Need advice on rental car and CDW insurance in the Republic and Northern Ireland

Maybe someone else has better advice. As I reread this, it's not even good advice. In short, good luck with the insurance. I think you'll have to pay for the rental car coverage. That's what happened to me.

I took a letter from my airline credit card company confirming that the card would cover losses - as per the card agreement. The rental car company (we booked through National, but Enterprise is the vendor there) still required that I buy insurance from them. National's rep even stepped in, sending an email saying that the card's coverage would work for them, to no avail. So, as I say, we ate the cost of the additional insurance.

Then, after we got dinged in a parking lot (the driver left without a note), we STILL had to pay another chunk of change since when we turned the car in. According the the Enterprise rep, the damage was not enough for their insurance to kick in. (It was still a couple of hundred Euros...)

The narrowness of the backroads that buses drove on was the only real issue. Most of the roads don't have a lot of traffic, but along the Ring of Kerry, though, oy vey!

Regarding automatic vs stick... Good luck on that, too. I learned to drive using a stick, so it's not a big deal for me. I understand though, getting an automatic is possible but may take a papal act...

I did extensive research on this subject since it was such a significant portion of our trip budget this past May. In the end I used Auto Europe and rented with Alamo/Enterprise. We had a 28 day rental, automatic transmission, starting and ending in Dublin. There was no issue with getting an automatic, we ended up with a 4 door Toyota Yaris with fold down rear seats. In the trunk we could fit two roll aboard suitcases and two small backpacks. The Alamo employees could not have been nicer or more helpful both at pickup and drop-off. We opted to take the basic CDW instead of the super CDW. The hold on our Credit Card was 1500 euro. Auto Europe capped the additional driver fee at 100 euro, which saved us a chunk of change. Alamo normally charges 8 euro per day for the length of the rental. Our rental also included going into Northern Ireland; some car companies charge an extra fee for this, as high as 150 euro.
I finally had to accept that car rentals in Ireland are just expensive but it was worth every penny. We drove 4000 kilometers in 28 days and saw the most amazing scenery by being able to take the roads less traveled.

Look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred @ $95/year. It included full CDW primary coverage.
Also look into AmEx Premium Car Rental Protection.
We had excellent satisfaction renting from Enterprise for a 3.5 week drive completely around Ireland and N. Ire. No hassle about CDW or declining coverage.
Ditto for an additional week (separate rental) in Wales.

Wish I could remember our exact experience but I believe when we were last there 4 years ago, I had reserved and checked in advance with the rental company and with my credit card and found that I didnt need any additional CDW. Then I got there and of course the person at the rental company desk was telling me I needed it. I dont like being pressured with deceiving sales tactics so I declined whatever additional coverage they were offering, they threw me the keys to a bmw (I assume to stick it to me when/if scratched it) and I drove around paranoid the whole time. :)

Do be aware different companies have different policies regarding driving in Northern Ireland and taking their cars there. Check carefully. Some people have reported that they took the car over anyway but ran into trouble on returning the car because it was fitted with a tracker so they knew where it had been.

I used Conns Ireland last year and plan to do so again this year. They are a local Hertz franchise. Their quote includes Super CDW, which most other agency quotes do not. I get the Super CDW because it is so easy to get a flat tire by hitting a curb because you're so conscious of staying left (which we've done), scraping a wing mirror on a wall (done that too), smacking wing mirrors with a car travelling in the opposite direction (have yet to do that). Super CDW covers the excess (in Irish-speak) or deductible (in American speak) of the rental. Conns and most of the larger agencies have an abundance of cars with automatic transmissions.

If you are able to get credit card coverage for the CDW, make sure you have confirmed it in writing from the credit card company and dated within 21 days of the rental date. Some rental agencies ask to see that. Also make sure that the credit card number used to reserve the car is (1) in the name of the primary driver and (2) is the card used to pay for the car. There was a thread a few months ago about how some folks got surprised by those issues.

I rented a car for 3 weeks in April, using Auto Europe which ended up with Hertz being their best price. I picked it up at Dublin Airport, drove around the North and the Republic, and returned it to Dublin. They did not charge for going over the border like some did. I also got the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card which is the $99 annual fee card [although they gave me the first year free]. I was provided a letter from Chase which covered the CDW-saved me tons and well worth it. I will do the same next April for 4 weeks. Only mistake I made was to be too ambitious and reserved a manual transmission-I discovered very quickly that I couldn't handle the stick shift so I ended up exchanging it for an automatic. Much more expensive, but I couldn't handle the stress. For next year, I booked an automatic so I could lock in the lower rate.

I prefer to get full coverage in Europe, especially Ireland where the roads are narrow and driving is on the left. I would look at the 'zero excess' rates from Auto Europe. You have several options from there.

They have a rate with Dollar which has a refundable excess option, this does not appeal to me as you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get the deductible refunded if you are in an accident.

Their rate with Hertz has a true zero deductible, but I was reading a lot of Hertz Ireland reviews and a lot of people have negative experiences. Please note, glass and tires are not covered and require additional insurance which is typically bought locally. It seemed like in the reviews I was reading, Hertz was on the prowl for ways they could find a nick or bulge on your tires to charge you if you did not take the additional insurance.

I ended up going with their Avis rate which was the most expensive, but had complete coverage including glass and tires. Doing my research, it seems like purchasing all inclusive directly through some of these vendors really jacked the price up. Through Auto Europe, I was able to get a good price.

I used to have the Costco American Express, which came with a great rental car CDW option (you had to call and sign up for it). After Costco changed cards, I changed to a different Amex card that still offered the CDW option. I've had one accident in France and it worked as advertised. It's absolutely critical to read and understand your requirements for documentation, reporting, etc. so it doesn't become an expensive lesson learned. As long as you do what you're required to do, the insurance company will pay what they promised (don't expect more).

I'd read a lot about insurance not working in Ireland so I called Amex. Sure enough their "premium" insurance won't work in Ireland. Their regular insurance, however, did work in Ireland and it was plenty for the little cars I rent. I paid attention to the rental agency's requirement to have something in writing from your credit card insurer stating it is valid in Ireland - so I carried that with me.

The rental agency charged a "deposit" to my card of 5,000 euro. I presume the idea is if I damage the car, they charge it to the card and I work with the card to reimburse my claim. They want to make sure there is sufficient balance available on the card. I understand it. I don't use the Amex for much other than car rentals and have sufficient balance available - so pulling 5,000 wasn't really a problem. They refunded it promptly when I returned the car undamaged.

A lot seems geared to just throwing your hands up and accepting the rental company's CDW. I saved at least a few hundred using my card instead.

thank you for posting this question........ I am learning so much

I just returned from Ireland, rented an automatic for 18 days. Everything was fine, the only regret was the agent was talking fast and said I had to have PAI for "accidents." Well, PAI in Ireland is health and life insurance for the passengers, and I already had a separate health policy and don't need life insurance. So I could have saved 6 bucks a day had I known. Everything else was very smooth, rented with Payless/Budget online a couple months ahead. Paid extra for the automatic, but it was way better than the stick shift I rented last trip. You get used to driving on the left after a day or so. Have a great trip.

We have rented from enterprise twice. No issues with either rental. Highly satisfied with the company. We rent directly with enterprise so there are no 3rd party booking surprises.
I have two credit cards that have the extra CDW insurance and I still pay for the all added insurance. Why? I am on vacation and I don’t want to worry about the car. Plus it’s really nice to be able to simply hand the keys over at the end of the rental and walk away. (After thanking them for the nice rental car). I prefer manual transmission so I do see some savings there. We see the added expense of full coverage as simply part of the vacation budget. Plan on a few picnic lunches from Centra to offset the extra insurance costs and enjoy full coverage as you drive the narrow roads of Ireland with sheep and farm tractors sharing the road.