I will be spending a week in Ireland, driving from Dublin to Galway to Derry and Belfast. What rental car company do you recommend? I will be renting a car with an automatic transmission, as I made the mistake of not doing so the first time. Any tips regarding rental, including insurance, which company to use, etc., would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Irving
3114 posts
Auto Europe is preferred by many that often has cheaper rates: https://www.autoeurope.com/.
Are you planning on renting a vehicle the day of arrival after flying on a trans-Atlantic flight? If so, instead take a direct bus from Dublin’s airport to Galway (2h 30m) and rent your car in Galway after you’ve had at least one night of good sleep. Remember, not only are you driving a car you’re not familiar with, you are also driving on the opposite side of the road and the steering wheel is opposite too.
If you’re driving into Northern Ireland, make sure your car rental agency knows.
Posted by
Chattanooga, TN USA
582 posts
Look at AutoEurope.ie, the prices are sometimes better than the dot com site. Our rental through AutoEurope was with Alamo and we had a great experience. Roads are narrow and with little shoulder in rural areas so make sure you are well insured. Are you planning pickup in Dublin and drop off in Belfast? If so check the fee for dropping in another country. Also some rental companies charge a surcharge for driving from Rep of Ireland into Northern Ireland. Alamo did not.
Posted by
SoCal
890 posts
This may or may not be useful for you, but all Costco members should first check their travel website to see what's available for rental cars. We got a great deal in Ireland.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2950 posts
Check your other memberships as well. Along with Costco travel we always check with AAA and USAA to compare prices and insurance coverage.
That said, I usually find that AutoEurope offers the best deal over all. Their prices are quite competitive and their insurance covers are reasonably priced - a major factor to consider when renting in Ireland.
Posted by
NC
33 posts
We've rented a car for September with Conn's Ireland: https://www.connsirelandcarrental.com, based on several recommendations a this forum. Perhaps someone who has rented through them can share their experience.
Posted by
Tacoma, WA
2 posts
Hello,
We are touring N Ireland in Sept (Belfast-Derry-Galway) and we are renting from NewWay Car hire at the airport. I found NewWay cheaper than the other car rental companies by $150-200 for our 9 days. The price also includes all the insurance needed and the only item to add was 1 additional driver. Lastly, we are up for the challenge of manually shifting left handed too.
Cheers,
Craig
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2950 posts
Craig,
Request that you follow up with a trip report once you've completed your rental with NewWay. You'll likely be the initial member of the forum with first- hand experience with this new company. They appear to be a great new resource for rental cars in the country, and I for one would appreciate a review.
Posted by
1524 posts
We’ve rented from Conn’s twice. Each time it was a pick up from the South Circular Road location in Dublin and dropping off at the Airport with no extra charge. We’ve always gotten the car we wanted and I like that the pricing is upfront. They have a US phone number for questions and return calls promptly.
Posted by
Rose Valley, WA
1 posts
We are also going to Ireland for the first time in September and have a reservation with New Way car hire. We did check Conn's for pricing, and while it was competitively priced and the website easy to use, the fine print says it does not cover tires and windshield. New Way does cover those things for a similar price, so for peace of mind we went with New Way. Adding an additional driver was the same cost for both companies. I felt that New Way's website and booking process are very straight forward and easy to understand, which left me feeling a little better about the insurance fears.
Posted by
Tacoma, WA, USA
558 posts
We are renting a car through My Irish Cousin (Enterprise) in two weeks. It's more expensive than others but I wanted an automatic, add'l driver, complete insurance, 24 hour assistance and to pick up in Shannon and drop in Kilkenny. I'm usually a fairly frugal traveler but this time I thought the extra money may be worth it (plus I got a great deal on airfare from Seattle). They had excellent reviews. I'll report back when we return (8/20).
In Italy, Spain, France and Germany we have previously used Autoeurope. We have only had one issue (in Turin) but were able to get it resolved with a little work.
Note: I know credit cards cover insurance (we usually rely on our Chase Sapphire Reserved) but for personal reasons I opted to buy this time.