We need to rent a car from Friday until Monday night during the month of August in Ireland. We will be flying into Dublin airport and returning it there before we spend the rest of our time in Dublin itself. Our group consists of my husband and I and our two adult children, both in their early 20's. My husband has driven several times in Ireland before and will do all the driving. Which car rental agency is the best and most reasonable, and what type of car would you suggest? My husband would prefer an automatic.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
I used this outfit a few weeks ago and they beat the socks off of everybody else: http://www.353carrental.ie/.
With four adults plus stuff, you're going to need a full-size, I'd expect.
A short-term rental is going to be pretty steep. Adding an automatic only adds to pocketbook pain.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
If you're going to be in Ireland for a week all together, you might find that a week-long rental would be cheaper than a short-term one. If you can park it at your hotel free while in Dublin (I stayed in a guesthouse in Dublin that had free parking) you might come out ahead that way. You might also ask the rental companies what their policy is on early returns. If there is no penalty, you could rent for a week and just return it early.
Posted by
Philadelphia
655 posts
Favor hubby and get the automatic. Often this will also get you an ungraded car with free features such as a remote locking/security system and air conditioning.
The automatic will make driving in Ireland somewhat easier.
In Dublin airport we used Hertz. It worked out OK but they gave us a hassle about having the car ready etc. The Hertz - UK website has, in the past, included special deals including insurance if you were willing to prepay.
Posted by
Grass Valley, California
506 posts
We rented a car in May at the Dublin Airport. I rented it from Budget on line from the US. They were the cheapest I could find. We did return it early because we changed our itinerary at the last minute and it was easier to do that than go in and change the rental. It didn't make any difference in price. We brought our own GPS. But we did buy the maximum insurance they offered. I could not find anyway around that. Credit cards and AAA don't cover Ireland. We left off the car at the airport and took a taxi into Dublin. But there a many buses that go into Dublin for cheaper. We rented a Nissan Micra and it was so roomy inside for such a small car, and was fantastic on gas! I think the amount of luggage you have is what seems to take of space and most cars even Vans over there don't have a lot of luggage space.
Posted by
Grass Valley, California
506 posts
Forgot to say that we also got an automatic. That did not seem to be a problem at all. Still a small efficent car and it didn't add much more to the price, plus it was much easier to drive with everything else to think about.
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
For a short trip you won't notice the fuel. If money is tight, skip the automatic transmission.
I also used Budget last may for an automatic Skoda. Budget Ireland had on line specials that made them a little cheaper than the other sites.
With all the construction around the Dublin airport, make sure you verify where you will return the car.
We also brought our own GPS to Ireland. It was cheaper to buy a special card for it than pay for the $15+tax daily rental. Your stay is shorter so it might be worth renting if you don't have the software already.
Posted by
wichita, kansas
484 posts
The difference in mileage between an automatic and a manual is only about 2-3 mpg so if you drive 1200 miles at 30mpg in a manual you will only save 3-4 gallons of fuel, definitely no significant savings over the ease of driving the automatic on narrow roads on the opposite side o the road. The drawback to the automatic is in the initial cost of the rental. If anyone finds a place where the rates are comparable please post it.