Our thanks to Carrentals.co.uk for underwriting a portion of the car rental costs during our Ireland travels.
There are so many options when it comes to choosing a car rental for an Ireland vacation. Cost (obviously), size, transmission, and comfort play key roles in how good- or frustrating- your vacation will be.
Read this – and don't make the same mistake we did!
I've used quite a few different companies for car rental over the years. This year (2014) I used Carrentals.co.uk, a car rental search engine designed to help you find the best deal on car rentals.
My Experience with Carrentals.co.uk
When I initially booked my car rental, it was for 5 weeks. The rate was comparable to what I was seeing in other searches, and I had plenty of vehicle types to choose from. The rental was paid in advance and I was set.
About 6 weeks after that, we had a huge change of plans. Instead of 5 weeks, we would be traveling for 10 days- and I needed to change the dates. With only a few emails I was able to get the changes made- and quickly received a refund of the excess amount.
I always recommend CDW Excess when renting a car in Ireland. Usually this is purchased at the rental car counter, when you pick up the car, at a cost of around €10 per day. With Carrentals.co.uk I was able to pre-purchase the Excess coverage for half that cost.
Bonus: You don't have to hire from Carrentals.co.uk to use this! Bookmark this for future savings!
This left me with only the basic CDW (collision damage waiver) to pay for when we picked up the car. Which cost about twice the amount of the car rental. Our total car rental costs for the trip were:
Car rental: $234.35
CDW basic: $572.64
CDW excess: $75.95
Note: Very few credit cards cover car insurance in Ireland. Check your credit card carefully before assuming you are covered!
Renting a car in Ireland isn't cheap, no matter how you look at it, but it is the best way to see everything on your Ireland bucket list!
How to Use Carrentals.co.uk Car Rental for an Ireland Vacation
Carrentals.co.uk compares over 50 car rental companies – and in a world of too-often-confusing websites, is incredibly easy to use.
A click of the search and you have dozens of options. Knowing that a mini or economy car doesn't work for my family of 4, I scroll down to mid-page to find the best option.
The ‘Intermediate Car' was plenty roomy for our last trip, so I chose that again. From here you are taken to the suppliers website, where you complete your booking.
Before you book: read the fine print! Some of the rental companies offer the basic CDW included in your rental cost. Some don't. And some say CDW is covered but exclude the US and Canada in that coverage. Know what you are buying before you click that reserve button!
Final Thoughts
Our experience with Carrentals.co.uk was a positive one, and we will definitely use their website in the future when we shop for car rental in Ireland.
Car rental for an Ireland vacation can be tricky. If you are confused by it, I am just an email away! Another helpful resource for this is Michele Erdvig's Ireland Yes! Forum.
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Great information. Thanks for the tips.I did not know that if you buy the extra ins. ahead of time you can cut the price in half. That is awesome news. I also agree traveling by car is the only way to go. I’m adding Carrentals.co.uk to my own blog over @ celticthoughts.com Brighid
I was really (really) impressed by the savings on the CDW Excess insurance! Now, just an FYI, that is your secondary insurance, not your mandatory CDW.