Prices for car rentals sooooo different????

Did you get a price from one or the other with a zero-deductible provision? Zero deductible is highly recommended in Ireland. How many days, what cities for pickup and drop off, and what sort of vehicle?

I don't know the answer to your question, but I hope someone does. There were quite a few people at the car rental agency when we picked up our car who were very upset because the price they had been quoted did not cover all that they thought it did. We booked a car through Europcar via Hotwire. My MasterCard covered the Collision Damage Waiver costs, but I had to call back to the U.S. from the car rental agency so that the Europcar agent could get confirmation that I was, indeed, covered. I've since learned if you use this option to have a certified letter in hand from the bank or company offering the coverage.

Meredith,
I feel your pain as we just finally booked our car. It is hard to compare apples to apples but here are a few things I have found out.

Dan Dooley is by far the most upfront regarding charges. If you click around on the website all the information that you need to know is there and in the end they were a bit cheaper for us. We are traveling in September/October and they have a promo code SALE10 that they will apply which is roughly a 7% discount. Also, there is a toll free number to call.

AutoEurope was a bit like pulling teeth when it came to getting questions answered. I talked to about 3 different people before anyone told me that there was an additional airport tax/fee you would pay at the counter (about 34 euros) and a fee (5 euros) you would pay at the counter for using your credit card.

ALSO, be sure you are comparing apples to apples. On the Hertz site I could not figure out why they were so much less than Dan Dooley until I realized the price quoted was in EUROS.

ALSO, the excess waiver (super duper insurance) does not cover glass and wheels...this is true no matter who I was talking to. AutoEurope covered glass but not tires or wheels. If you want these items covered it is roughly 5-6 euros a day and you purchase it at the counter. ALSO, Personal liability is not included (if you or a passenger is injured) but can be purchases separately at the counter.

From an American living in Ireland:

I believe there is some erroneous information stated above, so let me add a few additional comments. I live in Ireland, I'm american, and I've rented cars about 50 (yes 50) times in the past few years. It's cheaper for me to rent than buy a car and get car insurance with an American license. It will take me over two years to get an Irish license - so until then, I rent!

In Ireland, there are certain insurances on the car required by law. Generally, it's anything over 1,500 to 2,000 euros on a basic car. So if you rent a car, you are ONLY uninsured (UNinsured!) for the first 2,000. (this is collision, this is not injuries if you hurt someone). So when you buy insurance, that insurance is covering you for the first 2,000 or so. Why is this important? Let's say you're renting a car for a month, and the extra insurance you're looking at is 20 euros a day. that means you're paying about 600 for that 2,000 coverage. You decide - is it worth the risk? Would you rather take the chance that you're not going to have an accident, and just pay the 2,000 if you do?

Another thing to understand (I've asked Budget & EuropCar, the two I use the most) is that if you book on RentalCars.com or Hotwire or something like that - you are offered this excess insurance. Understand it is NOT coming from EuropCar, so when you get to the desk they have NO IDEA if the insurance you've prepaid for is valid, is dependable, or even if they'll ever see it. So they will get a deposit from you at the desk! They have to! Your insurance (read the fine print) is probably along the lines of "you have an accident, you pay and then put in a claim." How does the car rental company know you will, or can, pay? They must cover themselves, so they get the deposit. I've rented for years, they know me and my record, they still get the 1,500 hold on my credit card.

On an aside, a young friend had an accident and the bill he got was HUGE because in addition to the 2,000 he had to pay, they also charged him a "we couldn't rent the car out while it was being repaired" fee and that fee was quite a bit per day. Trust me, he buys insurance, now!

Car rentals ARE all over the map. I had a car 4 nights last week and it was about 85 euros. I'm looking at one in two weeks for 4 nights and it's 160. It all depends on how much demand is the days you want! Also, like in the USA there is a tax on a car hire that is based on where you rent it. When I lived in Austin, I would rent at a Enterprise located on 35th street. The "airport tax" wasn't charged there, as it wasn't at the airport! The car hire was MUCH MUCH cheaper without the airport tax!

A tip I suggest is this: book the car under one person's name and number, and make sure you can cancel it. Then keep looking over and over as your trip approaches, and see if they prices go down. Then decide which one to use!

Susan