Tips for Car Rentals in Colombia

Calico cat rests on a white car in a quaint street in Salento, Colombia. People chat by colorful houses, trees and mountains in the background, under a cloudy sky.

Renting a car in Colombia is straightforward – there’s just one minor inconvenience: the paperwork can take up to 35 minutes. After a flight, that can feel long, but in our experience, the rental agents are universally warm and hospitable. Seriously, they’re all so nice!

So, how do you rent a car in Colombia?

In this article, you'll find all the nitty gritty details about the actual car rental process, as well as answers to your other questions:

Which car rental company should I choose?
Should I get car insurance on my international rental?
What should I know about driving in Colombia?
What's it like to rent a car in different cities? We cover Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, and small airports.

Documentation & Paperwork

Each driver must be physically present with their passport and driver’s license.
As U.S. license holders, we did not need an international driver’s license in Colombia, but many countries do recommend it. Check out our article on the quirks of international driver permits for more details.

Once you’ve navigated the paperwork, you have two main strategies for getting the most out of your Colombian car rental:

1. Mix Driving and Flying

Flights between Colombian cities are frequent and inexpensive, even at the last minute. One option is to rent a car to explore the surrounding areas of one destination, then return the car before flying to your next stop. This approach saves time on long journeys while still giving you the freedom to roam off the beaten path.

2. Opt for a One-Way Road Trip

If you love a good road trip, consider a one-way rental. Rates are often affordable, and you can drop off the car at another hub.

Example: We once drove from Bogotá to Villa de Leyva, then continued on Route 62 to Medellín. Check out our favorite itinerary to make this a high-value experience.

Which Car Rental Company Should I Choose?

Besides major international agencies (Enterprise, Budget, National, Avis, etc.), you’ll see many smaller companies with rock-bottom prices. We’ve had bad luck with some of these “cheapy” companies in the past because they:

Are inconveniently located and require extra steps like hard-to-find shuttle buses.
Offer lower-quality vehicles.
Have bad customer service.
Make it difficult to change your plans or report an issue.
Final price may be higher.

We’ve found it’s worth spending a little extra to book with a well-known rental agency, and we recommend booking directly on that agency’s website for maximum flexibility and customer service.

Car loaded with bananas on a highway in Colombia, set in hilly greenery under clear blue skies. A bright orange sign is visible beside the car. — He's barely moving. Everyone is flying. Look out!

In Colombia, we chose National Car Rental. We made several last-minute adjustments online, got great in-person customer service, and had no complaints about the vehicles. Interestingly, National in Colombia was priced on par with other big-name rentals (unlike in the U.S., where it can be more premium).

We’ve also heard good things about Localiza, a Colombian car rental agency. Whichever agency you choose, double-check their office location before arrival. Smaller agencies may be off-airport, so be aware if you’ll need a shuttle bus.

Should I Get Car Insurance on My Car Rental in Colombia?

There are several types of car insurance for rentals, but the two main categories are:

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): Covers damage to your rented vehicle.
Liability Coverage: Covers damage to other vehicles if you cause an accident.

Other coverages (like LDW for theft or windshield coverage) exist, but in Colombia we did not experience much upselling. In other countries, you might be offered every possible add-on. Use your judgment and assess your risk comfort level – we tend to be skeptical about extras like “premium roadside assistance.”

Credit Card Coverage

One reason I love the Chase Sapphire Reserve card (see all our thoughts on travel credit cards here) is that it provides rental car insurance through Assurant. Many other credit cards (Fidelity Visa, Amex Platinum, etc.) offer similar coverage, so check with your credit card for details.

Important: If you rely on credit card coverage, you must decline all insurance at the rental agency. Any insurance you purchase there may invalidate your credit card’s policy.
You may have to front the cost for damages, then be reimbursed by Assurant after the claim is processed. We decided we were willing to take that risk for a lower rental cost, and (knock on wood) we’ve never needed to file a car insurance claim.

Before our trip, we visited chasecardbenefits.com to request a “Letter of Coverage” about our auto insurance policy and brought it with us, just in case we needed to prove our coverage or reference our policy.

What to Know About Driving in Colombia

For a deeper dive into road conditions – including why driving at night is so heavily discouraged – check out our detailed driving in Colombia guide. You’ll also find tips for planning a stress-less road trip in this rugged but rewarding country.

Road Conditions & Overtaking

Steep, twisty routes are common.
Local drivers often overtake aggressively, sometimes on blind corners, or perform the dreaded “double overtake” using the shoulder to pass one car already passing another.

Choosing Your Driving Style

Drive leisurely and risk longer travel times if you get stuck behind slow vehicles.
Drive more aggressively, overtaking when it seems safe – but this demands greater caution and focus.

Even a 200–400 km drive can wear you out faster than you’d expect on straighter highways elsewhere. It’s not uncommon for Colombians or other travelers to warn that your road trip itinerary is overly ambitious.

Current Road Upgrades

There’s been massive investment in recent years, so many roads have improved, but Colombia is a big country split by three branches of the Andes, so there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Expect enormous potholes.
Be prepared to "share" the road with trucks and numerous motorcycles.
Watch out for the occasional cow crossing!
Geologically unstable mountain roads mean sudden drops in pavement
Mountain passes go abruptly from paved to single-car width dirt trails.

Tips for Renting a Car in Different Colombian Cities

Renting a Car in Bogotá

To rent a car in Bogotá:

From the International Arrivals hall, head to the far left. (If you’re coming from the city, enter the International Arrivals hall and turn right.)
You’ll see small booths for each major car rental agency. Talk to the agent, who will take your info and call for a shuttle.
The agent kindly walked me upstairs to the shuttle, which took me to an off-site parking lot where each rental agency has an office.

At the rental office, I handed over my passport, license, and credit card, discussed insurance (see above), and signed a lot of paperwork. I provided my first hotel’s address for my stay in Colombia.

Pico y Placa in Bogotá

We also discussed the vehicle’s pico y placa (license plate restriction). The agency didn’t have a vehicle with the “right” license plate numbers for my travel days, so I paid a small extra fee for a day pass to get out of pico y placa restrictions.

Bogotá is one of the only places in Colombia where you can pay your way out of these restrictions.

Finally, we inspected the car and checked the safety kit in the trunk. Every Colombian car is required to have tools, safety vests, and a small fire extinguisher.

This whole process took about 40 minutes, even though there was no line. The agents were extremely friendly, and I got to practice my Spanish. If you don’t speak Spanish, a translation app will come in handy!

To return the car in Bogotá, drop it off at the same rental parking lot; they’ll shuttle you back to the airport – much faster!

Renting a Car in Cartagena

After exiting past baggage claim, turn left to find a few outdoor car rental offices.

If you don’t see your specific agency, ask another agency for directions. Some have offices in a separate parking lot.

We easily found the National Car Rental booth just outside. The office was tiny, so only one person could fit inside. T stayed outside with AJ while I (E) did the paperwork, which was again voluminous but accompanied by excellent customer service.

They let me know about Cartagena’s pico y placa and which days I’d need to drive. We confirmed the license plate on my rental would work for those days.Then we walked to a nearby car rental lot to pick up our car – super easy, no extra shuttle needed!

To return the vehicle, we parked in roughly the same spot in the same lot and walked right into the airport.

Returning a Car in Pereira (or Other Small Airports)

When we rented our car in Bogotá, we did a one-way rental to Pereira to avoid backtracking on our road trip.

Since we were returning the car on a Sunday, the booking process noted we might be returning after-hours. The rental office said they’d send me instructions, but I never got an email. So, a few days before returning, I called the office and explained.

They confirmed my return time, which needed to be exact so someone could come in specifically to receive the car.
They sent a handy video showing exactly where to drop off the car at the airport. This was incredibly helpful!

On the day of return, we followed the instructions, and I went into the arrival hall to find the agent. She did a quick inspection, and we were all set.

Don’t let this or any of our other driving articles discourage you from renting a vehicle. It’s a great way to see the country. Just be prepared for some of the more challenging time behind the wheel than you may have previously experienced.

And check out flights! They’re really reasonable and great for letting you cover a lot of the country in a shorter time. We can’t recommend enough mixing the two.

Wanna Make That Roadtrip Even More Smooth? Click below to check out some curated picks for making life easier when traveling with (and without) small children.

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