Best company for renting a car in Ireland?
 

We want to rent a car for two weeks in July, in Ireland. Have you had any especially good - or bad - experiences? Any advice? thanks!

We've rented twice with Hertz--worked out great both times.

Two pieces of advice: 1) Rent the smallest car that you will be comfortable in. The minor roads are narrow and it sure helped us having a small car when we met other vehicles on these roads and 2) spend the extra money and rent an automatic rather than a standard. My husband, who drove a standard car for 3 years in Australia, said he was so glad not to have to think about shifting gears on the roads in Ireland (which can be narrow and curvy)!

I have always used Enterprise here and have never had a problem.

Definitely rent from Dan Dooley. We rented a car from them in September 09' and October 2010 and had great experiences both times. They have the best rates (IMHO) and the best customer service. Be sure to get the extra insurance coverage and you will have no problems what so ever.(I think it is called Super CDI). As already stated it is best to get the smallest car possible as many of the roads are much narrower than any you regularly drive in the U.S. We had a 2 door hatch back vehicle each time and with ourselves, 2 suitcases and 2 large backpacks there was plenty enough room. My husband drove a stick shift at home and after about 30 minutes had no problem driving on and shifting from the left. Renting an automatic transmission car in Ireland will cost about $300-$500 more; just keep reminding your husband "left side, left side" and "yield right, yield to your right". You will find that many people on this site have rented from Dan Dooley and rave about how good they are, so give them a call and enjoy your trip, I am so jealous!

I'll second Dan Dooley. They seem to be the most up-front with costs on their website, no surprises. if you want super CDI, look for 3rd party options, they are often less expensive and cover more, such as mirrors, keys/key fobs, and tires (er... tyres).

Driving a stick wasn't as bad as I had feared. Having a small car was great. I didn't have any issues with driving on the left (the counter agent at Dan Dooley reminded me to "look right, keep left" which helped a ton). One tip - familiarize yourself with Irish road signs in advance. Also, I had a problem understanding/converting speed between KPH and MPH. For some reason, I just couldn't grasp speed signs, etc... in KPH and had to do a conversion. Silly, I know, but still, something I struggled with the first day or two...

I have a Fiat Punto and an Opel 4x4 outside and live in the Hills surrounded by narrow winding roads and I can assure everyone that 6" on the width of a car makes no difference what so ever.

Dooley's or Budget are my options for hire companies and avoid agencies who sell at knock down prices because you will get to the desk and find out that all inclusive could mean all exclusive.

I drive a stick shift here and rent a stick shift abroad. I've had no problem adjusting to shifting with the other hand. It takes maybe 10 minutes to get used to it. Of course, you will instinctively go to the wrong door and reach for the break with the wrong hand, but driving a stick does not make driving in Ireland any harder, IMHO.

If you know how to drive a stick shift, it will save you money.

If you do a search here about rental cars, you will find more than you ever wanted to know about potential problems.

We've used Hertz without any problem. Its always expensive and a hassle to rent a car in Ireland, but no real complaints. We always get the smallest car that will fit our luggage, which usually includes golf clubs. So that means something along the lines of a Ford Focus.

Used Sitz [I think that's the name] on the last visit. Not too happy with them. They gave us a car that reeked of smoke. They did change cars for us, but about 3 days later, the brake light came on. Our B&B host checked - we were out of brake fluid! Sitz was unresponsive when I contacted them, sort of like it was our fault for not checking. Checked it in at Shannon airport - staff very unfriendly.

Good luck and have a great trip. Ireland is wonderful once you get passed the car rental.

I've always considered Ireland to be one of the LEAST expensive countries in western Europe for car rentals.

My one bit of advice for contries where you drive on the left: Try not to get a Japanese car. The turn signal and windshield wiper switches are reversed from the way they are on U.S. and European cars, so I always spend the first few days signaling turns with the windshield wipers. I usually get used to it just in time to go home and do it wrong on my own car. It bothers me much more than shifting with my left hand does.

Sixt are renowned for their lack of customer service. cheap and nasty as the saying goes. Yes Irish car hire is amongst the cheapest in Europe....before you add the essential extras.

Here is some feedback on who NOT to rent with. I had a horrible experience County Car Rental who I found through the online service provider Car Trawler. All the things I would not expect to happen with a Car Rental company in the EU did - long wait to check in, hidden fees, fees stated as "Mandatory" when they were not, additional charges added after I returned the car. Going back to the service provider Car Trawler for assistance got me no where. I would definitely go with an alternative.

Another vote for Dan Dooley - they are the only car rental place I've used (I've used Enterprise, Hertz, and Europcar) that didn't have some sort of hidden charge. They guarantee the rate they quote you when you reserve the car.

I usually only drive stick shift when in the UK or Ireland, so I have learned to use the left hand to shift with. The pedals are in the same order. Do check into insurance - most credit cards won't cover you in Ireland, in fact very few if any do anymore. I found Dan Dooley's rates with insurance reasonable - we rented for 18 days, from Belfast to Shannon, for about $700 total, including everything. Checkin and check out was a breeze.

There are a lot of car insurance companies in Ireland and everyone uses these companies as every person has risks in its life and can’t ignore the risks but can shift the risks to the insurance companies. All the companies are trying to convince the peoples to buy an insurance policy from their company. All companies have various different type of policies and their different condition and age limits. Some policies are suitable for one person but not for other so it can’t be said that any policy is best. As all the companies are providing insurance so one should have all the information about them and their different policies. Any company can’t be considered as best company until one is not aware of its features and policies. All the insurance companies are available on the internet so one should visit them and find the best for them. There are some informative website that provides all the information about various insurance companies and their policies. These can help one to decide which is the best.

has anyone used economy rent a car

Agency alert... go direct rather than try and save a few cent using a middleman who will, not might, will short sell.
http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-....html#50933820

We had a very good experience with Hertz.

I agree with the recommendation of renting the smallest car that will accommodate you and your luggage.

DH had no difficulty about using a stick shift in Ireland.

Very informative discussion. Thank you everyone for all the tips.

I've read in various forums about how narrow the roads are and how many side mirrors are damaged and scratching the car along bushes on the left side of the road. Are the bushes really that close to the driving lanes? Where are these bushes so I can avoid them? :-D

"Are the bushes really that close to the driving lanes? "

It is easy for us natives to spot a rental car when driving behind one. It is even easier to spot an American/Canadian driving a hire car,, They are the ones trying to put the car into the ditch..

Sit in your car at home, consider what part of the car comes between your eyes and the centre line of your local road.. That point will be just the same over here when sat on the other side of a car on the other side of a road..

Do not over compensate for narrower roads, do not follow the Advice given by St Rick of Steves to pull in your mirrors (Illegal) or put "L" plates on your Rental (snap)

We are a family of 6 coming to Ireland in July. Any thoughts on a bigger vehicle to fit our family? 3 adults and 3 kids.

Ford Galaxy as a minimum,, avoid the Opel Zafira or Similar category as the final 2 seats take up all the luggage space.

We rented from Dan Dooley and were very happy.
1. The super insurance had zero or low deductible while other companies quoted us high deductibles.
2. When we got off the plane in Cork, the lines at Hertz and other well known companies were long; we walked up to Dooley's and got our car.
3. We flatted and destroyed a tire. Dooley covered not only the tow but also the cost of the new tire...showed them the receipt and had no problems.
4. Very friendly people at the desk; since other companies also hire locally, i am sure that can be said for them too.
5. Dooley has a North American number and agent you can call and she will arrange the rental with you...very easy.

Finally, when driving, just like elsewhere, just remember that you are closest to the center line.
have fun