Book Budget car rentals in San José

• What is/are the best pickup location(s) for booking budget car rentals in San Jose?

  There are two pickup locations you can consider once you book Budget car rentals in San Jose. The first pickup location is within Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), an ideal option if flying to San Jose. You can opt for the second pickup location at Paseo Colon.

• What are the different car rental benefits or amenities offered by budget car rentals in San Jose?

  Budget car rentals have several optional extras you can consider to make your vacation more comfortable. For instance, if you have a partial visual impairment, you can consider an additional driver. If traveling with kids, the child seats and boosters are available, while the GPS and navigation systems are important if it is your first trip to San Jose. Contact your pickup branch for confirmation, as some equipment may be limited.

• Where are the best places to Park Budget car rental in San Jose?

  Parking in downtown San Jose may be difficult as locals fill available street parking early in the morning. However, parking garages are a better option as they are safe, and almost always available. Of course, your hotel can offer complimentary parking, a more convenient option.

• What is the most popular rental car from Budget in San José?

  Medium rental cars (Class Intermediate SUV or similar) are the most frequently booked rental car types from Budget in San José.

• How many car rental locations does Budget have in San José?

  Budget has 2 rental locations in San José. Take a look at our Budget rental location map to find the best rental cars near you.

• Does Budget have a car rental location at the airport: Juan Santamaria Intl airport (SJO)?

  Yes

• Does Budget offer shuttle or airport pick-up services from Juan Santamaria Intl airport (SJO)?

  Yes

Reviews for Budget in San José

Recent reviews

Traveler rating

Wonderful

2

Very good

5

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0

Okay

0

Fair

0

Mediocre

0

Poor

7

8.0

I’ve read mixed reviews about car rentals in Costa Rica with some people having poor experiences, but that wasn’t my experience. I had a little trouble finding the shuttle at the airport and I didn’t like having to put a $3k deposit down to avoid adding 3rd party insurance, but otherwise things went smoothly. My car was clean and solid, and I didn’t have any delays or issues. Would rent again.Reviewed Mar 18 2026

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2.0

Bad. Reserved the car online. Paid for an Uber to get there. They didn't have the car or any car apparently for us to rent. They wouldn't check any of the other locations for a car. The guy was no help. Then we had to pay for another Uber to take us back to our hotel. Wasted time and money.Reviewed Feb 26 2026

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4.0

Forced to upgrade when we arrived 30 minutes early because apparently original car wasn’t ready yet. Had dents on all sides. Bought extra insurance from kayak/priceline from email soliciting it. Budget didn’t accept that and forced us to put a $3000 deposit or buy their insurance after we already bought insurance through the booking company. Very rude staff. Car was 4 time than quoted rate. Charged us $130 for 1/4 tank of gas. Terrible experience.Reviewed Feb 19 2026

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10.0

Easy process, shuttle to and from airport was easy and convenient.Reviewed Jan 10 2026

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2.0

Although it was advertised as in terminal, it really is not. Only thing they do at the terminal is checking the reservation and you are shuttled to other location. Waited 15 minutes for the shuttle. Also it's almost been a week and I still haven't got my deposit back.Reviewed Mar 25 2025

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2.0

Personnel at San Jose office was rude! He was upselling the car insurance which I told him isn’t necessary as we have coverage through Chase Sapphire Reserve which is the credit card I used to book reservations. He was unhappy that we declined the insurance and was very rude from then on. It was a real sad first impression of Costa Rica citizens.Reviewed Jun 11 2024

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4.0

Only real thing I liked was how close it was to the airport and there being a shuttle. Otherwise, the first challenge was the insurance up sale. I purchased insurance during booking but then still had to purchase more insurance upon arrival. The first car I rented had such a small engine we had to return it. Then the second SUV was quite dirty and we could not connect the phone to it and while figuring that out the battery died. So, on the spot they had to replace the battery. Grateful they did then but imagine if we had drove off into the 4 hours drive ahead of us without a new battery? Basically, super mediocre if not sub par service.Reviewed Jun 14 2023

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2.0

Be prepared to be taken advantage of. No matter if you have extremely good insurance through your credit card company these guys will try their absolute hardest to force the company insurance on you for an extra $40 a day. Windshield got cracked by a rock on the road and they took $1100 out of the $3000 deposit, $1100 to replace a windshield?? Get real. To top it all off they charged me $120 American to fill half the tank upon return. It’s standard practice with rental agencies to have an increased gas fee if they have to fill it upon return. But this is on a different level, not to mention I know this guy was just making up numbers in his head as I was able to haggle the price down to $120. He also insisted I pay him in USD with no explanation and eventually took payment in colones. Sketchy business practices at this establishment, beware.Reviewed Oct 30 2022

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