AUTO EUROPE COSTA RICA Car Rental Reviews

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by MATTHEW - 01 April 2025

" Nothing specific to add "

" Everything was good with Amigo, I had no problems, the pick up was easy and efficient as was the drop off and the shuttle to the airport from the drop off was all good. The only less good point was the car was quite old, not totally clean and covered in a lot of dents and scratches, but ultimately this wasn't a big problem "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 5

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JOHN - 31 March 2025

" We use Europcar a lot, it is my prepared car hire company but this was not an acceptable vehicle for the price paid. The service at the centre was very good. "

" The quality of the vehicle was not up to standard / acceptable. If we hadn't completed all the paperwork and very tired after a long flight I would have argued about changing it. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 4

LIBERIA, CR - Reviewed by MARK - 11 January 2025

" All round good value and pleasant staff. "

" Friendly staff and very efficient. Answered phone on arrival in country when we were late. Very accommodating and helpful. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JONATHAN - 11 November 2023

" hard sell of insurance spoilt an otherwise good experience and decent car for a good price "

" on collection was put under a lot of pressure to buy extra insurance, and on declining, the attitude of the staff changed dramatically.. are they on commission to sell this because thats what it felt like. drop off was fine, car inspected immediately in y presence and signed off as ok.. very reasssuring "

Value for Money: 4
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 9
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 6

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by DUNCAN - 24 April 2023

" very nice people to deal with and would rent from them again "

" very nice people to deal with and would rent from them again "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by ROGER - 07 March 2023

" Auto Europe, as always, offered the cheapest quote for an SUV with the best company in Costa Rica. Auto Europe are the only company I ever use for car rental wherever I travel to. "

" EasyCar are owned by Adobe Car Rental in Costa Rica. There are no hidden charges with this Company, unlike many other rental companies in Costa Rica. The SUV we rented had ony 7,500 kilometres on the clock and was in perfect condition. Service was excellent from pick up at San Jose Airport to the no hassle return of the vehicle and shuttle return to the airport. Highly recommended "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by GILLIAN - 03 December 2022

" The check in experience was appalling . Other uk travellers had the same experience whilst we were there . They were trying to upgrade and sell further insurance for their own financial benefit "

" The experience on arrival was appalling. The girl tried to sell me more insurance and called me negligent . She insisted we should upgrade to a 4x4 which doubled the price . My husband is 78 years old and this made him very anxious. I am the driver and have driven worldwide . I had already checked out the route and we had organised to use the coast road both there and back . In reality the journey was fine and there was no need for a 4 x 4 . I was very cross that my husband was put through this anxiety caused by the check in lady . I will never use europecar again although I am very happy with auto Europe . "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 4

LIBERIA, CR - Reviewed by ANDREW - 09 August 2022

" Car was amazing and so were the staff. No problems what so ever. Happy to use them again "

" Car was amazing and so were the staff. No problems what so ever. Happy to use them again "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by CHRISTOPHER - 13 June 2022

" I always use AutoEurope whenever I rent a car. I find the comparisons between companies and prices easy to understand, I find the prices are generally better than I can find elsewhere, and I find the information on fees/costs/insurances are set out clearly so there's never any hidden surprises. Thanks :) "

" Costa Rent provided the best price for the class of vehicle I was looking for. The information was clear, and there were no hidden costs which is great. The car was a little old (120,000km) and was showing its age when I drove it, but this was reflected in the price and everything still worked without any issues. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 7

LIBERIA, CR - Reviewed by LAWRENCE - 13 October 2021

" Simple and competetive. "

" Pick up of good vehicle was great although drop off was difficult even having washed and filled car there was still some marks that came of by finger on the drivers side that took an inordinate amount of time to complete and sense to prevail. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 6
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by DAVID - 12 November 2020

" Overall I was very happy. My car was scratched by a shopping trolley (I believe) which I reported and my additional insurance meant I didn't have to pay anything. "

" My only negative is that there was some confusion around our zero deductible. The contract wording implies that even with the zero deductible we were liable for certain damage or accident. The lady who spoke English at pick up was very, very nice and helpful and tried her best to pacify my concern and even added her own description as an addition to the wording. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

FLAMINGO BEACH, CR - Reviewed by JOHN - 26 March 2020

" Very Good "

" Very Good "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 9
Expediency of Drop-off: 9
Condition of the Vehicle: 4

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by NICHOLAS - 25 February 2020

" I have used Auto Europe for many years and have been very pleased with the service. "

" The provider was Costa Rent a Car, changed from Europcar. The vehicle was booked for collection at 5pm, but was not ready until 7pm. Even though I booked an automatic the car originally given to us was manual and we had to request the change. The condition of the vehicle was acceptable but not cleaned to the usual standard I would expect. "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 7
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 7

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by PETER - 17 February 2020

" Excellent "

" Very slick operation in Costa Rica!! "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 9

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by PAUL - 17 February 2020

" Amazing service very efficient "

" Amazing service very efficient "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by TERENCE - 07 February 2020

" Auto Europe "Support" were contacted. Denied any liability quoting irrelevant clause in Terms & Conditions & despite further emails have refused to consider the matter further. Myself & my wife have received no apology or received any comments showing any appreciation of the worry & stress that Auto Europe's failure caused us. "

" Thrifty refused to supply the car. They would not accept my paper licence which is; 1) A legal document in the UK 2) An acceptable document in Costa Rica 3) Was acceptable by 4 other car rental firms at San Jose airport. 4) Was accepted by Dollar with whom we had to hire an alternative car 5) fully complies with Auto Europe terms & conditions who therefore were in breach of contract & will be fully liable for all extra costs incurred "

Value for Money: 1
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1
Expediency of Drop-off: 1
Condition of the Vehicle: 1

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by DEREK - 03 February 2020

" I have used Auto Europe for many years, in particular when travelling to the US where I am a regular visitor. In fact I am travelling there again this coming November and had intended to use Auto Europe as I always do. Whilst I realise the failings of Costa Car are beyond your control, perhaps Auto Europe should have been more diligent in checking that Costa Car were competent and reliable. "

" Firstly, my rental was originally with Europcar but about a month prior to my holiday I received an email from yourselves telling me my rental company was now Costa Car. When I phoned your company to query what this meant, no-one I spoke to seemed quite sure but I was told that Costa Car had taken over Europcar in Costa Rica. On arrival I stayed overnight in a hotel near the airport and telephoned Costa Car the next morning to ascertain where their office was in order to pick up the car. I was told that they had no record of my booking!!! Which was very worrying as I had paid £1200 for this rental. Fortunately the office was only 5 minutes walk from the hotel and on attending there my booking was eventually found. When renting the vehicle I was informed that it was going to be a Toyota Rav 4 or similar. What I actually got was a Ssangyong Korando which was a rather poor performing vehicle. I also paid $58 for a full tank of petrol. However, when I later filled it up myself I found that my initial 'full tank' was not full at all and there was another section on the fuel gauge which would have indicated a full tank. After driving the car for a week, it would not start. Fortunately I had arrived at my accommodation so I was not stuck in the middle of nowhere. I phoned the rental company and was told they would phone back in 10 minutes - they didn't. However, the car had now decided to start. I told the person at the reception at our accommodation that when the rental company phoned to let them know that the car was now working. However, he later told me that the company never phoned at all. Next day, just by sheer chance, I was at our accommodation at lunchtime when I was told by reception that the mechanic was here to look at my car. I had received no communication from the company either by phone or email to let me know that he would be attending. This was now 24 hours after I first reported the problem. After checking the vehicle the mechanic could initially find nothing wrong. However, on one final check, the car again wouldn't start. He then traced the problem to a switch beneath the clutch pedal which needs to be depressed before the car would start. It would seem that the clutch was not always making contact with this switch. After he made some adjustment I had no more problems. In all, my dealings with Costa Car were very unsatisfactory. "

Value for Money: 3
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 3
Expediency of Drop-off: 3
Condition of the Vehicle: 2

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by MARGARET - 31 December 2019

" on the whole all went well though there were problems with the GPS that I paid extra for. I did mention this to the staff at drop off but it did not seem to warrant any action on their part "

" The GPS I paid extra for was not up to date and let us down on two separate days "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 9
Expediency of Drop-off: 7
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by GAVIN - 28 November 2019

" Very helpful. I needed to make use of the Auto Europe insurance as I scratched the car, both Thrifty and Auto Europe made it extremely easy to do. "

" Very helpful and friendly. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by GARY TROY - 21 September 2019

" Thoroughly satisfied "

" Thoroughly satisfied and would rent again "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

LIBERIA, CR - Reviewed by LAWRENCE - 18 September 2019

" Vehicle and staff good but increase in rental cost for same period at slow green season. "

" Very good in the main at Liberia although the rental price appears to have doubled "

Value for Money: 5
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

LIBERIA, CR - Reviewed by ALAN - 12 September 2019

" The whole process was quick, painless, and efficient, just what was required. Just a shame about the vehicle presentation. - Thanks "

" The car was bought to us, the only black car in a compound of white vehicles, Black in a hot country made it more than painful to get in after a couple of hours in the 30 degree heat. .On inspection there was no major damage and it was clean, but the car was covered in scrapes, scratches and minor dents, not really to the high quality standard I have been treated to in the UK, The vehicle came across as "the loaner". That said the efficiency, professionalism friendliness of the pickup service and the counter staff was without fault. In all we spent a total of 15 minutes at the office and our luggage was already loaded for us to leave the compound "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 5

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JOHANNA - 30 July 2019

" On this occasion, not a positive one "

" We had requested and paid for a 4x4 vehicle in advance. We were given a 2-wheel drive car. When we queried this, the agent first tried to pretend that the car was 4x4 (which was dishonest) then when we pushed, told us that we couldnt have a 4x4 as he didnt have one. Very unsatisfactory as this meant we couldn't do the trip that we had planned to do. "

Value for Money: 2
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 5
Expediency of Drop-off: 7
Condition of the Vehicle: 1

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JOSEPH - 09 July 2019

" Staff member was very rude behind the desk, and told us that he only had a manual car available. We ordered an automatic, but when we told him this he said "why don't you just make your lives easier and take the manual". He said if we wanted an automatic then we would probably have to wait an hour or two. This isn't acceptable as we booked an automatic for an agreed time. I took the manual car as we couldn't wait for hours. The car was not in a good condition, with holes on the front and rear bumper. The 4x4 also had issues, and would not switch off without turning the engine off. "

" Staff member was very rude behind the desk, and told us that he only had a manual car available. We ordered an automatic, but when we told him this he said "why don't you just make your lives easier and take the manual". He said if we wanted an automatic then we would probably have to wait an hour or two. This isn't acceptable as we booked an automatic for an agreed time. I took the manual car as we couldn't wait for hours. The car was not in a good condition, with holes on the front and rear bumper. The 4x4 also had issues, and would not switch off without turning the engine off. "

Value for Money: 4
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1
Expediency of Drop-off: 3
Condition of the Vehicle: 3

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JAMES - 12 May 2019

" Trouble free motoring "

" Picking car up at counter desk a bit slow due to queues of other rental customers "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JEREMY - 31 March 2019

" Happy but I could not get my phone to work to call from the airport to get the transfer to the Europcar office. In fact Europcar had a rep at the airport so this was not necessary - that would have been good to know in advance as we wasted time and were a bit stressed at the airport unnecessarily. "

" The car provided had a slipping clutch which failed on a steep hill, fortunately very close to where we were staying. Europcar replaced it on the same day they were informed, within about 5 hours, which I think excellent. The best measure is the service provided when something goes wrong. "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 4

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by NOGA - 13 March 2019

" I love using autoeurope for their great prices and service. I've had to activate my full insurance bought through them before and got prompt service and my money back as promised. "

" The car wasn't in the best condition, pretty old and rattled a lot. The roads in Costa Rica are pretty rough and unpaved, so that's understandable to some extent, but it was definitely and older car. I would not expect this level and upkeep of a car from a company such as Europcar - it's the level I would expect from a cheaper local company! Moreover, the tire changing equipment was COMPLETELY USELESS both the Jack and the wrench were fit for a small sedan and not for the 4X4 that we had. This is completely unacceptable! We had to stop some locals who graciously let us use their equipment. "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 5

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by GONCALO - 06 March 2019

" It was good "

" Staff very friendly. It was very quick "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 9

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JAKUB - 24 February 2019

" I was very happy with the service "

" A fantastic team in San Jose "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by PHILIP - 19 February 2019

" Very good. Comfortable vehicle "

" Was good "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by FREDERICK - 20 January 2019

" See above "

" We were very disappointed with the wifi system as it stopped working within half an hour of collection and needed to be fully charged overnight to be used again but still didn't hold its charge.on return we were still charged a daily charge even though we had hardly used it. "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 9

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JAMES - 17 January 2019

" Seamless process. Good value. "

" The overall process was smooth and the car was ideal for what we needed. The pick up process was a bit long winded, but I think most things are after a 12 hour flight. Drop off was seamless and we had a quick transfer to the airport. Car was in great condition internally, and ok externally. Just a few dents / scratches. Just be vigilent at pick up to make sure they're all noted down. "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 7
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 7

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by ARKADIUSZ - 12 January 2019

" Over all experience was great, no unnecessary email exchange, also nice advice about additional insurance which we didn't have to accept on site was helpful as they did offer as fantastic additional option :) than you "

" Experience was OK, we are not Americans so using this type of car was efficient enough... Only that story with insurance sticker? Why wasn't put on windscreen when we left? "

Value for Money: 9
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by DAVID - 23 December 2018

" Very complicated with levels of cover. "

" Pushing of extras and deliberate scare mongering. Not having breakdowns included. Reluctant to provide information on nearby fuel stations. "

Value for Money: 5
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 3
Expediency of Drop-off: 8
Condition of the Vehicle: 8

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by HEATHER - 05 November 2018

" As above, we expect a refund for the no worry invalid insurance "

" Despite having paid extra for insurance with autoeurope, thrifty said that the additional cover was not valid in Costa Rica so we had to pay an additional $170 for cover we thought we already had. I expect autoeurope to refund the extra paid for the invalid insurance "

Value for Money: 8
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by JONATHAN - 30 October 2018

" Personnel all very good Very fair handling of deposit Take your own kids car seats and sat nav to save a fortune "

" Very good car hire, Very open about premier inspection and immediate post hire inspection and unblocking of credit card deposit. Only issue was that there's several adobe hire premises in San Jose and there needs to be better guidance which one to come back to.. we and another client the same time ended up 15km away at their maintenance depot and then had to rush in traffic to the right site making us very late for our flight home "

Value for Money: 10
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by ANDREI - 14 May 2018

" Overall quite good "

" Thrifty were very fast and helpful in getting things ready for us to have the car. The only tjing that was a bit frustrating was the fact that the ae cover that i initially paid was almost useless in costa rica. I paid an extra 200 pounds for a full thrifty cover to ease my mind. "

Value for Money: 7
Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10
Expediency of Drop-off: 10
Condition of the Vehicle: 10

QUEPOS, CR - Reviewed by TIMOTHY - 21 June 2015

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by ANNE - 17 April 2015

" Quick and efficient "

" Quick, efficient helpful "

LIBERIA, CR - Reviewed by PHILIP - 04 April 2015

" Very good "

" Extremely good staff and support "

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by PETER - 05 January 2015

" Booking the vehicle took too long, queuing and paper work.Happy with vehicle and return. "

" Booking the vehicle took too long, queuing and paper work "

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by PHILIP - 12 August 2014

" Seemed all to go really well "

" Great car, good service, and provided as they said there are no further costs it was a really good experience "

SAN JOSE, CR - Reviewed by LYNZI - 26 May 2013

" Very easy to book and got a very good deal "

" They were friendly great car didn't try and sell me any more insurance "