Renting a car in Ireland
Adding car rental insurance in Ireland is confusing and can get expensive, sometimes even doubling the price of the car. Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is mandatory and can be purchased when renting the car or at the counter but beware as it can get a little confusing and from my experience a little underhanded. The last thing you need after a long flight is to be faced with a myriad of choices for car rental insurance.
Here are the choices you are likely to come across
Basis Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) insurance
Excess Insurance
Super Excess Insurance
Theft Insurance
Liability Insurance
Loss of use Insurance
Basis Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) insurance is mandatory and is what is usually offered when renting a car online. This insurance will cover the cost of the car in case of damage up to the excess (deductible amount) which is usually around $1800.
Excess Insurance is an additional insurance that will usually reduce your excess (deductible) amount to zero. However it usually does not cover items like car rims, tires or windshield.
Super Excess Insurance is an additional insurance that will usually reduce your excess amount to zero and will include items not covered by excess insurance.
Most people only become aware of the last two insurance options at the rental counter and feel pressured to buy them. They are both optional insurances but driving on unfamiliar and often small roads they feel obliged to buy them. Both of these optional insurances can run anywhere up to $25 a day each.
A great option is to use a credit card to cover the car rental insurance in Ireland. However, Ireland is one of those countries where not all credit cards will be accepted to cover car rental insurance, so you need to be sure your card will be accepted before you rent the vehicle.
Only a handful of cards are accepted in Ireland so it is imperative that you check with your bank. Some Chase cards are accepted among them the Chase Sapphire Card, Chase Ink and the Amazon Prime Card.
Personally I use the Amazon Prime Card as along with full CDW and Theft insurance there are also no foreign transaction fees.
These credit cards will usually cover full CDW and Theft insurance including the excess insurances, but you should contact your bank to confirm. You will also need a letter from your credit card company saying that you are covered in Ireland. You can ask your bank to email you a letter or for Chase cards, like the Amazon Prime Card, you can go to https://www.eclaimsline.com/ and enter your card number to find out if you are covered and they will email you the letter immediately. You must bring the letter to the car rental counter to show you have coverage.
Remember when using a credit card for rental insurance the rental agency will put a hold on your card of up to $5,000 for the duration of the rental. Also you must pay in full with the credit card and decline all other insurances offered by the rental agency.
In Summary When using a credit card
Check with your bank to make sure your card can be used in Ireland for car rental insurance. For Chase card go to https://www.eclaimsline.com/
Bring letter of coverage to rental counter.
Credit card coverage usually covers all CDW and theft insurance needs. No need to buy extra excess insurance.
Most cards cover Loss of Use insurance but some do not. Please confirm with your bank. I believe Citi cards dropped their loss of use insurance.
Personal liability will come with the car. No need to purchase. Once a car rental agency tried to sell me personal liability insurance even though it came with the car. There may be other liability insurance you might want, such as damage to other cars, but people rarely get these.
Decline all other insurances -CDW, theft, etc offered by rental agency.
A hold of up to $5000 will be put on your card. Also be prepared for the fact that your credit card company and not the car rental agency will be responsibile for paying for any loss incured.
Other tips
Stick shift cars are very popular in Ireland and are usually a cheaper option. If you need an automatic make sure that is what you pick when making your reservation.
The car rental companies I would recomend first are Budget, Avis and Sixt.
Look for a rental with no cancelation fees if possible.
If driving into Northern Ireland a cross border fee of around $50 will usually be accessed. Let them know at the counter if you are going to dive into Northern Ireland.
There are some toll roads on a couple of highways in Ireland. Ask at the rental counter how these are handled. I would not pay extra for a toll paying device, but ask if the toll charges are your responsibility or do they go straight onto the credit card you originally used to rent the car. Tolls can be paid with a credit card as you pass through the toll booth. The only toll where you cannot pay as you pass through is the infamous M50 toll. This is an over head toll, on the M50 ring road that goes around Dublin City, with no place to pay as you pass through. The best way to pay the toll is at https://www.eflow.ie/ Here you simpily enter your tag number and pay the toll via credit card. You have until 8pm the following day to pay the toll. Make sure you remember to pay the toll as charges double every 24hr that a toll is not paid. You can also pre pay a toll at https://www.eflow.ie/ before you go through it.
Take video and pictures of car at pick up.
Disclaimer: Information on this page comes from first hand experience. However car rental agencies and credit card companies policies are subject to change . Out of Ireland accepts no responsibility for any part of a car rental transaction.