Vamos Rent-A-Car

What Vamos Rent-A-Car does

Vamos Rent-A-Car (legally Alquivam, doing business as Vamos) is an independently owned Costa Rican car rental company founded in December 2004 and headquartered in Alajuela near Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). It serves inbound international tourists—primarily from the United States, Canada, and more recently the United Kingdom—who need reliable vehicles for Costa Rica's challenging and poorly-signed road network. The fleet spans sedans, 4x2s, and multiple classes of 4WD SUVs (the Intermediate 4x4 being the most popular) from brands such as Toyota, Daihatsu, SsangYong, and Mitsubishi, and reached a peak of 288 vehicles in late 2018 with a projection toward roughly 320 by Q4 2019.

The business is direct-to-consumer, with bookings taken through its own mobile-first online reservation portal (reservations.vamosrentacar.com), toll-free and direct phone lines, text messaging, and live chat, supported by English-speaking staff and French-language versions of the site for European customers. Revenue mechanics rest on core daily and long-term vehicle rental fees, attached insurance/protection products (CDW and LDW waivers), and a suite of add-on services—cell phone rental with unlimited data ($5/day or $25/week), WazePhone GPS rental ($5/day), child car seats, roof racks, coolers, and additional-driver options. Premium SUV rates start at $51.99/day, and the company markets transparent, no-hidden-fee pricing backed by a price-match guarantee, seasonal promotions, loyalty discounts for returning clients, and group/wedding-party discounts.

Its technology footprint is light and largely third-party-enabled: the flagship differentiator is the WazePhone, a smartphone-based real-time navigation device powered by Google-owned Waze that provides crowd-sourced traffic, closure, and speed-trap data, doubles as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to four devices, and enables calls. Distribution advantages come from offices near both SJO and Liberia (LIR) international airports, two-way airport shuttles with meet-and-greet, and door-to-door vehicle delivery anywhere in the country. In April 2016 the Vamos brand was purchased by local competitor Poas Rent A Car; the two remain separate entities sharing a combined fleet, the corporate name was changed to Alquivam, and founder George Schwarzenbach stepped back as Alex Villalobos took over as Operations Manager.

Name

Vamos Rent-A-Car

Legal name

Alquivam

Website

https://vamosrentacar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vamos Rent-A-Car is a Costa Rican direct-to-consumer car rental company serving international tourists—mainly from the US, Canada, and UK—with maintained sedans and 4WD SUVs, transparent no-hidden-fee pricing, airport shuttles, door-to-door delivery, and add-on perks like WazePhone GPS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Car Rental Services

NAICS

Passenger Car Rental (532111), Consumer Goods Rental (5322)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Drive Car Rental (THADAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Long-Term Car Rental (Monthly/Extended Hire) (TLABAAAD)

Keywords

• Car rental services
• Vehicle leasing
• Airport car rental
• Tourist car hire
• Rental fleet management

Headquarters

HQ city

Alajuela

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Rental Fees: Core revenue from renting vehicles to tourists and travelers in Costa Rica on a daily or long-term basis. Fleet includes sedans, 4x2s, and 4WD SUVs (Intermediate 4x4 class most popular) from brands such as Toyota, Daihatsu, SsangYong, and Mitsubishi. Pricing is transparent with no hidden fees.
2. Insurance and Protection Products: Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) products offered as add-ons. These waivers may have exclusions for tires, windshields, glass, mirrors, and undercarriage.
3. Add-on Services and Perks: Cell phone rental with unlimited data plan ($5/day or $25/week), WazePhone GPS rental ($5/day), roof racks, coolers, child car seats, and additional driver options provided as add-on fees.
4. Long-Term Leasing: Special rates for long-term vehicle rentals, targeting extended-stay travelers.
5. Loyalty and Group Discounts: Loyalty discounts for returning customers and group/wedding party discounts, providing recurring revenue from repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vamos Rent-A-Car is an independently owned Costa Rican car rental company that rents sedans, 4x2s, and 4WD SUVs (predominantly Toyota and other well-known brands) to international tourists from offices near San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR) International Airports. The service includes free perks such as cell phones, extra drivers, coolers, and roof racks, plus complimentary WazePhone GPS navigation and two-way airport shuttle service, with no hidden fees and a transmission guarantee.

Product overview

Vamos Rent-A-Car operates as an independently owned car rental company offering affordable vehicle rentals across Costa Rica since 2004. The core offering is a car rental service providing various vehicle categories (sedans, 4x2s, 4WD SUVs) from well-known brands such as Toyota, with locations near San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR) International Airports. The product portfolio is structured as a core rental service supplemented by add-on modules including the WazePhone GPS navigation device, cell phone rental, child car seats, airport shuttle service, door-to-door delivery, and special programs for loyalty customers, wedding groups, and long-term renters. The company emphasizes no hidden fees and includes free perks (cell phone, extra driver, cooler, roof racks) with rentals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Car Rental Services Costa Rica car rental service offering sedans, 4x2s, and 4WD SUVs (including the popular Intermediate 4x4 category) from brands such as Toyota, Daihatsu, SsangYong, and Mitsubishi. Vehicles are new or meticulously maintained pre-owned, with free perks like cell phones, extra drivers, coolers, and roof racks. Operates from San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR) International Airport locations for international tourists.
• WazePhone GPS Navigation Rental Real-time GPS navigation device powered by Waze (Google-owned), providing crowd-sourced traffic updates, accident reports, road closures, and speed trap alerts. Functions as a smartphone with call capability and as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to four devices. Offered as a rental add-on for $5 per day with optional unlimited data plan.
• Cell Phone Rental Provided cell phone with unlimited outbound calls throughout Costa Rica and unlimited inbound international/domestic calls. Optional unlimited data plan available for $5/day or $25/week. Phone numbers can be issued within 72 hours of scheduled arrival.
• Child Car Seats Child car seating rental service available for families traveling with young children, with options for different age groups and sizes.
• Airport Shuttle Service Two-way airport shuttle service for customers arriving at San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR) International Airports, with meet-and-greet service included.
• Door-to-Door Delivery Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Tied for the most positive reviews of any rental car agency in Costa Rica on TripAdvisor

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Poas Rent A CarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2016In April 2016, Poas Rent A Car officially purchased the Vamos brand. The two companies remain separate entities, share a combined fleet of 131 vehicles (growing to 248 by Q1 2018 and 288 by Q4 2018), and the Manuel Antonio office was closed until further notice following the transfer. The corporate name was changed to Alquivam after the acquisition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hertz Costa Rica: Global rental incumbent with substantial Costa Rica airport presence, broad fleet selection, and loyalty program reach that overlap with Vamos's airport-based offering.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Costa Rica): Largest global rental brand with established Costa Rica operations, leveraging scale, corporate accounts, and broad fleet access that compete with Vamos for tourist and replacement-rental customers.
• Sixt Rent A Car (Costa Rica): European-headquartered rental brand expanding rapidly into Latin America with airport locations in Costa Rica, targeting premium and tech-forward leisure customers.
• Budget Rent a Car Costa Rica: Global rental chain operating across Costa Rica's airports with brand-recognition and corporate travel partnerships that compete for the premium segments Vamos also targets.
• Alamo Rent A Car (Costa Rica): International leisure-focused rental brand with Costa Rica airport operations serving self-drive tourists in the same customer segment as Vamos.

Direct peers

• Adobe Rent a Car: Costa Rica-focused independent car rental brand operating at both SJO and LIR airports with transparent pricing and free perks - the closest head-to-head comparable to Vamos's positioning in the local market.
• Poas Rent A Car: Sister brand under the same parent ownership (acquired the Vamos brand in 2016); shares a combined fleet and overlapping offices, making it both a partner and the most directly comparable local competitor.
• Payless Car Rental: Value-positioned international rental brand with Costa Rica operations targeting price-sensitive leisure travelers in the same self-drive airport-rental category as Vamos.
• Economy Rent a Car (Costa Rica): Independent Costa Rica car rental brand competing directly with Vamos on budget-tier daily rentals to international tourists arriving at SJO and LIR.

Regional players

• Tropical Cars Rentals: Costa Rica-based independent rental operator with similar tourism-customer focus and 4WD SUV offerings, comparable in scale and local-market positioning to Vamos.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VamosRentACar
• Xx.com/VamosRentACar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vamos Rent-A-Car