Hello! We are visiting Ireland in September and will be renting a car and driving around the country for 2 weeks. This will be our first time driving on the left side of the road and we will rent an automatic. I am wondering if anyone has a suggestion for the size of car to rent. We are from the US and are used to driving large SUVs but know it is best to rent something much smaller than what we are used to due to the narrow roads. What is a good sized vehicle that has comfortable seats, is small enough and safe for us. Thank you so much!
Posted by
SoCal
1130 posts
I had a great experience for a week with a Toyota Yaris. Mine was a hybrid, and I got incredible gas mileage; worked out to nearly 70 mpg. Plenty of luggage room, Android Auto and CarPlay capability, and radar cruise control.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11872 posts
We are visiting Ireland
How many is 'we'?
Posted by
Washington, DC
888 posts
We also had a Toyota Yaris and it worked well for four (two adults, two 13-year-old kids). The only issue was luggage space (and we do carryon only) as that was a tight fit in the trunk.
With that, it does really depend on how many are in your party. If 3 or less, go for the small car as it is plenty of room, easier to park, easier to maneuver, and gets great gas mileage.
Posted by
Fairfax, Virginia
348 posts
Think of the smallest car you can tolerate, then go one size smaller.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2279 posts
Also how much luggage will you have?
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
You're going to be using the car for a couple of weeks, so unless you plan to spend a lot of time driving on the very narrow rural roads (the L and R roads on the map) then I'd say book something you'll be comfortable with for the duration of your trip.
The Toyota Yaris looks like a good choice.