Car Rental in Ireland

Irish Roads | The Law | Signs & Signals | Fuel | Car Rental

Should you book your car hire before you arrive in Ireland? Absolutely yes. There are few if any discounts available at the airport or ferry port and many available online if you know where to look.

Where to Rent a Car

Our favourite car rental company by far is Dan Dooley Car Rentals.

Why? Because they are an Irish owned, Irish based company who really know both the market and the roads. And because they offer a really great service.

You will never get to talk to Mr Avis or Mr Hertz but Mr Dooley is at work in that company every day - right there on the spot. That's worth a lot.

They are keenly priced anyway, but if you, enter the word 'dochara' into the promotion code box on their site, you will get a discount.

Any of these are also reliable companies to look at for car rental in Ireland. The links bring you to more information about them rather than to their sites.

We have additional information on saving money on car rental in Ireland in our Save! section.

If you will be in Europe for more than 17 days, and visiting coutries additional to Ireland, please check this out!

Tips for Car Rental in Ireland

Car Types

Compared to those in the USA cars on the road in Ireland tend to be smaller, both in physical size and in engine size. This is a good thing as petrol is not cheap.

Almost all rental cars in Ireland come with manual transmission [stick shift]. If you want an automatic you will definitely need to book in advance as there is very little chance of getting one at the last minute. Bear in mind that cars with automatic transmission use quite a bit more fuel - with fuel prices about 3 times those in the USA, this is not a trivial matter.

You will pay more for a car with automatic transmission, often as much as 50% more. As auto is generally only available on larger and more expensive models you may also be forced to upgrade.

Another situation where early booking is strongly advised is if you are travelling in a larger group and need an SUV or people carrier, or any vehicle which will take more than 5 people. These are rarely available at the last minute.

Most, but not all, rental cars will have air conditioning - check before renting if this is important to you. You may be surprised to hear it, but Summer in Ireland is usually warm enough to make air conditioning very desirable!

If you are spending time in Dublin, do not under any circumstances rent a car for this period of time!

Driving in Dublin is hell, parking is scarce and expensive, car theft is common and it would really be cheaper and much more pleasant to use either public transport or taxis, or even to walk.

Insurance Cover

By law all car rental companies in Ireland must include Third Party Liability Insurance, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and theft insurance in the quote they provide to you.

Third Party Liability Insurance is mandatory in Ireland and you must accept this insurance.

You can refuse the CDW and the theft insurance and this will reduce the cost of your hire - remember they are included in your quote, you must specifically ask for them to be excluded.

Should You Refuse CDW?

Collision Damage Waiver releases the client from full financial responsibility for the vehicle in case of an accident.

In most cases, the client will still be responsible for a deductible of some sort. Most car rental suppliers will offer insurance locally which can reduce the collision and theft deductible.

Many sources will tell you that CDW is not required, that you are already covered by your own car insurance or through your credit card company.

Please, please check this with your insurance company before you travel. More importantly, check with your Credit Card provider as some credit cards do not offer coverage for car rentals in Ireland. This is especially likely if the card is issued outside the USA.

If the value of the car you are renting exceeds the value of the vehicle on your normal car insurance policy, you are probably only covered up to the lower amount. Most insurance companies will increase your coverage temporarily for a small fee, check this before you travel.

That said, CDW is optional and you do have the right to refuse it and doing so will save you money - provided nothing goes wrong. If you do not wish to purchase CDW at the time of pick up you will be asked to sign your initials on the "Decline CDW" box on the Rental Agreement.

If any of the following apply you definitely need CDW:

The value of the rental car is over $50,000
You are renting an off road or 4x4 vehicle, a motorcycle, a full sized van or a camper van

Should you refuse Theft Insurance?

Theft insurance releases the client from full financial responsibility for the vehicle in case of theft of the car or any parts of the car. It does not cover belonging you carry or leave in the car.

While you can also refuse theft insurance we would highly recommend that you accept it - theft of rental cars in Ireland is not uncommon and the amout you pay is quite small.

Can You Drive in Northern Ireland & the UK?

Generally cars rented in the Republic of Ireland can be driven without additional charges in Northern Ireland. While you can also take your car to mainland UK there will be a surcharge for this and you must mention it at the time of pick-up.

Who Can Rent a Car in Ireland?

You must be over 21 and under 75 to rent a car. A surcharge is applied for drivers between 21 and 23 or 70 and 75.

All those who will drive the car must have held a full driver's license for at least 12 months. If your license was issued in the EU, the USA, Australia or Canada you do not need any additional documentation. Those holding licenses issued elsewhere will need an International Driving Permit and must produce this along with their original license at time of pick-up

There are many scam sites on the Internet purporting to sell International Driver's Licenses - so beware! There is in fact no such thing, the legal document you need is called an International Driving Permit. Check here or with the authorities in your own country before you travel, since there are generally only one or two places authorised to issue International Driving Permits.

Your Comments

Please note: To prevent spam all comments are moderated. Promotional or advertising comments will not be published. If you want to ask a question or start a discussion rather than post a comment, please so so in the forum. Thank you!

Posted by: paul rawlins
31 Jul 2007, 04:52
Check out www.motorental.ie.
as you will see its now possible to rent new motorcycles in ireland.

Posted by: cristina
15 Sep 2007, 18:57
can I rent a car if I don't have a credit card?please say yes, I am disperate!!!I have money and bank count but not a credit card...
thank you

Posted by: Jessica
30 Apr 2008, 12:47
Very USEFULL!! thanks!

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