75 Year Old Renting A Car In Ireland

Old Dec 24th, 2022, 07:16 AM
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75 Year Old Renting A Car In Ireland

I'm looking at car rentals for a May trip to Ireland. My husband will turn 75 about a month before the trip and all of the rental agencies I've looked at have all kinds of special requirements for renters 75 and older. The biggie is the requirement for a letter from our insurance company saying he's been accident-free for 5 years. Well, last summer he had his first-ever accident when he was broadsided in a parking lot. Although it wasn't his fault no tickets were issued because the parking lot is considered private property. So would that prevent my husband from driving a rental car in Ireland?
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 08:13 AM
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Originally Posted by cslasor
I'm looking at car rentals for a May trip to Ireland. My husband will turn 75 about a month before the trip and all of the rental agencies I've looked at have all kinds of special requirements for renters 75 and older. The biggie is the requirement for a letter from our insurance company saying he's been accident-free for 5 years. Well, last summer he had his first-ever accident when he was broadsided in a parking lot. Although it wasn't his fault no tickets were issued because the parking lot is considered private property. So would that prevent my husband from driving a rental car in Ireland?
It sounds like it is up to your insurance company. They have to write a letter. When they do, they have to determine whether that constitutes an accident - - ask them to specify that it was not your husband's fault. The rental company will then make their own decision, based upon their own rules and interpretations.
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 08:14 AM
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Originally Posted by cslasor
I'm looking at car rentals for a May trip to Ireland. My husband will turn 75 about a month before the trip and all of the rental agencies I've looked at have all kinds of special requirements for renters 75 and older. The biggie is the requirement for a letter from our insurance company saying he's been accident-free for 5 years. Well, last summer he had his first-ever accident when he was broadsided in a parking lot. Although it wasn't his fault no tickets were issued because the parking lot is considered private property. So would that prevent my husband from driving a rental car in Ireland?
It sounds like it is up to your insurance company. They have to write a letter. When they do, they have to determine whether that constitutes an accident - - if they do, you might want to ask them to specify that it was not your husband's fault. The rental company will then make their own decision, based upon their own interpretations - - the rental car company makes up their own rules.
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 08:47 AM
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First off, insurance law is VERY prescriptive. If they ask a question they will expect a straight answer to that question. No ifs, no buts. In your husbands situation I would just ask for the letter and see what they send. It doesn't really matter whether it was your husbands fault or not. That isn't the question they are asking. Their concern is simply the probability of their car being involved in an accident during your hire period. They may accept the rental but charge a premium or offer an increased excess. I use https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/in...on-centre/faqs for excess insurance rather than pay the exorbitant rates charged by rental companies. It is cheap and definitely worth considering.

I would guesstimate that all the majors, hertz, Avis, Enterprise etc will offer the same T&Cs and either accept your husband or not. It may be worth checking out some of the smaller local providers who may be more flexible (but do take out your own stand alone excess cover.

Good luck and do let us know how you get on.
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 08:49 AM
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This is the kind of problem that would have me planning a different sort of trip rather than worrying that plans I made that required a car be up in the air. There are other ways of getting around in Ireland, trains, buses & the occasional taxi. I’ve done it both ways & am always relieved when I can forego the headaches that come with driving myself & let someone else get me where I want to go.

While public transport can make it trickier to get out into the countryside, small group tours are available to the best sights. I’d encourage you to see what can be done using public transport but I wouldn’t leave it until you get to Ireland & are turned down for the rental car, if that’s a possibility. I prefer local transport and trains & find it a fun challenge to use it to get within walking distance of places I want to go. I’m 77.
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 09:38 AM
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Ireland is a tricky place for older visitors -- not only is there the special requirement re proof of driving record, your credit card almost certainly doesn't cover the CDW (a very small handful of US cc's do) and the rental agency's insurance would most likely tack on a significant age surcharge for the coverage.

So I agree that maybe a combo of trains and local taxis, and maybe some small group day tours with the occasional local bus for short distances

OR - if you are younger - take over the driving responsibilities from your DH
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 10:14 AM
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Are the requirements the same for leasing a car?

Stu Dudley
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by StuDudley
Are the requirements the same for leasing a car?

Stu Dudley

Yes -- Budget is one of the main short term leasing companies and their requirements are even more stringent.

From their Monthly Leasing T&Cs:

Customers over 75 years are eligible to rent with the following specific conditions:
  • They must drive regularly
  • They must provide us with a letter from their insurance company proving that they hold a current motor insurance policy and that they have been driving without having an accident for the last 5 years.
  • They must provide us with a letter from their doctor stating that they are in good health.
  • They may be required to undergo a driving assessment accompanied with a Budget representative.

As I said -- Ireland is definitely tricky for older visitors who want to drive.
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 10:41 AM
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""Customers over 75 years are eligible to rent with the following specific conditions""

The OP's husband is OK. He is not over 75.

Stu Dudley


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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 11:32 AM
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The OP is talking about renting -- the T&C's I posted are for leases of a month or more.

Plus, even IF their rental company has the same wording in their T&Cs - I wouldn't risk it myself. I've seen it interpreted both ways, as being over 75 yo or having had their 75th birthday. I'd hate to have my entire holiday depend on what a 27 yo rental agent decides when I walk in to collect my car.

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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 05:29 PM
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Thanks for all the advice. I talked to someone at my insurance company and they put in a request for a letter. I need to wait for it to see what it says about accidents. The real shame is he’ll only turn 75 a few weeks before the trip.

If it turns out that he can’t drive a rental car in Ireland I think we’ll just go somewhere else. When we travel we make frequent stops for pictures and we really need to have both of us able to drive. And public transportation won’t work because I don’t think they’ll pull over and stop every time my husband sees a view he needs a picture of.

There are other places we’d like to go so although Ireland is our number 1 choice, we can easily come up with another plan. I just never expected to have trouble with a car rental. The insurance situation is bad enough but this age thing was a real surprise.
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 06:10 PM
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All is not lost . . . if the insurance letter doesn't work out - there are always driver-guides. Lots and lots (and lots) of people don't/can't drive in Ireland because of age, or fear of driving on the left, or they simply don't drive - every town has taxi drivers and drivers who will drive wherever you want . . . AND stop when/where you want. And it wouldn't cost much if any more than the cost of a rental car. A big advantage is the person who would normally be driving can actually enjoy the scenery too and not gripping the wheel.
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Old Dec 24th, 2022, 07:59 PM
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ALternative option

Years ago I took my mother to Ireland and did not want to drive myself so hired a driver, and it was one of the best travel decisions I ever made. He picked us up at the airport in Dublin and dropped us at our hotel, then came back a couple days later to fetch us for a week long drive around the Emerald Isle. Aside from not having to mess with driving on "the wrong side of the road" and navigating, he dropped us at/near the entrance to all the attractions we visited, dealt with parking and came back for us at the appointed time, was able to advise about what time of day to see which attraction and even which ones were over rated tourist traps. As we drove around he was more than willing to stop anytime something caught our eye and even suggested a few things based on the sorts of things we expressed interest in seeing. You may want to check this out as an alternative to renting a vehicle.
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Old Dec 25th, 2022, 01:12 AM
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Many hire companies need that letter to be no more than 30 days old at the start of the rental period, and they also usually want a letter from your doctor as well, also no more than 30 days old.
It is a daft requirement for many with a European driving licence as in many countries 75 year olds have to undergo a full (and expensive!) medical before they can renew their licence.
Also apparently some hire companies in Ireland will accept up to 79 year olds, though I don't know which ones.

We were having a look at the rules the other day, debating driving our own car or hiring one there. DH turns 75in March so If we go looks like it will be in our own car, if we go at all. I am happy to share the driving but not to be the sole driver just yet.
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Old Dec 25th, 2022, 07:49 AM
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Or move the trip up so that the car rental ends before he turns 75?

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Old Dec 26th, 2022, 03:48 AM
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I realize the letter from my insurance company would need to be within 30 days of the trip but I want to go ahead and get it now to see how the insurance company describes the incident we had last summer. If they consider it an accident then we’ll start planning to go somewhere else. If they don’t then I’ll ask for another letter closer to the trip.

And we briefly considered moving the trip up to before his birthday on April 20 but that’s just too early in the year. We’d just really prefer to go somewhere else at the time that we want to go, if we can’t do Ireland the way we want to.
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Old Dec 26th, 2022, 03:58 AM
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I agree with Seamus! I've started using private drivers more often and really enjoy it. I drove in Ireland years ago but for my next trip planned a small group tour because I didn't want to drive this time (30 years later). I'm not in my 70s (yet) but I don't want to drive in Ireland myself. I do drive elsewhere. Look into the private driver/ guide option.
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Old Dec 26th, 2022, 10:27 AM
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I think as far as insurance companies go, they don't care about laws/tickets, what they care about is claims and damage to cars. They may well call that an "accident" (it wasn't intentional after all), as I don't think that term has anything to do with who is at fault.

I guess you will find out what they say. You are going to be in trouble if all they do is state the facts and don't use the term "accident" as you are back where you started, not knowing what the car rental company will do, they say you can contact them for more details on that policy. It could be that wouldn't count as an "accident", who knows.

Out of curiosity, I checked Sixt and they only require the medical certificate from your doctor, not a letter from your insurer. They say they may "quiz" in person on your driving record/accidents and if they are not satisfied, they can deny you. Very bizarre terms, you'd think they were the police or something who were experts in interrogation.

I also think getting a private driver might be wise anyway.
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Old Dec 28th, 2022, 07:31 AM
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Does your credit card cover your rental? If so much less likely the rental company will be strict. Also make sure you rent an automatic if that is what you drive. Getting used to driving on the left while sitting on the right is a bit tricky at first and not having to worry about a clutch makes it easier I would assume.

Driving in Ireland was beautiful and definitely worth it. April is also too early. I was there late April and it rained most of the time I was there.
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Old Dec 28th, 2022, 07:46 AM
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"Does your credit card cover your rental?"

The vast majority of cc's do not cover in Ireland (nor Italy and Israel -- the three "I's" ) A very few special master cards do or at least used to, but even that may have changed. I would not count on having credit card coverage ubfortunately.
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