Hertz rental car- Ireland and Northern Ireland

If you wish to drive your vehicle into the UK, including Northern Ireland, your rental will be subject to a cross border fee of € 30.00. This fee will be waived for Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members booking via Hertz direct websites.
https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/#extras

My Hertz Gold membership was free, and it's the way to get the best rates on their rental cars. My old Gold card gets the lowest rates available.

Yes, you can drive in both Irelands. We had a diesel SUV that got about 50 mpg, and it did well. We found the roads in SW Ireland to be pretty narrow, crooked and tough to drive on. There were often ditches on each side of the roadway and often there were hedges right up on the road--that scratched the car. And of course you're driving on the left side of the road.

Ireland (along with Italy) are places where renters have to purchase collision and comprehensive insurance from the rental company--by law. Italy's insurance is reasonable. Your credit card car insurance is usually N/A in Ireland. I've seen some instances in Ireland where the rental company's insurance is not priced well. So when you make rental reservations, you really need to check with different rental car companies for the total price of the rental. I also recommend AutoEurope to rent cars from. The internet is a great place to compare prices too.

We didn’t face any fee for driving into Northern Ireland, but we rented from Enterprise, and yes, this was in September/October 2018. Maybe that’s changed overall, and maybe Hertz is just different from other companies.

We’ve relied on the insurance coverage provided by our Visa card, but for our most recent trip (Spring 2023, just Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland, and renting from Dollar, not Hertz or Enterprise), needed to bring that proof of coverage in writing, because some Visa cards had stopped coverage in Ireland. Calling the customer service number on the back of your credit card can confirm what coverage, if any, it provides. If you buy the insurance the rental company sells, how much risk are you willing to accept? Windshield glass insurance too, or just collision coverage? If you go with credit card coverage and damage occurs, get lots of documentation for filing your claim. We had to do that for a recent Norway trip.

The $30 fee for N. Ireland is called a "recovery fee". You pay it if you admit you're going into the North. If you fail to mention it, or change your plans mid-trip, and you have a breakdown, you will pay to have the car returned to the Republic, so $30 is one of the least onerous fees the rental companies extract.

We rented from Dollar/Hertz last Spring, and we used our credit card insurance, and they charged an additional $7/day for that option. Frustrating!

I have a Hertz Gold membership and will only use Hertz as I’ve had some problems with others. I also have insurance via American Express when using that CC for the rental. I’ll verify coverage before I depart.

Can anyone confirm drivers license requirements?

Thanks for your reply.

DT

Checklist for Driving in Ireland:
- Valid U.S., Canadian, or EU driver's license (required)
- Passport (required, if your driver's license does not have a photo)
- International driver's permit (optional for U.S., Canadian and EU drivers, required for others)
- Vehicle registration document (V5)(required)
- A contract from the rental car company or a letter from the registered owner giving you permission to drive, if the car is not registered in your name (required)
- Proof of third-party insurance (required)
- First aid kit and visibility vest (recommended)

No IDP required.
Remember that the signage changes from kilometers to miles once you cross into NI.
Do ensure that the rental car company knows that you'll be taking the vehicle across the border to ensure that there are no issues with your insurance cover.
You'll save yourself a lot of aggravation by booking thru autoeurope and opting for their zero deductible insurance option.

You might want to look at Conn's Ireland(USA), who book you through Hertz & offer a very transparent system including insurance coverage.