Renting a Car for Ireland Trip

Emily, as you consider renting a car in Ireland, be advised that most major U.S. credit cards exclude the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from their special coverage on rental cars. You will need to accept their CDW and other conditions. I have recently read these conditions on the Visa website less than two weeks ago. Here's the language from the Visa website: "This benefit is available in the United States and most foreign countries. No benefit is provided for motor vehicles rented in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, or Northern Ireland. Additionally, this benefit is not available where precluded by law or in violation of the territory terms of the auto rental agreement or prohibited by individual merchants. Because regulations vary outside the United States, we recommend you check with your auto rental company and the Benefit Administrator before you travel to make sure Visa Auto Rental CDW will apply."

You won't need a complete atlas for Ireland. A Michelin map, which you can buy ahead of time at Barnes and Noble or online, is plenty of detail. And I would suggest you take the Super CDW, which brings your deductible to zero. It is very easy to get into a little scrape, and the Super CDW takes care of that for you.

From personal experience the best way to get a fully covered rental car in Ireland is to book Hertz on the Ryanair website. Of course since only rich Americans require automatic transmission all of the car rental providers charge premium surcharges for such type of cars (usually it's double the daily rate compared to a manual one). You can get several types of road maps and even the Complete one at the airport, at any major gas station and even in the larger Hertz stations (e.g. the one in downtown Dublin).

I have to politely disagree with Andreas on three points: 1. Income level has little or nothing to do with not knowing how to drive a car with a manual transmission. An American who has grown up in a family that only has had cars with automatic transmissions is not likely to have taken the time and effort to learn to drive one with a manual transmission. And I speak as a person who has, by preference, driven cars with manual transmissions nearly all my adult life. However, a manual transmission wasn't offered on my current car, a 1992 Toyota Camry that had 65,000 miles on it when I bought and now has 180,000 miles on it, so I'm stuck with driving a car with an automatic transmission. That's fine. Not having to make car payments allows me to afford to go to Europe once every five years or so. 2. Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) insurance is required in Ireland. However, most US credit card providers do not offer CDW coverage for cars rented in Ireland, leaving you with having to buy coverage from the rental car company. With CDW coverage, you will be liable for the deductible portion of any claim. You can buy CDW when you book your rental. If you want zero liability, you can buy Super CDW; but you'll have to do that at the rental counter when you pick up your car. 3. Auto Europe is a consolidator that finds you the best price from among the agencies with which it has contracts. You'll pay less with AE that you will with Hertz. On the Ryanair site Hertz offers a one-week rental on a Mazda 3 (or similar car) with automatic transmission for $346 US. Auto Europe offers a one-week rental on a Toyota Corolla (or similar car) with automatic transmission for $233 US.

To further discuss the automatic vs. manual situation - I do know how to drive a manual. I drove one for many years. When in Europe I rent cars with manuals. Except in Ireland. I decided that if I was going to be driving on the 'wrong side' of the road and had to adjust to that, it would be easier and more importantly safer to not have to learn how to adjust to shifting with my left hand at the same time as I had to concentrate on staying on the correct side of the road. Yes, we paid more. But it was worth it, because no one got hurt! My daughters do not know how to drive manuals, and they are not rich! I use AutoEurope to rent cars in Europe.

Believe me, I drive a car with automatic transmission because it's so much more convenient. I would love to an automatic car in the UK and Ireland as well, especially since driving "on the wrong" side of the road already takes up all of ones attention. But I simply don't want to afford it. They always rip you off. That's why in those countries I go for the cheaper cars with stick. And I must say: Shifting it with your left hand is quite a funny feeling... but you really get used to it surprisingly soon.