Renting a Car in San Juan: Excess, Deposit and What Gets Added at the Desk

The short answer. The price you see online is the start of the cost, not the end of it. Four things change what you pay at the desk: the excess you are liable for if the car is damaged, the deposit held on your card, the extras added to the rental, and the tolls. We give no figures for any of these, because they differ by company, by car and by date, and a number we quote can be wrong by the time you read it. What we can give you is the list of what to check.

Excess: the amount you pay if something goes wrong

The excess is the part of the damage cost that you pay yourself, even when the rental price includes some cover. In a standard rental the basic protection (often called CDW, collision damage waiver) limits your liability to that amount. It does not make the car free to crash.

Two points trip people up.

• CDW is not full cover. The name sounds like fully comprehensive insurance. It is not: it limits the cost of damage to the car, with an excess you still owe, and it often leaves out tyres, glass, the underside, the roof and the keys. What is excluded is in the terms, so read them rather than the marketing line.
• Reducing the excess costs extra. At the counter the rental company will offer to cut or remove the excess for a daily fee. A separate policy bought online, for example from a broker, can do a similar job for less, but you should check how it pays: some pay the excess at the desk, others reimburse you afterwards, and the second means you pay first and claim later.

Ask for the excess amount in writing for the exact car class you are booking, and ask what is excluded.

The deposit: not the price, and not refunded at once

When you collect the car, the company puts a deposit on your card. It is a hold, not a charge, and it is usually larger when you decline the company’s extra protection. Three things to check before you travel:

• Which card is accepted. Many desks require a credit card in the main driver’s name, and some do not take debit cards for the deposit or insist on extra checks. The name on the card must match the name on the booking.
• That the card has room. The hold reduces your available credit for the whole rental, and for some days after you return the car.
• When it is released. The company releases it after the return, but the time it takes to show on your statement depends on your bank.

Do not assume the answer. Look at the rental terms of the product you are booking, which state the amount and the card rules.

What gets added at the desk

• Additional driver. Anyone who will drive must be named on the contract, usually for a fee. Do not let a friend drive who is not named on the contract: it can void your cover.
• Young-driver fee. Many companies charge extra to drivers below a threshold age, and some set a minimum age. Look for it before you book rather than when you arrive.
• Fuel policy. Check whether the car comes full and must be returned full, or comes with a charge for the fuel. Returning a car emptier than the policy allows is charged at a premium.
• Child seats. If you are travelling with a small child, book the seat in advance. The wording in the booking, booster seat, child seat or infant carrier, tells you what the company supplies.
• Airport and location fees. An airport pickup can carry a surcharge. Compare the total, not the daily rate.

Tolls in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s motorways use AutoExpreso, an electronic toll system, and rental companies fit a tag to the car. They charge you for using it, and some of them charge a service fee on top. Ask three questions: whether the fee is a daily charge or applies only on the days you pass a toll, whether it is capped, and how the charges reach you after the trip. If you are on a short rental that stays in the city, the answers matter little; if you are driving across the island, they add up.

Checking the car before you drive away

Photograph the car on all sides, the wheels and the windscreen, and note every mark on the paperwork before you leave. Do the same at the return, in daylight if you can. It is the cheapest protection you will buy on this trip.

Our recommendation

Decide what you are paying for before you reach the counter. Read the excess and the deposit in the terms of your booking, decide how you will cover the excess, and ask the tolls question. Then compare the full price across companies: compare rental cars for San Juan and read the terms of the one you choose.

If you only need the car for a day, ask whether a tour is cheaper once you count all of this. The most-reviewed trip from San Juan is From San Juan: El Yunque Rainforest and Waterslide Tour, seven hours, €52.62 per person, 4.7 stars from 2,540 reviews, with no car, no deposit and no tolls.

Check dates for the El Yunque rainforest and waterslide tour

Skip the extras you do not need, but do not skip the excess question. For a longer trip, our guide to whether you need a car at all is the first thing to read.