Car Rentals

We did a Dublin to Belfast driving trip a few years ago. Keep in mind that you will be visiting 2 different countries that measure speed differently. Kph in the Republic of Ireland. Mph in Northern Ireland. You most likely will incur a drop fee. I was able to get around that by asking if the Dublin rental center needed a car to go back to Northern Ireland. In doing so, you will most likely get whatever they have on hand that needs going back. We ended up with a Seat Arona which is a small SUV. It had high miles and was dented up but I didn't care. We used AutoEurpoe and paid for the full coverage. We only did a couple of stops in Dublin before we left town so I can't really speak about driving there. I don't recall the roads that we were on as being as narrow as the farm/country roads in Scotland.
When we arrived in Belfast, we parked at the hotel and did the hop-on hop-off bus for the day that we were there.
If you pay attention to your surroundings you should be fine.
Good luck!

Consider how much luggage you will be bringing, and if you plan to make stops along the way while you have luggage in the car, if so, you might want a sedan with a closed trunk vs. a small SUV with an open cargo area.

You will experience narrow roads both in cities and in the country, where you need to pull in side view mirrors when you pass oncoming traffic. In the country, the roads are often bordered with rock walls, and no shoulder.

We have rented cars in Ireland five times (so far) and only had one "problem", and that was with the gate getting out of the rental yard (it wasn't opened all the way and I was seriously jetlagged).

If we're traveling with four adults and carry-on luggage, we rent a "compact SUV". If we're just a couple, we rent the smallest available. If you have large luggage, something like a RAV4 might be appropriate, though pricey.

Brand-wise, I don't think there's a lot of difference. I usually look on a consolidator site (like Momondo.com), look at the prices and book directly on the company website. A lot of people here like Celtic Legend as a consolidator and I think they offer different insurance options than the actual brands, but I've never used them. Be prepared for a small scrum at the counter over insurance, glass/tire coverage, fees to drive into Northern Ireland, etc. You can expect your rate to almost double if you say yes to everything. If you decline any coverages, make sure to point out pre-existing defects before driving away (don't forget rims/tires). We always use our credit card insurance coverage, but if you do, make sure you can produce an email from the card people explaining that you're covered in Ireland.

We've gone straight to Belfast after a longhaul flight from the west coast, and parked the car just off the A12 on Grosvenor, which allowed us to walk to our hotel. Not sure what the "scenic route" is, but the main road is "freeway" and the carpark is two blocks from the exit - no Belfast confusion. If you're arriving from the US, try to get some sleep on the plane! There's a toll plaza near the border, so have a 2 Euro coin or credit card handy - I had a 2 Pound coin all ready and got in the cash lane - whoops.

There are small roads (with stone walls hidden behind shrubbery) everywhere. Read about how to properly use "passing places", always stay on your side of the road (don't think you're being polite by pulling into a wide spot on the wrong side of the road) and don't get in a queue of cars longer than the passing spots. If you get behind a tractor or cattle/sheep, just relax and enjoy the slow drive. I don't think I've ever had to pull in the mirrors, even when passing a jumbo tour bus on a single tract road. Just pull over as far as you can without scratching the car, and stop until it resolves. We have had to back up to find a wide spot. On a famously narrow road, like Slea Head in Dingle, just join a small pack of cars doing the same thing - safety in numbers.

I forgot to mention that car prices are very dynamic - we always rent 8-9 months ahead of time and the rate usually doubles by a month out.

Hi alddvm13,
We usually rent from Enterprise in Ireland. We've always received good service from them no matter which agency in Ireland we rent from (I think we've rented from 4 different Enterprise locations over the years.) My preference is a Renault Captur or Kadjar...however they are usually manuals (I prefer to drive a manual car even on the opposite side of the road.) One time we did get a Nissan Qashqai, which is like a small SUV. That was roomy.

We used Conn's Ireland for rental in 2024 and found them to be excellent. Picked up and dropped off at Dublin airport, with maximum insurance. No unexpected added fees, no surprises, requested and got an automatic.

Something else to consider, no matter who you rent from: If possible, try and choose a car that has decent visibility for the backseat passenger. You don't want anyone to miss out on the views.
Have a lovely trip!