Renting a car in Ireland
A friend and I are spending 12 days in Ireland and have decided to rent a car to get the best out of our time. I have never rented a car in Europe and am having a hard time finding the best rates. Some of the sites confuse me as to whether or not the cost is inclusive with CDW or not. I don't want to pay for my car prior to arriving in Dublin to find we get a car in bad condition or we have added fees we have to pay more hidden fees. Any suggestions on how to get the best value?
Laura
Rochester, Minnesota 2/5/12
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Many users of this website, including me, use http://www.autoeurope.com/
Their rates are competitive, and they're highly reliable. Their website clearly explains what their fees do and don't include.
Ireland is probably the sloppiest place to rent a car in Europe. You want to pay for the outrageous super CDW insurance. Don't even think about not getting it.
I've rented from Budget. They were fine. Dan Dooley is popular. I suggest you go on to Kayak and compare prices but you won't find much difference if you factor in all the insurance. If you find a "bargain," it's probably going to surprise you with extra fees.
Why do you care if it's in bad condition? It just needs to move reliably.
FWIW, tires (tyres) are not covered by any insurance. I brought back a half wreck and all that the agent looked at was the spare tire.
I booked a package deal to Ireland a few years ago, and it included a car rental from Dan Dooley. We ended up with a Nissan Tiida that was in great condition, but I did upgrade to an automatic. It's definitely worth buying CDW since most credit card companies and car insurance providers exclude Ireland from their coverage.
We are going to Ireland in April and also need a rental car. We are going with Dan Dooley because they give you ALL the price upfront, nothing to surprise you when you arrive. Some World Master Cards cover Collision Damage insurance in Ireland, but only some, and you have to check carefully. I have researched car rental carefully and found Irelandyes.com most helpful - loads of info on car rental there. If that is not quite the right website, google michele erdvig - it's her site. Julia
Laura,
My husband and I are going to Ireland in April and also renting a car. I've been searching for a few weeks and finally bit the bullet yesterday and booked one. We are renting from Budget, though we got comparable offers from Dan Dooley and Budget. Ultimately, I went with Budget bc even though it's a little more upfront, the deductible is 0 with the super CDW and Dan Dooley had a 100 euro deductible, even with super CDW or excess waiver (some websites call it that). Also, most companies (even ones based in Ireland) have toll-free numbers to call and they are more helpful on the phone than some of the websites.
Like a lot of other posters say, you can book one and then keep watching for a better deal and cancel if you find one. That's what I'm going to do.
Have a great trip!!
Hi Laura,
My wife Lisa and I are just back from a trip to Ireland. The trip was wonderful, however we did get an unpleasant surprise from Dan Dooley car rental when we returned our rented car at Shannon today, May 18 2012. First of all the check in staff claimed we had damaged a tire and would need to speak with the front desk. We immediately took two close up pictures of the tire and proceeded to the front desk. There we were informed that we would be charged E150.00 to replace a tire that was not damaged. Despite our protests we were sent away told that we should have purchased the optional insurance coverage. Additionally, we were charged E105.00 as a fuel surcharge. It was not explained to us that we could be partially refunded the surcharge if we returned the car with fuel. We did return the car with >1/4 tank of fuel but were not offered or informed of any refund policy. Overall the car performed well but we are disappointed with the experience and are applealing the E150.00 tire charge. We will not do business with Dan Dooley again and cannot reccomend this rental agency. A sad ending to an otherwise delightful trip to Ireland. I suggest you avoid Dan Dooley car rentals. Please feel free to contact me at my listed email: jastmartin@massmutual.com if you would like additional details.
Regards,
James St.Martin
Oh boy. That's discouraging news about Dan Dooley. I just reserved through Dan Dooley but I got both CDW and Super CDW. I chose them because the quote included the full rate and the other rental companies would not sell the super CDW until pick up which made me nervous for budgeting. Has anyone else had a bad experience with Dan Dooley?
I generally use Irish Car Rentals. They have a US tollfree number and can answer questions about the cost for super CDW (or anything else) before you book. They also have the policy of refunding the fuel surcharge if you return the car full of gas. They told us about that policy the first time we rented from them.
Ken and Others...CDW? Really get it? Is that because there's usually a problem found? I was not planning on doing that because the fees are enormous.
I also found autoeurope has a drop fee if you pick up in Shannon and drop at Dublin. Malone doesn't. I don't think Hertz does. But what about GPS options? Hertz quoted 14 euro/day. Is it necessary in some of the back roads in the Southwest? Can I use my Iphone GPS?
Mary, bring your own GPS, or a really good map. And CDW, yes, not to be rude but if you can't afford it, you certainly can't afford not to have it.
Sorry I meant to ask about the Super CDW supplement. "Don't even think about not getting it?" I am getting the CDW. Is there a trend for finding problems that are not covered by the CDW deductible?
Yes, Mary, you really do need Super CDW. It is so easy to damage a rental car on the narrow roads of Ireland, particularly those bordered by stone walls. Even damage that looks small can be quite expensive, and the super CDW reduces your deductible to $0. Are you prepared to pay a deductible of perhaps 1500 euro?
Thanks everyone for the advice! I ended up going with Thrifty and we plan on getting the Super CDW to be safe. I am even more happy with my decision after hearing about Dan Dooley's unexpected costs. That is quite unfortunate. Hopefully I won't have that issue with Thrifty!
We have booked a car with hertz in June. My husband did the booking. The CDW is 103.20 euros. Does that sound reasonable?. What is the difference between CDW and super CDW?
The main difference is that CDW is the insurance you buy for the bulk of the main coverage, but usually leaves a deductable. The last time I checked the deductable is around 1600 Euros. I am not comfortable being hung out to dry for up to a nearly $2000 fee....if someone dings your door, mirror, or a fender bender occurs, so I usually opt for the additional insurance Super CDW which gets you deductable down to near 0, although most times you still are not covered for tires and glass. The going rate for Suprer CDW is 18.50 Euro per day on a midsize car, up from 14 Euro/day last year. As for the cost of regular CDW....it is what it is, and usually the amount is available on the websights, so you can find out ahead of time....not much variation from company to company as far as I can tell.
Excess insurance (for the deductable in place of SuperCDW) is also an option, and can be purchased on-line from insurance4carhire.com. Weekly policys are available to non-EU customers through them. You will be responsible to pay the deductable amount if there is a claim...it will be billed to your credit card, then it is up to you to get reimbursed from insurance4carhire.com I usually get the superCDW and still get an inexpensive policy from insurance4carhire.com to cover tires and glass.....a new tire in Ireland can cost over $200, esp if there is rim damage! Don't know what it would cost to replace a windshield!
The only other option....coverage by the master rental agreement thru a few "World" Mastercards but this coverage is getting more limited every day....and you still have to collect from MC after much paperwork and documentation....not worth it IME. Hope this helps.
Dan