What type of insurance coverage do car rentals provide?
All of the car rental companies in Costa Rica have a mandatory insurance fee ranging from $12.00 to $25.00 daily depending on the vehicle and company. The mandatory insurance has coverage on collision, damage, waiver and 80% of the charges to third parties with a deductible of US $750.00 to $1500.00. A few credit card companies give you the option of waiving collision insurance; however these rarely cover rentals in Costa Rica or 4wd vehicles. Make sure you double check with your credit card company and vehicle rental agency if you are going to be able to waive the collision portion of the insurance. The liability portion cannot be waived. Some companies offer “extra “or “full” insurance coverage which costs an additional $10 to $25 per day. This covers the deductible and partial charges, plus full coverage for robbery of the vehicle. However like most insurance policies it is best to go over the fine print for exclusions and actual coverage.
