Renting a car in Dublin Questions

1. So long as you've been driving at least 8 years, you're good. US driver license is just fine in Ireland.

2. Nobody will force you to buy insurance coverage. Use your Amex and rest easy. You won't need a letter of authorization unless Sixt has its own special rules (I rented from Budget).

Ireland really isn't a very difficult place to drive, so long as you stay away from the narrow country roads. Stay on the excellent motorways (M-routes) and regional 2-lane highways (N-routes) to the maximum degree possible. And unless you wish to take long bus rides, there's not a great alternative IMO.

Thanks so much for your response. I just renewed my driver’s license last year so it’s showing as “issued in 2023” but I have been driving for a long time now.

Will that be a problem in Ireland? It wasn’t in NL but I don’t know if that will cause an issue.

Thanks

I rented a car last summer in Ireland having renewed my license 4 months earlier, with a similar proviso from Budget. I don't foresee a problem. But again, contacting Sixt to confirm wouldn't be a bad idea.

Renting from Hertz/Dollar last year, they required 7 Euro/day to use my own insurance (through Visa). I argued with the agent, but it said on the laminated counter that this was the case. I wouldn't travel without a confirmation from your card carrier that Ireland is included in their coverage. My card has a person dedicated to emailing said document.

I had an ugly experience with SixT a few years ago trying to postpone my arrival by one day (they insisted I re-write the whole reservation at the current rates) so I walked away from a 50% non-refundable payment. Will never use them again even though they seem to have dropped the non-refundable part of their plans.

If you do opt to use one of the premium credit cards for your insurance coverage I suggest carefully reviewing the associated Terms and Conditions - in particular the procedures involved in settling a claim when returning the vehicle.

As Robert stated, read the Terms and Conditions carefully. They were not written with your best interest in mind. Unless it is a huge amount, the piece of mind gained by takeing the rental company's insurance may be well worth the cost.

Thank you all so much!

I went ahead and booked with Newway hire. It was a bit more expensive but it was worth it for the peace of mind and streamlined process. I was getting very stressed out with the conflicting information and extra tasks and research.

Thanks again!

In case you're not already aware: the default rental in Ireland is a manual shifter. If that's likely to be an issue for you then ensure that you've booked an automatic.
Will cost more but well worth it unless you're already experienced driving in LH traffic while manually shifting with your left hand.

Oh I absolutely made sure to get an automatic. It’s been years since I drove a Manual.

FYI.
I just spoke to a Chase benefits representative and the Sapphire Reserve has NO country exclusions--car rentals in Ireland ARE covered.
To get a letter of eligibility, go to eclaimsline.com, and fill out the form requesting the letter. It will be emailed immediately.
Some resource I read (maybe here?) said that some car rental agencies require that the letter must be within 30 days of the rental.
The rental reservation, CSR card holder, and primary drive MUST be the same person.
We are renting in Ireland in August and I wanted to verify for myself.

I just finished a 18 day rental with Sixt, from the Dublin airport, using my Chase Sapphire for insurance. I took the letter of coverage from Chase (it DOES cover Ireland). Sixt didn’t want to see it and only offered insurance but didn’t push it. I had a one day rental from Budget in Galway and got a HARD push to buy their insurance.

As Robert says, read and compare the fine print coverage carefully.

There could be an elephant in the room.
People always talk about CDW and that sort of property/collision insurance. I have been investigating car rental in Ireland also. The elephant is required liability insurance. How much, no one knows.
Went to Panama in February. Similar scenario. Rental car fee, and I had the required letter of primary coverage from my Citi card. No problems. Not until, at the counter, I became aware of mandatory liability insurance to the tune of $28 a day. No way out of it. No signs about it. EVERY piece of literature and every piece of information I got before and after said NOTHING about this. It is just there.
I refused the car and clawed back the money on that.
So I am Leary of car rental in Ireland for the same reason.
You don’t know about it until you get there and you don’t know how much it is until you arrive at the counter. And they don’t tell you about it until they run your card on the rental price and the hold on your card of whatever amount against the CDW.

I have been investigating car rental in Ireland also. The elephant is required liability insurance. How much, no one knows.

I happened to be looking at rates on Auto Europe for another country earlier today, so was aware of the granular detail they offer on Insurance. For Ireland:

It's important to understand Ireland car rental insurance before getting behind the wheel of your next rental vehicle. In Ireland, unlimited Third Party Liability Insurance is a legal requirement as included in the pre-paid price of all car rentals in Ireland. Third Party Liability Insurance protects you from liability resulting from property damage, injury, or death caused to anyone or anything outside of your rental car. In addition to Third Party Liability Insurance, Fire Insurance is included in all rental car rates with Auto Europe, which covers any damage caused to your rental car as a result of fire.

The entire page on Ireland insurance is here:

https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-guides/ireland/ireland-car-rental-insurance/

Seems pretty clear. And unfortunately, insurance must be figured into the cost of renting a car when traveling.