Car Rental in Costa Rica (2026) - Driving Guide & Best Rates
Explore Costa Rica's impressive beaches and perfect weather with reliable car rentals for freedom and safety on your tropical adventure.
Driving Requirements
LEGAL: A valid foreign driver's license is legally recognized for the duration of a tourist's authorized stay, typically up to 90 days. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is not a legal requirement. But is strongly recommended if your license is not in Spanish, as traffic officers may request a translation. Once your authorized entry period expires, your foreign license no longer grants legal driving privileges in Costa Rica.
LEGAL: The minimum legal driving age in Costa Rica is 18. RENTAL POLICY (varies by company): Most rental companies set their own floor at 21 or 25, and many apply a young-driver surcharge for renters under 25, confirm the exact age policy with your chosen company before booking, as it is not set by law.
LEGAL: All vehicles must carry Costa Rica's compulsory third-party liability insurance (seguro obligatorio), administered by the INS; rental cars include this by law. RENTAL POLICY (varies by company): Companies also offer Collision Damage Waiver and supplemental liability coverage, and some Costa Rica rental operators require you to purchase their own insurance plan rather than accepting credit-card travel insurance as a substitute, verify this before declining offered coverage, as the consequences of an uncovered incident can be significant.
RENTAL POLICY (varies by company): Nearly all rental companies require a major credit card, not a debit card, to place a security hold at pickup. The hold amount varies by company and vehicle class. Some companies will accept debit cards under stricter conditions or with a higher cash deposit. But this is the exception rather than the rule, confirm your card type is accepted when booking.
LEGAL: Costa Rica drives on the right-hand side, and right turns on red are not permitted unless a sign explicitly allows it. Seatbelts are mandatory for all occupants, handheld mobile phone use while driving is prohibited, and the blood-alcohol limit is lower than in many countries, treat it as zero for practical purposes. Rural and mountain roads are frequently unpaved, narrow, or prone to flooding. Renting a 4WD vehicle is strongly recommended (not legally required) if you plan to travel outside major highways.
Helpful Tips
Most rental companies at Juan Santamarían International Airport (SJO) operate from lots just off the terminal, so expect a short shuttle to the pickup area rather than a counter inside the arrivals hall, confirm the exact meeting point when booking, since procedures vary by company; city-center offices save on the typical airport surcharge but add complexity if you're arriving tired after a long flight.
Photograph or video every panel, bumper, and the undercarriage before driving away, because Costa Rica's unpaved mountain and river-crossing roads damage vehicles and disputes over pre-existing scratches are common. The mandatory basic liability coverage (SOA) is included in all rental rates by law. But most companies push additional CDW, check your credit card's rental benefit policy carefully, as some cards cover CDW in Costa Rica only if you decline the company's own plan.
Waze is widely used by local drivers and handles Costa Rica's frequently changing road conditions, flooded routes, and speed enforcement well. Download an offline map (Google Maps offline or Maps.me) as a backup, since cell coverage drops out in the Central Highlands and remote Pacific or Caribbean coastal roads, and Costa Rican addresses often use landmark-based descriptions rather than street numbers, which can confuse standard navigation apps.
Fuel prices in Costa Rica are government-regulated through RECOPE, so the pump price is identical at every station nationwide, confirm with your rental company whether your car takes regular gasoline ('gasolina regular') or diesel before you fill up. The full-to-full policy is standard across most companies, so refuel near the return location rather than accepting a pre-purchase option, which typically works out more expensive.
In urban centers and popular tourist towns, look for 'zona azul' marked parking spaces that require a prepaid ticket displayed on your dashboard. For overnight stays, use an attended guarded lot ('parkeo') rather than unlit street parking, as car break-ins targeting rental vehicles are a known risk in Costa Rica, your accommodation's front desk can usually point you to the nearest trustworthy option.
Driving Warnings
Turning right on red is illegal in Costa Rica, unlike in the United States and Canada, you must wait for a green light even when the intersection is clear, and police actively ticket visitors who assume the North American norm applies.
Route 27 (the San José, Caldera autopista) uses electronic tolling and has fixed speed-camera enforcement. Fines are issued to the registered vehicle, which means rental companies will charge them back to your credit card after you've left the country.
The General Cañas highway (Route 1) entering San José from the northwest experiences severe gridlock on weekday mornings roughly 7, 9 a.m. and again 4, 7 p.m., what looks like a 20-minute drive on a map can routinely take 90 minutes during peak hours.
During the rainy season (typically May through November), Route 2 through the Cerro de la Muerte highlands is prone to sudden dense fog, landslides, and washed-out shoulders; river-crossing roads in the Osa Peninsula and other rural areas can become impassable without warning after heavy afternoon rains.
Related Tours & Experiences
Skip the hassle with pre-booked transfers and tours
Didn't see anything interesting yet?
Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Costa Rica.
See All Costa Rica Tours on Viator