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Car Rental Dublin, Drop off in UK?

Hello fellow travelers,

We are planning a month-long trip to Ireland/Scotland/N. England next Spring, planning fly into Dublin and depart from an airport in the north of England or Scotland.

I consulted AutoEurope regarding renting a car at Dublin Airport, with a drop off in Edinburgh. I received the notification that "international one-ways are not permitted from Ireland to the United Kingdom."

I looked for pick up and drop off in Belfast through AutoEurope and didn't see Belfast as an option for pickup or drop off within the United Kingdom.

Any guidance or suggestions you can offer on our plans to arrive in Ireland and depart from the UK while renting a car for our month of travel are much appreciated. Thank you!

Posted by
589 posts

If you want to pickup and drop off in Belfast, try the UK AutoEurope website. Autoeurope.co.uk. Select Northern Ireland as the country, and it shows all the AutoEurope options in NI, including Belfast. Be aware some rental companies charge a surcharge for going between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Posted by
10190 posts

You should drop your car in Ireland or Northern Ireland, take a ferry or a flight, and pick up a second car in England or Scotland.

Posted by
486 posts

Another possible constraint is whether the car rental company allows their cars on ferries. I don't know about between Ireland and England but it is not allowed in certain other parts of Europe.

Posted by
2980 posts

As Katheryne said, look at the autoeurope.co.uk website and ensure that you're clicking on the "all locations" option. I know there's a Hertz concession at the George Best City airport just north of the city. Maybe could collect one there on your way out of town since you'll neither need nor want one if you're staying in Belfast city itself.
You can't take the rental car on the ferry, so you'll have to drop in Belfast and pick up another one upon arrival in Edinburgh. For info, we did a rental from Edinburgh down to Southampton in June and the one-way drop charge wasn't too bad.

Posted by
8050 posts

As others are saying, a one way is just either not possible like you want to do, or if they allowed, would be horrendously expensive.

I would break your trip into segments, renting a car for Ireland, maybe a second for Northern Ireland if needed, and then a third for Scotland/Northern England.

Figure you will not want a car for the major cities, so you can spend time without a car to enjoy cities, then rent for the days you need them.