators, confirm your TPL and SLI coverage before you arrive, and the rest of the trip really is as relaxed as pura vida suggests.