U.K. and Ireland - Hertz Driving Restrictions- Ireland

In June/July I'll be heading to Ireland with a friend of mine to travel around for 8 days. We're both 24 and have held a license for 7 (her) and 8 (me) years. For four of the days, we'll be renting a car to drive from Cork, up the coast, and then cutting across to Dublin.

We're having a problem figuring out whether or not we actually have to hold an Ireland license, or whether our American ones would be enough? We're both also able to obtain an international license if need be. The agreement says you must hold a national license for 2 years, but surely they rent to non-Ireland residents? Does anyone know?

I've emailed the company with no response, and can't seem to find time to call when they're open.

No, you do not need an Irish licence. A US driving license will be fine. Do check the situation re insurance, though. I have a vague memory of seeing threads about oddities with insurance with hired cars in Ireland for US drivers but as this does not affect me, I did not look into it.

No, you do not need an Irish licence. A US driving license will be fine. Do check the situation re insurance, though. I have a vague memory of seeing threads about oddities with insurance with hired cars in Ireland for US drivers but as this does not affect me, I did not look into it.

my credit cards specifically exclude using "card" insurance in ireland and italy(and others).

Thanks!

As far as insurance goes, Hertz auto-includes a CDW policy in the rental, but I'll double check to make sure we're covered. If not, we'll just purchase the extra insurance I guess?

It's unbelievable how expensive renting an auto is!

The manual/stick shift is the norm in the British Isles for rental cars, so they are a premium price.

Thanks!

As far as insurance goes, Hertz auto-includes a CDW policy in the rental, but I'll double check to make sure we're covered. If not, we'll just purchase the extra insurance I guess?

It's unbelievable how expensive renting an auto is!In Europe, it is standard for CDW coverage to still leave a deductible/excess uncovered. If you are not covered by a credit card or some other source for it, you can pay extra at the rental station to cover the excess (assuming you do not want to bear the risk). However, it is usually comparatively expensive. There are various third party providers that offer cover specifically for car hire excess (do a google search on 'car hire excess insurance' or similar and it will bring up a few). These are normally cheaper than buying an excess waiver from the car hire company.

Renting a car in Ireland can be a headache. Michele Erdvig at www.irelandyes.com has done lots of research into it, and has a great thread here:

http://ireland.activeboard.com/t29313409/warning-car-rental-rip-offs-some-require-2000-15000-deposit-/

Manuals are usually half as expensive as automatic transmissions. Most US credit cards do NOT cover insurance - which means you have to buy the expensive CDW insurance. Some folks have done outside insurance for this (some plans at www.insuremytrip.com have this) but I've not known any that needed claims or their results. I've always gotten the best rates and service from Dan Dooley, especially if you call their US office for a deal. They ONLY charge what they quote you, no hidden add ons at the last minute like many of the others do.

First off I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who replied with helpful tips. Seriously- they saved me a lot of hassle that I would have encountered at the rental desk after landing!

Second, I want to send out a big FYI to anyone under 25 trying to rent in Ireland. (Yes, I know I'm probably a minority here haha :p) PLEASE CALL before you book your rental! Many of the car hire websites were misleading, saying they charge fees for under 25 drivers in Ireland. I'm glad I called Hertz to clear up a few things pre-booking, because I found out that they absolutely do not rent to under 25. Budget, Thrifty, Avis, and Dollar are all in this same category.

The only companies that I could find that rent to drivers under the age of 25 are Payless and Dan Dooley. We chose to go with Dan Dooley because it's far more economical this go around. They quoted the entire cost of the rental up front; the only "fees" we will incur at the desk are a €100 deposit (we took out the extra waiver which lowered this; initially it was €1800) and a full tank of gas, which will both be refunded upon return of car (assuming there are no accidents and the tank is full ;))

Thank you again for all of the help earlier this week!

Threads merged for ease of future reference.

stut
Moderator
UK & Ireland

Glad you got a rental! Did you call Dooley directly or reserve online? SOmetimes you can get a discount by calling their US offices. Give it a try if you haven't already. They treated us quite nicely when we used them last summer. No hassle, picked us up from the airport, no muss no fuss at drop off.

The time of year has a lot to do with the likelihood of a deal. In July there simply are not enough hire cars in Ireland and so they don't need to discount or cater for U-25s.