Panama is a beautiful place where you can find yourself close to nature. You can enjoy exploring the sea beaches or popular places like San Blas Islands, Boquete, or Bocas Del Toro Province where you can find amazing sea views that will become a unique memory of a lifetime for you.
There are many interesting places in Panama which is the main reason why travelers, explorers, and tourists come here from all around the world. So, if you are also one of the people who are visiting Panama for the first time in their life then making a plan before taking action will be the perfect exploration theory for you.
If you want to make sure that your traveling in Panama gives you the best exploration experience with complete comfort and freedom then booking your own vehicle should be the first thing in your travel plan.
Driving rules in Panama are very similar to those of other Latin American countries. You drive on the right and can use your home country license for 90 days as a tourist, although we recommend that you get the International Driving Permit.
What is a bit complicated is driving on roads, as they are not in very good condition, except for the toll road to Colon.
When you have your conveyance for traveling in Panama, then it will allow you to explore as many things as you wish without worrying about time and cost. Car rental companies will give you great help and your travel experience will become highly convenient for you.
Whether you want to rent a car at Pacifico or Tocumen Airport, or visit Panama City, Colon, David, La Chorrera, Santiago, or ride a road trip in Panama, we have created the Ranking of the Best Car Rental Companies in Panama in 2024 to help you choose your next car rental booking, which, by the way, you can do easily and at the best price on this website.
#1 – Thrifty (7.8/10) 🏆
Thrifty is a US-based car rental company. It was established in the year 1958 in Oklahoma City, OK 73126, United States. They have 472 locations in 77 countries all around the world that make their service better and highly accessible for their customers.
They offer easy and quick rental services that can give you the benefit of cost as well. Additionally, they maintain the best vehicle condition and follow the high standard of cleanliness of their vehicles to ensure that you get the best experience of your journey when you take their car on rent.
Thrifty has a friendly staff that is usually a great help to the customers when they find it hard to understand any part of the hiring process. The staff clarifies and explains all the necessary details to ensure that you understand everything properly. In rare cases, people face the issue of inconvenient drop-off locations, delays in the pick-up, and uncomfortable vehicles.
This company can offer you highly competitive prices that will benefit you in the finance of your travel plan. So no matter if you are visiting Panama for traveling or corporate purposes, this can always be the best choice for you because it is saving you cost without compromising your choices.
Thrifty customers rated:
- ⭐ Excellent cleanliness of the car
- ⭐ Excellent service at the rental desk
- ✔️ Quick pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ✔️ Good overall value for money
#2 – Budget (7.7/10) 🥈
BUDGET is an American car rental company. It was established in the year 1958 in Los Angeles, California, United States. With a huge network of 3,400 locations in 128 countries, they can provide consistent and efficient service to their customers all around the world.
When you are visiting Panama for the first time then it would be better to hire a car that can give you the best cost benefits as well. And Budget is a perfect car rental company choice for you if you are looking for competitive car rental costs with excellent services.
In some cases, customers have experienced the problems of pick-up and drop-off delays due to the long waitlist of cars lined up in the location. Most of the customers say that Budget staff members and customer support were excellent which made their car rental procedure more convenient.
When you feel that you need something that fits your general requirement and budget both then this can be the primary choice for you. You can get the best competitive prices of the car rental market with Budget. And most importantly, you can also get additional discounts on holidays and festive times.
Budget customers rated:
- ✔️ Very good cleanliness of the car
- ⭐ Excellent service at the rental desk
- ✔️ Quick pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ✔️ Very good overall value for money
#3 – Dollar (7.6/10) 🥉
Dollar is a US-based car rental company. It was established in the year 1965 in Los Angeles, California, United States. They have 570 locations. They have 9,700 corporate locations which include franchises with Hertz, and Thrifty as well.
They have their car rental service network in 61 countries around the globe. This is a professional car rental service that aims to satisfy their value-conscious and give them highly efficient car rental services that can fulfill all requirements of their customers.
Dollar rental service is popular for its clean and well-managed vehicles. In rare cases, customers find it hard to understand the toll pass system and other booking processes. But they have friendly and helpful staff that gives proper guidance and assistance to the customers whenever needed.
When you are visiting Panama alone or with your family for the first time then it would be great if you can enjoy your journey and travel freely in Panama without worrying about conveyance. Renting a car from Dollar will help you get the perfect traveling experience with every possible support that you might need in the process.
Dollar customers rated:
- ⭐Excellent cleanliness of the car
- ✔️ Good service at the rental desk
- ✔️ Quick pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ✔️ Good overall value for money
#4 – Mex Rent a Car (6.9/10) 🔝
Mex Rent a Car is a company founded in 1994 based in Mexico.
Mex Rent a Car offers its customers a wide network of service centers strategically located in the main cities, airports, tourist areas, and urban zones of Latin America, and of course, also in Panama.
Its company mission is to offer the best cars at the lowest price, having in its fleet recent models and a great variety of categories, from economy to SUVs and VANs; and its service is oriented to all types of customers, from tourists to executives on business trips and/or local customers.
Mex customers rated:
- ✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
- ✔️ Good service at the rental desk
- ⚠️ Slow pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ✔️ Good overall value for money
#5 – Enterprise / National (6.8/10) 🔝
Enterprise is an American car rental company. It was established in the year 1957 in Clayton, Missouri, United States. This company is known for its efficient services internationally. This company has 1.5 million vehicles in 85 countries to ensure smooth and convenient car rental services to its customers.
This rental company can be used for personal as well as business purposes. It has Flex-E-Rent service that allows customers to choose and customize vehicles to ensure that the vehicle meets their business requirements. Customers prefer this service mainly because they offer clean and best condition vehicles to their customers.
Also, their customers say that they have great customer service and friendly staff that helps them in the most efficient way. In some cases, people complain about the mismanagement of booking where they never picked up the vehicle but it was in picked up status. Sometimes rental cars are not available due to a huge number of requests lined up.
But in most cases, their customers are satisfied with the car rental services that can be used for both, personal and professional requirements. So, when you need to rent a car in Panama for the first time, this can be a perfect choice for you.
Enterprise / National customers rated:
- ✔️ Very good cleanliness of the car
- ✔️ Good service at the rental desk
- ✔️ Quick pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ✔️ Good overall value for money
#6 – Alamo (6.5/10) 🔝
Alamo is a US-based car rental company. It was established in the year 1974 in Clayton, Missouri. This company has its vehicle network in almost 70 countries across the globe. You can hire rental cars from Alamo for personal and business purposes.
Alamo mainly focuses on making traveling more convenient and the hiring process easier for their customers. So, you can expect to get the best car rental locations in most of the travel destinations of Panama and other countries as well.
Customers are usually satisfied with the clean, well-managed, and best condition rental vehicles of Alamo. They also get good mileage and quick drop-off locations which makes their journey even more convenient than it is. They have friendly and helpful staff that can assist you whenever needed.
In rare cases, people face delays in their orders due to the long line of the pick-up car in the locations. But that is not common so it is not exactly a matter of concern. So, if you are looking for a comfortable and easy-to-access car rental service then this can be the best option for you.
Alamo customers rated:
- ✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
- ✔️ Good service at the rental desk
- ✔️ Quick pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ✔️ Good overall value for money
#7 – Avis (6.3/10) 🔝
Founded in Detroit, USA, in 1946 by Warren Avis, this is one of the most recognized and prestigious car rental companies in the world. Today Avis has over 5000 offices in 165 countries.
Avis is the flagship brand of the Avis Budget Group, the world’s leading car rental company, which also owns other well-known brands such as Budget, Zipcar, Payless, and Maggiore.
A prestigious, multi-award-winning brand, Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental world and is one of the world’s leading customer loyalty brands, with a clear commitment to providing exceptional service and making its customers feel comfortable.
Avis is located in main Panama airports and in other some locations around Panama.
Avis customers rated:
- ✔️ Very good cleanliness of the car
- ✔️ Good service at the rental desk
- ✔️ Quick pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ✔️ Good overall value for money
#8 – SIXT (6.0/10) 🔝
Renting a car in Panama is necessary to enjoy the various attractions offered by this Central American isthmus. With a wide variety of vehicles in different categories, Sixt offers one of the most competitive car rental services in the country.
Sixt rent a car has several branches both in the capital city and in some of the main international airports in this nation.
Sixt rent a car is a company of international level; more than 4000 branches in the world guarantee it. Car rental in Panama is no exception, so they offer an excellent service, and a range of vehicles in different categories: economy, sedan, SUV, 4×4, luxury, premium, trucks, and vans.
SIXT customers rated:
- ✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
- ✔️ Acceptable service at the rental desk
- ⚠️ Slow pick-up process
- ⚠️ Slow drop-off process
- ✔️ Good overall value for money
#9 – Hertz / Firefly (5.3/10) 🔝
Hertz is an American car rental company. It was established in the year 1918 in Estero, Florida. With the extensive network of 10,200 locations in 150 countries, they can give you the best and consistent service that can give you a perfect traveling experience whenever you need it.
They offer a wide range of vehicles for you to browse before you make the rental booking. It helps you to book a vehicle that suits your requirements perfectly. You can book Hertz car rental for corporate and personal purposes at reasonable costs.
Most of the customers say that they are happy with comfortable and clean vehicles from Hertz car rental, however, there are quite a few complaints from customers about the care received at the counter. In their defense, we would like to say that we have also found some reviews that talk about friendly and efficient staff that makes the process even more beneficial and convenient for customers.
In rare cases, people experienced the unavailability of cars when they tried renting. That is usually due to lined-up requirements that fill up the quote of vehicle availability. But in most cases, customers can get their car rental process done without any problems and they get a perfect car rental experience as well.
Hertz customers rated:
- ✔️ Good cleanliness of the car
- ⚠️ Not too friendly service at the rental desk
- ✔️ Quick pick-up process
- ✔️ Quick drop-off process
- ⚠️ Medium overall value for money
Conclusion
Panama is a beautiful place where you can enjoy a lot of exploration. But, this is only possible when you rent a car from a professional company that can give you the best traveling assistance throughout your travel in Panama.
Thanks to your rental car in Panama, you can start your tour by visiting the three cities in one: the ruins of the original 16th-century city; the Casco Viejo with extraordinary samples of colonial architecture; and the great skyscrapers of the modern city.
A visit to the Panama Canal is a must, specifically to the Miraflores Visitors’ Center, where you will appreciate the passage of ships through the locks system. A road trip to Almirante, in front of the islands of Bocas del Toro, will allow you to admire beautiful coastal landscapes.
So, if you don’t want to compromise your traveling experience in Panama, it is necessary that you choose the best car rental company which can give you the best service as per your expectations. And it would be great if you can get the added benefit of cost worthiness and competitive prices with it. For that purpose, this list of best car rental companies in Panama will help you make the right choice and you would be able to enjoy your Panama tour without worrying about anything else!
We hope you liked this article. Now you can continue reading our article about the differences between Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Payless, Sixt, Thrifty, Dollar, Alamo, National, and more, or use our search engine below to book your car.