Greetings community.
Then I will indicate an information that can be very useful if you or someone you know wants to rent a car at the Tocumen airport in Panama City.
First of all, I would like to clarify that this information I give you is first hand, since I work in one of the airport leases and the ones I will share today is precisely to help you avoid surprises when you make your reservations online.
The first thing you should know when making your reservations is that the prices you see on the internet DO NOT INCLUDE VEHICLE INSURANCE. This is very important, because although you are used to rent in the United States for example and only pay the $ 2 per day that you indicate on the web (for example), then in Panama and many other countries in Latin America is not like that.
Once that point is clarified, as a first recommendation I indicate that if you come to Panama DO NOT BUY ANY INSURANCE ON THE INTERNET THAT OFFERS YOU THE PAGE WHERE YOU ARE MAKING THE RESERVATION. The reason is that these insurances, even if they are international, will not cover you here in Panama, for this reason, if you want to rent the car you must take the local insurance and ask for the refund of the one you bought online.
Every day I hear this 'My credit card has insurance for a vehicle' ... Very well you can take that option, but for that you must take into account 2 things:
1- By Panamanian law, the only insurance that can not be declined is that of third party damages (SLI), therefore you must take this insurance compulsorily.
2- You will be asked for a much larger security deposit if you wish to decline insurance (in the case of the lessor where I work, the amount is between $ 1,500 and $ 5,000).
Each company has its precious both in rental value and in insurance, so the best recommendation is that after making your reservation, call directly the offices in Panama of the leasing company that you selected. Important, call the Panama office to get the final price, do not call the Call Center of the website or the brand in the United States. They may not have accurate information and give you a wrong price.
This very pending of the information that they give him in the WEB where he is making the reservation, mainly with the model of the vehicle that he selected. Look carefully that always says the name of the vehicle and put the phrase "OR SIMILAR", that means it can be the model that you put in the photo or another that is of the same category. For example, if you chose a car from the ECONOMIC category, you could see the image of a TOYOTA YARIS and when you arrive here you can get a KIA PICANTO.
In Panama there are two highways that surround the city and it is the fastest way to get from one extreme to the other. If you use any GPS, it is safest to send it through the CORREDOR SUR (one of the highways), these highways have tolls.
This system of tolls is usually prepaid, some lessors charge you when you return the car or you put an unlimited pass. It does not apply in all and in that modality you will always get a surcharge.
By last. If you want to rent in Panama, you can find me in the first counter on the right side of ACE RENT A CAR. We are 24 hours and can make your reservations through the website or whatsapp +507 6623-6097
I hope the information has served you well and that you can have a better planning of your vacation when visiting Panama.
Soon I will be uploading more information about this country of tourist interest and business.
See you soon.