kanne

I need to rent a car for one week in Dublin this August. A 4 door automatic - diesal if available. There does not seem to be one car company or consolidator that has stellar reviews, and all of them have their fair share of complaints. Europe by Car appears to be the least expensive, but I am requesting a detailed quote and want to make sure I am not missing any fees that will later be billed by the actual car company they book me with. Here is what I plan to ask so far:

VAT tax
Estimate of CDW TP TLW fee when purchased through rental company - and what does this bring deductable down to.
Is Super CDW available and at what cost.
Road fees
Location surcharge
Addtional driver fee

Are there other potential fees I should be aware of and ask for up front?

Thanks much!

griz_fan

Take a look at Dan Dooley, they seem to be very up-front about all the various fees, taxes and insurance. I used them last Summer and paid exactly what they quoted on their website. I then purchased super CDW through a 3rd-party, Insurance4CarHire. The rates were less than through the rental agency, and they covered tires, keys, etc....
I have to give Dan Dooley high marks, based on my experience. I found their rates reasonable, they were very up-front with all costs, and the service was first-rate.

JOHNOD

You seem to have it almost covered. The only thing I would add is the fuel policy. Some companies charge you for a full tank of fuel and tell you to bring it back empty which is almost impossible. Many will let you bring it in with a full tank so you only pay for what you use. I prefer the latter. Petrol and diesel is very expensive so it pays to ask. In the past I have used Dan Dooley,Hertz, Avis Budget and Ireland Rentacar. With exception of Budget at Shannon they all gave good service so check around and go for the best price. Have fun.

kanne

Thank you for the responses. I requested a full quote from Europe by Car, but they told me it was too early for their suppliers to give a quote. This seems odd to me since we are traveling in August - less than six months away! They suggested checking back in 3 weeks.

Dan Dooley offers the next best price and I like the suggestion of purchasing super CDW through Insurance4CarHire.

Do you think I am reserving too early for August? Is it likely prices will go down? Up?

Thanks!

Cowboy1968

I would not care too much about a diesel.
First, as you mentioned, it's based on availability.
Second, your total mileage (or kilometres) as a tourist in one single week will make the difference in prices negligable.
If you plan to drive 1,000 kms in Ireland, you will pay appr. €100 for petrol (gas) versus €95 for diesel.
The fuel policy can make more of a difference. Personally, I don't like to bring back the car empty (which it usually is not) but prefer a full/full policy.

allisonm

We just reserved a car for a week in April and used Kemwell (sister of Autoeurope) for the first time. The rental is with Murray's, another first time company for us. The voucher says we will have to return the car with any empty tank but I am hoping they tell us at the reservation desk that we can return it full. We have found this to be much more convenient than trying to use up the gas.

chartley

I am unsure why this is so complicated, and why you are concerned to know how much tax, airport surcharge, etc that you will have to pay. Road fees are a nonsense, since presumably the car is taxed for the year by the rental company.

Try going to www.autoeurope.ie and put in the dates you want and say you want an automatic. Compare the price (in euro) with what you have been quoted elsewhere. Autoeurope quote two prices, the higher one includes a fully refundable excess (what you will know as a deductible). The only variable is likely to be the additional driver cost, which you may need to check on.

You are going to Ireland and will be charged VAT. How much that is as a proportion of the rental doesn't really matter. It is the gross figure that is important.

kanne

Thanks for the input on the diesel cowboy1968.

Chartley, my concern about the fees is that almost every negative review of car rental companies in Ireland revolves around "unexpected" costs that do not appear in the original quote. My online instant quote from europebycar.com is for $249.00. This quote gives me absolutely no details on what that includes, but prompts me to enter my credit card number for payment. That is a steal of a price compared to other companies who are charging well over $600 for the car I need, including fees/taxes/insurance. However, I think it is reasonable to ask europebycar.com what $249 actually includes before I hand over my credit card number. That is what is making it complicated - at least for me.