Car Rental - England/Ireland
May 8th, 2015, 04:48 PM
#1
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Car Rental - England/Ireland
In August, I will be renting a car at Heathrow for a trip through England, Scotland and Ireland. Do rental car companies in England allow you to take a car by ferry to Ireland? What should I know about additional insurance needed since I don't believe our US insurance covers us over there?
May 8th, 2015, 06:44 PM
#2
How many weeks are you traveling?
Per your other thread you are also visiting Paris - is that still the plan?
Why do you want to pay for a car on the ferry -- rent one car in the UK and another one for Ireland . . . . BUT a LOT depends on how much time you have. Driving from LHR through some areas of England and up to Scotland and touring around Scotland will take a lot of time. And driving around Ireland takes time too.
Credit cards will generally cover car insurance in the UK but NOT in Ireland where you need to arrange insurance coverage w/ the rental agency. If you use a broker like autoeurope.com you can see rates quoted w/ and w/o full coverage.
Are you visiting London? If so, you do NOT want a car in London.
So - fill in some of the many blanks and you can get better advice.
Per your other thread you are also visiting Paris - is that still the plan?
Why do you want to pay for a car on the ferry -- rent one car in the UK and another one for Ireland . . . . BUT a LOT depends on how much time you have. Driving from LHR through some areas of England and up to Scotland and touring around Scotland will take a lot of time. And driving around Ireland takes time too.
Credit cards will generally cover car insurance in the UK but NOT in Ireland where you need to arrange insurance coverage w/ the rental agency. If you use a broker like autoeurope.com you can see rates quoted w/ and w/o full coverage.
Are you visiting London? If so, you do NOT want a car in London.
So - fill in some of the many blanks and you can get better advice.
May 9th, 2015, 11:43 AM
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You can rent a car in England and take it to Ireland, But you have to take it back to England/Scotland/Wales. You are talking probably £400 minimum just for the ferry. compared to £45 rail and Sail London (or anywhere in the UK) to Dublin. Just not a viable option.
May 9th, 2015, 06:06 PM
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Our plan is to get the car at Heathrow, so some sightseeing in England and Scotland, ferry to Ireland from Holyhead, sightsee and ferry back from Rosslare. We will be returning the car before doing our sightseeing in London. I've quickly looked at the idea of renting separate cars, but it would involve returning the car at a different location and that has a surcharge. I've also quickly looked at the ferry prices and they didn't seem too bad. I'll check your autoeurope.com suggestion.
May 9th, 2015, 07:37 PM
#5
>>but it would involve returning the car at a different location and that has a surcharge. <<
I have rented MANY cars in the UK and only once ever have I had a drop off fee. And that one fee was a lot less than the cost of a car on the ferries.
You have not said how long your trip is . . . Driving/touring from southern England up into Scotland and back down to Wales is a several week commitment.
>>Our plan is to get the car at Heathrow,<<
I sure hope you don't plan on picking up a car and driving after an over night flight . . . .
I have rented MANY cars in the UK and only once ever have I had a drop off fee. And that one fee was a lot less than the cost of a car on the ferries.
You have not said how long your trip is . . . Driving/touring from southern England up into Scotland and back down to Wales is a several week commitment.
>>Our plan is to get the car at Heathrow,<<
I sure hope you don't plan on picking up a car and driving after an over night flight . . . .
May 10th, 2015, 12:27 AM
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For the type of rental you require go direct to the people who are going to give you the keys. I don't like Hertz personally but many folk do and I know they do allow inter island rental and they do accept a very limited number of World Mastercard insurance (whether that would include travel on the ferry is debatable and you would need hard copy confirmation).
Be aware the 95% of car rental complaints on the Irish forums come from folk who book through 3rd parties and get a shock when they arrive at the collection desk only to be stung by extra charges.
Be aware the 95% of car rental complaints on the Irish forums come from folk who book through 3rd parties and get a shock when they arrive at the collection desk only to be stung by extra charges.
