Ireland and Renting a Car with Insurance

[jgirvine Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jgirvine]

Need advice please. We are going to Ireland for a week in June.

Normally we rent a car using ourAmerican Express card and do not bother to get the car insurance. In Ireland, the credit cards do not extend insurance coverage. So we plan on getting the insurance from the rental company.

It is at this point I become so frustrated. I can not seem to be able to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Not a single one of the car rental websites I have tried have been able to give me a complete cost picture. Some include the insurance, some don't, some include some of the coverage but not all. None say they are offering full coverage, but coverage after an "excess". I assume an excess is what we call a deductible, but, none say what the excess is. I have reservation with Eurocar, and sent THREE emails asking for details of the insurance coverage.

Has anyone got any advice?

Thanks
Ginny

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

There's a very good reason no one extends coverage into Ireland. Their roads are really narrow and their drivers are really crazy (IMO). They're use to the roads but most outsiders are not. In 1 weeks time I flattened two tires and almost took the drivers side rear view mirror off by hitting oncoming cars same mirror. When I looked around I found a good number of cars with different paint colors on those outside rearview mirrors if the cars had them at all. Roadways are very narrow with hedge rows or rock walls that come all the way to the edge of the road. Yet, to see Ireland you must rent a car.

We rented from Thrifty at the airport in Dublin. Originally I had an automatic rented but they didn't have one available. I agreed to take a stick shift since I drive one in the states and had driven one in Scottland. I'll never make that mistake again. To much time worrying about the shift (shifting with the left hand takes some getting use to). At times I'd miss the shift getting out onto a roadway and, since almost all roads curve everywhere in Ireland, I had to worry about someone speeding around the corner while I was trying to get the darn car in gear. I developed tendinitis from all the missed shifts over a weeks time.

Thrifty laid out the total cost online for us. I took out every ounce of insurance they offered including the "excess" coverage, which is a deductable. If memory serves me correctly that was around 500 Euros. While in a foriegn country I don't want to deal with claims long distance. By taking out all the coverage I never had to worry about a thing. The two flats occured in one day.....a Sunday. All I had to do was call Thrifty and they sent a truck to pick us up and get us to a carriageway (shop) that was open.

BTW, there aren't really a lot of pay phones in Ireland. I'd recommend getting something or renting something that will work over there. I purchased a world phone online from Mobalphone.com. It came in VERY handy when we were in the middle of small town Ireland with very few shops open that could help us. Even the petrol station I limped into didn't have a public phone we could use to call Thrifty.

My advice is to take out any and all insurance they offer. If you've never driven in Ireland it's not like driving in the U.K. I'd do it again but, those first couple of days I swear I left my hand imprints in the stearing wheel of our car.

[jgirvine Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jgirvine]

Thanks for the advice. I was going to rent a stick shift as they are less than half the price of an automatic, but after reading your post I decided to bite the bullet and get an automatic. (I drive a stick every day).

I can not believe what a car over there is costing us. The best deal I have found so far is through Auto Europe, and for a Ford Focus or similar (so small) is, are you ready for this, over $867. WOW WOW WOW. Now, that includes all the insurance we can get, and for one extra driver.

Ginny

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Thanks for the advice. I was going to rent a stick shift as they are less than half the price of an automatic, but after reading your post I decided to bite the bullet and get an automatic. (I drive a stick every day).

I can not believe what a car over there is costing us. The best deal I have found so far is through Auto Europe, and for a Ford Focus or similar (so small) is, are you ready for this, over $867. WOW WOW WOW. Now, that includes all the insurance we can get, and for one extra driver.

Ginny

It's been two years so the rate of exchange was different but, going through Thrifty with every little bit of insurance they sold our cost was around $385 for one week. Book something and keep watching the rates daily. Rates change frequently and without warning. You might be able to cut that price down if you keep your eye out for a better deal.