Cost of car hire in Ireland

I rented an Opel Corsa, a small car, at the Dublin Airport this past March through Enterprise and was subjected to a 500€ deposit. It wasn't really an issue for us, but if your resources are bit skinnier, I could see why it would be a concern.

I've rarely used a travel agency but I have never heard of them insisting on anything like this. You may want to consider severing ties with your agency if they're being unreasonable -- or at least communicate that this particular demand is making you consider it.

Are you taking their CDW insurance, or declining it and taking the risk yourself (or using some insurance you already have)? If you are declining their CDW, there is a risk you will damage the car and refuse to pay (block your credit card). It is normal if you refuse CDW to Put a block on your credit card.
Note most people will take CDW as they do not have any other way to insure the car.

Are you hiring this car in the republic or Northern Ireland?
I guess the republic if you are being quoted in Euros. A car registered in the Irish republic (with Irish Republic number plates) needs to be returned to that country before it can be rented out again. If you are returning in Northern Ireland I would expect a high one-way fee.

I have my own annual multi trip car hire insurance which costs about £40, I can pay a lot more than that on the rental agencies insurance fees on just one rental. As a consequence they take a large deposit from my credit card (never did when I used to use take them up on their insurance). I've never had any problems, the deposit has always been returned and I've saved myself quite a bit of money by having my own insurance.

Also, don't assume that rental prices are going to decrease the later you wait. Whilst prices are not super crazy as they are during the school holidays September is a very popular time to travel for those blessed with not being tied to school holidays.

I rented through https://www.autoeurope.com/ on the recommendation of a person on this forum. It was less expensive than my original rental. The car is through Hertz, has unlimited mileage, can be taken into northern Ireland, includes collision and no deductible. It does not include the airport surcharge and personal injury. My Chase platinum does cover car rental and I will have a letter stating so with me when I pick up the car.

Many travel agents use Auto Europe, and that company does require payment in advance. There's a deadline for cancellation and refund, probably 48 hours ahead. Car rental around bigger cities should offer plenty of options, but it's also possible for what you want to sell out, leaving you stuck with a more expensive model, or otherwise missing your preferred features.

I did extensive research on car rentals for our month long stay in Ireland. In the end I went with Auto Europe (who is a a broker) and booked with Alamo/Enterprise. Yes they do require payment up front, but you can cancel with no penalty up to 48 hours prior to pickup. They did not charge a separate fee to go from the Republic to Northern Ireland, which some companies do. I only took the basic CDW with a $1500 deductible which was to be a hold on our CC. We were fine with that. Car rentals in Ireland are expensive but I would not cut corners and go with a smaller company to save a few bucks. Most of the smaller companies I investigated had terrible customer service reviews and are notorious for nickel and dime-ing you for every little thing when you return the rental. I also would not wait to make a reservation— the price will almost surely go up and you may not get the features you want (like automatic transmission).

Hi folks and thanks very much for all the great advices re this issue - much appreciated!

It would appear that the AUTO EURO car broker/hirers may be the way to go!

I have sent them an email and they seem very keen and efficient so we'll chase that one up as a first choice I think!

We don't mind paying the bond or deposit as seems everybody "over there" does this. Strange as in Australia there is no such thing and a company would go out of business real fast if they tried the same thing here! Horses for courses I guess ......

Thanks again for suggestions and advice ..........................

We don't mind paying the bond or deposit as seems everybody "over there" does this.

Not quite, "everybody" pays for the CDW insurance. Having insurance which covers hire cars is not very normal. It is only tourists from outside Europe who seam to have that (JC is the exception - see above).

I just rented a car for ten days for $61 (a little less in euros). They added about 100 dollars in charges. 20 or 30 euro to pick up at the airport plus various taxes and fees. Total cost was about $175.

The car was the smallest manual transmission. Most Americans won't choose that option; probably why it's so inexpensive. The car was a KIA. I didn't like the gear layout or suspension. I'll likely never buy a KIA based on the experience. I've been driving mostly small Fiats and Peugeots. I like them both better but the Fiats don't get as good of gas mileage as most small cars.

They did put a charge on my credit card. It may have been 5,000 euro. I expected a charge but was taken aback by the size. I didn't care because it's the card I use primarily for renting cars and didn't need the available credit. They were prompt with crediting it back at the end.

You can get full coverage no deductible insurance from the rental company and they do not put a hold on your card. Otherwise, yes, everyone will put some type of large hold on your card. I have seen the same on Hertz rentals in the US as well. And make absolutely sure your credit card will insure rentals in Ireland if that is what you ae depending on for insurance coverage, many still do not.

This is a hold, not a purchase, and other than preventing you from spending that amount until it is released, does not cost you anything (no interest charges). The hold is release immediately after you return the car, provided there is no new damage on it found at that time. How soon that amount becomes available to spend again depends on your credit card company.

You can also save the return fee if you could find a way to return the car to the original location and maybe take a bus or train to the ferry.

I was tearing my hair out trying to find a car hire company that allowed you to pick up your car in Dublin and drop off in the apparently still much feared Belfast ....... only a couple will permit this, one of them being Hertz who have good rates and are very competitive but ................... they wanted the AUD4,000 credit card "block" on the car.

So, I got onto my local Aussie Herz guy, did a song and dance over it and lo and behold he comes up with "Oh, there's a Super Cover you can take out over there where you pay NO block fee and the extra weekly cost is around AUD80.00!"

Wow! Surprise surprise! Signed up on the spot for it .................

I checked all the other top 5 companies and none of them could match this so now I'm a happy little black duck!

All the usual CDW insurance is covered and I already have my own Excess Waiver coverage so a great deal overall!

It's not that anyone "fears" Belfast. It's that Dublin and Belfast are in different countries, so a car picked up in Dublin and returned in Belfast must itself be brought back from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland to be re-rented. That means a rental company employee has to drive the car back - and you pay for their time and effort.

And yes, it's common in the US that there is a hold on a credit card for both hotels and rental cars. Again, this is not a charge; it's just that you can't access that portion of your credit line until the hold is released. As you've found, if you buy more insurance, the hold amount is reduced or eliminated. A hold is a problem if you have a credit card with a low limit; otherwise, you won't notice it.