Brown's Car Rental N.V.
Statia's original family-run rental fleet — keys handed over at the plane door since 1990.
Why Go
Landing on Statia without wheels means watching everyone else disappear toward The Quill while you scan an empty taxi rank. Brown's has been solving that problem for 35 years — Leonie Brown opened the doors in April 1990, and her daughter Debbie now runs the island's longest-serving rental outfit out of a small Oranjestad yard on Lolita Euson Road, a five-minute drive from F.D. Roosevelt Airport.
The Experience
This isn't a chrome counter at a global chain — it's a Statian family business where the person confirming your booking is often the same person meeting you on the tarmac apron. Reservations are done by email or through their website (they were one of the first rental companies on the island to run online booking), and pickup is refreshingly informal: give them your flight number and someone is waiting when you clear the tiny arrivals hall. Paperwork takes minutes, the vehicle is already fueled and cleaned, and you're on the two-lane road to Upper Town before the Winair turboprop has finished unloading bags. Returns are just as easy — drop the car at the airport, hand over the keys, walk to check-in. Fleet turns over regularly and is kept clean; most vehicles are late-model Japanese compacts, SUVs, vans and pickups built for narrow island roads.
What to Try
Ask for a small SUV or compact 4x4 if you plan to drive up to The Quill trailhead, Venus Bay, or the rutted track down to Zeelandia — the low-slung sedans handle Oranjestad and Lower Town fine but the island's dirt spurs eat suspensions. Divers hauling gear to Golden Rock or Scubaqua should ask about the mid-size SUV with a proper hatch, and if you're a family or a dive group of six-plus, book one of the 8- or 12-seater vans well in advance — they're the only way to move a full team plus BCs in one trip. Pickup trucks are the local workhorse and useful if you're bringing kit for hiking or a group camp.
Insider Tip
Book weeks ahead, not days. Statia's total rental fleet across all agencies is tiny (a few dozen vehicles island-wide), and NuStar terminal contractors, dive weeks, and government visits regularly wipe out availability with no warning. Rates start around US$45/day — cash payment (USD) is welcomed and sometimes gets a friendlier price than card. Also: fuel up at the single station in Oranjestad before it closes on Sunday afternoon, and don't rely on GPS on the north end — the roads to Boven and Venus Bay aren't well-mapped and Debbie's team will happily sketch you a route on paper.
The Practical Stuff
Address: 1 Lolita Euson Road, Oranjestad, St. Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands). Phone/WhatsApp: +599-318-2266. Website: brownscarrental.com. Free airport meet-and-greet at F.D. Roosevelt Airport (EUX) and airport drop-off included. Rates from US$45/day; discounts on weekly and monthly rentals. Valid home-country driver's license accepted (no international permit needed for stays under 6 months). Payment: cash USD or card. Office hours align with flight arrivals — after-hours pickups arranged by request.
Pair It With
- Aquarium - Dive Site Guide — One of Statia's signature shore-accessible dive sites — a rental car (or van for a full team) is the practical way to shuttle tanks and gear between your lodging and the entry point.
- Baby Beach Guide — A quiet, undeveloped stretch on the island's less-visited side; you'll want your own wheels since taxis rarely head out that way.
- Alvin V Courtar Park Guide — An easy in-town stop for a stretch after airport pickup, right on the way from Brown's yard into Upper Town.
- A Quiet Getaway - One-Bedroom Apartment Guide — A nearby self-catering base that pairs perfectly with a rental car — Brown's can drop the vehicle at the apartment on arrival.
