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Car hire Ireland

Hi everyone thanks for previous comments
We are travelling in from Australia to Dublin and looking at car hire
Can you advise of your recommendations for hire
I’ve noticed they are quite expensive
We are looking at picking up car upon arrival in Dublin and leaving for the countryside
So return will have to be at the at another location in Dublin as we are staying for 3 nights in Dublin at the end and don’t require a car
Do you require an international licence ? Thanks for feedback
Thanks x

Posted by
7942 posts

For our September 2019 trip, we landed at the Dublin airport and immediately took a bus (coach) to Galway for 2 nights. From there, we rented from Enterprise, drove clockwise up around Ireland and Northern Ireland, and turned the car in at an Enterprise office away from the Dublin airport, saving the airport drop-off fee. We finished with several nights in Dublin. Your itinerary might be different, but Enterprise worked very well for us on that trip.

While Americans aren’t currently required to have an International Driving Permit in Ireland, your AAA (which sells IDP’s for $42 AUD) says on its Website that a driver with an Australian license. needs an IDP, but I believe that’s not true. You should confirm with an official source.

Posted by
6713 posts

If your flight into DUB leaves you jetlagged or sleep-deprived, it's not safe to drive that day. Aircoach serves various destinations in Ireland direct from the airport, much easier and safer than driving, so you can pick up the car the next day after a night's sleep. You could still return the car in or near Dublin.

Auto Europe is a good place to explore rental car options, and you can rent through them as well.

Posted by
1588 posts

We've rented twice from Conns Ireland, https://www.connsirelandcarrental.com/. Both times we picked up at the Dublin, South Circular Road location and dropped off at the airport location. There was no drop off fee. I would imagine you could do the reverse and there wouldn't be a fee. Just be aware that Conns includes all of the collision damage insurance in their quote. Coming from Australia you may not feel the need for that kind of insurance since you're used to driving "on the wrong side" and I don't know if you can get it waived.