Rental Car Services

Day trips to Higuey or Macao are easiest with a PUJ rental car

Split across Terminals A and B, the rental counters sit in the arrivals halls and operate 24/7, so you can land on a 02:00 flight and still pick up keys. This setup fits repeat visitors or anyone planning drives out to Miches, Bayahibe, Santo Domingo, or smaller towns beyond the resort zone. Driving around Punta Cana itself feels manageable if you’re assertive and already used to Latin American traffic patterns.

Most brands at Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) show tempting base rates online, but the final bill changes once mandatory third-party liability insurance gets added on top of the daily price. That fee can almost double a headline rate that looked cheap on an aggregator. FlyerTalk and TripAdvisor regulars say they book major brands through big comparison sites, then print both the voucher and their credit card’s CDW coverage letter before arriving at Terminal A or B.

Rental Car Services at PUJ run 24/7, but staffing doesn’t; several Reddit reports mention 30–60 minute waits at the counters when two or three widebodies land together. If you arrive on an afternoon bank of North American flights, build in at least an hour before you expect to drive out. Late-night arrivals often move faster because there are fewer planes, but you might have only one agent covering multiple reservations.

Vehicle inspections at PUJ get granular: Reddit and TripAdvisor posts describe agents circling every panel and sometimes flagging tiny dings on return. Regulars respond by filming a slow 360° video at pickup, plus close-ups of wheels, bumpers, and the windshield, and snapping the odometer and fuel gauge. On drop-off they ask for a signed damage form and a note that the tank reads full to preempt “missing fuel” charges.

Outside the main Punta Cana boulevard, road signage thins out fast, especially on routes toward Higuey or Bayahibe, and mobile data can glitch between towns. FlyerTalk users download offline maps for the La Altagracia and Santo Domingo regions before leaving home and save key points like Macao Beach, the toll road entrance, and their resort. Some regulars return the car the afternoon before a dawn departure and take a taxi in the morning to avoid driving poorly lit roads at 04:00.

One last tip: at pickup, confirm in writing the fuel policy, included insurance, and estimated total in USD or DOP, then keep the contract and final receipt until your credit card statement closes.