Insurance
Rental insurance and additional costs in the Costa Rica Car Rental Industry
Many travelers abroad fear renting a car in a foreign country - primarily because of the "horror stories" that can be read on travel forums. The language differences paint a bleak picture of possible translation fiascos, but dealing with the paperwork, reading the “fine print,” and international legal requirements seems daunting.
Should I choose a local or multinational car rental company?
Many customers believe that the major international car rental companies have offices in Costa Rica and offer US/Canadian/European rental conditions. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Costa Rica. They are licensees of the brand name and otherwise operate entirely independently of the parent company.
This is where the confusion of many car rental companies starts: Each company offers rental vehicles with different insurance combinations. Either only the statutory minimum liability (US$ 20,000!), the statutory minimum liability with the voluntary liability insurance (US$ 4,500,000), or both types of liability insurance and fully comprehensive insurance.
Both, coverage amounts and deductibles vary from company to company and have a wide range of variations.
Depending on the car rental company, the deductibles range from US$0 to 20% of the total damage amount. Most car rental companies deliberately confuse insurance options, which is an excellent opportunity to generate additional income.
In addition, when renting, additional insurance options are often charged against damage to the underbody, roof, glass, tires, rims, interior, etc., which were not mentioned at first glance.
Maybe you are standing at the counter and everything about the insurance costs and the rental fee is correct, the nice man at the counter then fills out a few lines with numbers.
License plate fee
I.V.A VAT
Airport fee
Final cleaning fee
All of these fees are not illegal and may be billed! But perhaps these were not shown in your offer. In particular, broker agency websites play with these costs.
You will find the note in tiny print: Local taxes and fees can be collected from the local car rental company. So be careful if the price seems too good tu be true.
Costa Rican rental vehicle insurance is clearly explained
- Statutory liability insurance for personal injuries *. The sum insured here is a maximum of 20,000 US dollars. This is collected annually, together with the vehicle tax. This only covers hospital costs in the accident hospital. Due to the low coverage amount, this compulsory insurance is not sufficient.
* About 60% of all registered vehicles (even trucks) have only legal liability insurance with coverage of $20,000 for personal injury. If there is material damage to your rental car, the person who caused the accident is not obliged to pay for this damage. Even if you are apparently not at fault for an accident, you are liable for it with your deductible. For this reason, we recommend our affordable full insurance without any co-payment.
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Additional voluntary liability insurance for property damage and personal injury. This can be taken out with the state insurance company (INS) and large private insurance companies. It is important to note that personal injuries and medical treatment costs are 100% covered. In the event of material damage to someone else's property, this amount is limited to 80% of the damage. We have chosen the highest coverage amount for our vehicles. Depending on the exchange rate, the liability amount for a single event is approximately US$ 4,500,000.
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Fully comprehensive insurance for the rental vehicle. This insurance covers damage to the body, theft, vandalism, rollovers, rear-end collisions, collisions, and parking accidents. Here, too, the insurer reimburses only 80% of the damage amount.
Wild Rider doesn't play along with this confusion. We offer you precisely two insurance options:
The statutory minimum liability, as well as the additional voluntary liability insurance plus fully comprehensive insurance
- WITH a deductible of $700 (for compact vehicles) or $900 (for family vehicles).
- WITHOUT a deductible or Cero deductible for a fee of $7/day (for compact vehicles) or $9/day (for family vehicles).
Individual insurance components cannot be deselected.
So easy! There is no hidden “extra insurance” when you come to us to have your vehicle delivered. Our website discloses all prices, and our binding offer is rock solid.
The following are insured with both insurance options (WITH or WITHOUT deductible):
• Theft
• Collision
• Fire
• Water damage (no river crossings)
• Rollover
• Rear-end collision
• Got off the road
• Damage to the subfloor
• Damage to doors or locks due to break-ins
• Damage to the roof
• Windows and Windscreen
• Vandalism
• Scratches from bushes
• Damage from falling coconut bunch
• Parking accidents
• Roadside assistance (without deductible)
• Towing costs (without deductible)
• Vehicle exchange due to technical problems (without deductible)
The following are not insured:
• Damage to tires
• Accidents/damage while driving on the beach
• Accidents/damage when crossing rivers (puddles and streams up to 30 cm deep MAXIMUM permitted)
• Unlawful/excessive speed accidents
• Driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other narcotic substances.
• Gearbox damage when driving with all-wheel drive permanently switched on and at speeds of more than 40 km/h
• Damage when riding on trails without a street name or street number.
• Replacing the battery or jump starting due to the lights being on after the vehicle has been parked.
• Filling the vehicle with the wrong fuel
• Lost vehicle documents
• Lost vehicle keys
• Surfboards or kayaks on the roof rack
• Unauthorized drivers
• Traffic tickets
Insurance with your credit card
Various gold and platinum credit cards offer insurance for rental cars. ** These cards can be used to reduce the vehicle's comprehensive insurance. (Reduction between US$ 3 and US$ 6 per rental day) In this case, the length of insurance coverage must be checked (usually a maximum of 30 days). In addition, it is important to check whether Costa Rica's 4x4 vehicles and unpaved roads are insured. If you want to take advantage of this type of insurance, the contract must be sent to us in advance as a PDF for review. Please inform us when you input the rental request.
** The insurance only applies if the vehicle rental is paid in full using the relevant credit card.
To exclude our comprehensive insurance at the time of pickup, customers must provide a written statement from the credit card company confirming the credit card's coverage for the rental. The written statement must be on company letterhead and contain the following information:
• The document must have been issued 30 days before the collection date.
• Confirm the comprehensive coverage (LDW) for the destination Costa Rica.
• Indicate the amount covered.
• Contain the last four digits of the credit card number.
• Confirm the rental period dates or number of rental days covered.
• Confirm that 4 x 4 cars on unpaved roads are covered.
No digital versions or copies will be accepted. In addition to the rental price of the vehicle, a rental deposit of $2,500 must be paid at the time of rental if our fully comprehensive insurance is to be excluded.
Many travel insurance companies offer insurance for your own contribution when renting a car. Please clarify this option with your insurance company.
If you would like to delve deeper into the insurance conditions and insurance offers from rental car companies, we recommend this excellently researched article in the TripAdvisor Travel Forum in English.