Looking for recommendations for car rentals in Ireland (either Dublin or Belfast). Our plan is to do a 14 day road trip. I know we will rent an automatic but am looking for referrals on what companies you guys have used recently. The major names seem so expensive. Also, do they ask typically come with GPS? We'll be doing the same in Scotland so input for that will be appreciated as well. Thank you in advance for all of your great advice.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8157 posts
For my upcoming trip to Scotland, I rented a car by using Celtic Legend, who acts as a broker for Arnold Clark. This company has been recommended by many people here on the forum, and it has been a pleasure to deal with. Very prompt with communications, and help when I needed it. The car I rented comes with GPS for no additional charge.
Here’s a thread from a couple of days ago with more information, too. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/rental-car-options
Posted by
Hayden Lake, ID
36 posts
Yes rental car prices have skyrocketed post Covid. In May & June 2022 we rented a Toyota C-HR (mid size SUV) from Hertz. We had the vehicle for 6 weeks and only paid £1.557!!!. Most rental car companies @ GLA have vehicles within a walkable distance from the terminal. The ladies at the Hertz desk were delightful. Most new cars come w/ GPS....... no need to pay the additional charge. However we never used the onboard GPS. We connected our iPhone 13 via Apple CarPlay and utilized Google maps just like at home. The Hertz ladies even set it up & tested it before we departed the airport. We acquired a UK SIM card from TESCO for £10 & good for 30 days. You can also purchase them online before departure. This allowed us unlimited data usage.
We are returning to the UK in Sept 2023. Picking up the car at Heathrow & returning to Glasgow. We found AVIS to be the least expensive. Just this week we prepaid for a Hyundai Tuscon (or similar) for 28 days at a cost of £1,635 - US$1,953. Other agencies were twice that or more. Our American Express card will cover additional insurance.
If you need a night in Glasgow before departure...... we stayed & will stay again at the Holiday Inn Express at the airport. Nothing fancy, but it's walkable w/ luggage across the street to the terminal. Note there is also a Holiday Inn (not Express) at the airport & it is not a walkable distance.
In 2018 we used Auto Europe to rent a car for 3 weeks in Dublin. It was also a good experience.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1869 posts
We were very pleased with our Scotland rental, June 2022, with Arnold Clark. The car came with GPS, the agent was very patient about explaining everything, and the price, which included no deductible (except for the standard lost keys / wrong gas ) was reasonable.
We had a VERY bad experience with Hertz in Ireland. Despite having the Super deductible insurance, we were charged $200 for scratches INSIDE the wheel wells. Since we had a plane to catch (Never let them know that!), we had no choice but to pay the extortionists!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7206 posts
We recently used Enterprise for Scotland. In Ireland we rented from Avis.
Posted by
Chattanooga, TN USA
590 posts
In 2019, we had a 4 week rental in Ireland with Alamo. Last year we rented for a month with Enterprise in England. Both were auto transmission vehicles booked through AutoEurope and the experiences were excellent. Both cars had GPS available but we did not pay for it, instead used google maps on our phones.
Use the "local" AutoEurope websites for booking: www.autoeurope.co.uk for Scotland and www.autoeurope.ie for Ireland. The rates will be quoted in Pounds and Euro instead of dollars, but I have found the savings to be considerable.
Posted by
Hayden Lake, ID
36 posts
Katheryne.......Great advise on using the .uk & .ie sites for rental cars. I ran my upcoming reservation thru AutoEurope site and discovered Avis it to be a few hundred £ less. But I couldn't get to the "Book Now" screen. So I called ........only catch... Avis required it to be picked up and returned to the same location. It won't work on this upcoming trip, but I made a note for all future car rentals. Thank You!!!
Posted by
OP
31 posts
I knew I came to the right place for good information. Thank you so so much.
I contacted Celtic Legend for Scotland and they were so helpful. I have also contacted My Irish Cousin about a car out of Dublin. It does seem quite expensive but I think we're going to bite the bullet because it seems like the best way for us to see the the 2 countries "our way" Thank you all for your advice!
Posted by
3 posts
I highly recommend Celtic Legend (who broker for Arnold Clark). We used them May 2022. We were able to pick up in Glasgow (off airport/city site) and drop off at a city site near Edinburgh airport (then took train into town for the rest of our stay.) Very fair prices, great vehicle and no issues with the car. We will use them for our next trip as well!
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10631 posts
I used Celtic Legend for a rental in Scotland last September. It was less expensive than Auto Europe and a very good experience. They even picked us and our luggage up at our hotel in Glasgow and took us to the Arnold Clark rental office. We returned the car in Inverness and we were driven back to our B&B. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.