Driving & Car Rentals

 IMPORTANT:

1. DO NOT GET AN SUV! Irish roads are about 2/3 the width of American ones and out in the country two-way roads are rarely wide enough for two vehicles to pass without luck and prayers. Cars in Ireland are smaller than we're used to, but still...
2. CHECK YOUR INSURANCE COVERAGE! This is serious. Apparently having your American insurance cover your Irish rental is NOT automatic- read the fine print! Buy extra if you have any doubt. My experience says there is at least an 75% chance you will smash your passenger side mirror. Those narrow country roads don't have shoulders- they have stone walls that are inches from your car. Your front seat passenger will probably be grimacing with apprehension much of the time. Don't worry, you don't notice it after a while. 
3. Remember to DRIVE ON THE LEFT! Tie a string around your finger, put a Post-It on the windshield, put a rubber band around your left wrist- do what you have to. This issue is most serious in big cities, where our American reptilian driving brain will try to take over as we're making turns in big intersections. 

   

   Image by DESI MAXWELL from Pixabay

Other Info:

• Shannon Airport has about a dozen car rental agencies, including American staples like Budget, Avis and Hertz. 
• Your American driver's license will be fine- you don't need an international license. 
• Make sure everyone who might be driving is allowed to under the contract and is covered by insurance. 
• Pack light. You'll only be able to fit 2-3 medium-sized bags in most cars if you want to leave the back seat free. Leave the mammoth luggage home.
• If you want to use a debit card, check to see if your car rental company accepts them. Some may only accept credit cards. 
• I repeat: Irish roads are narrow. Irish country roads are often narrow, winding and closely bordered by stone walls. Driving in Connemara requires concentration. No sipping coffee, no snacking, no napping, no juggling. Also there will be sheep and cows walking in/by the road. Herds have right of way. 

Car rental prices: 

Approximately €400-600 per week. Automatic transmissions are on the higher end. It's cheaper to rent a car in Limerick than at Shannon Airport, but obviously less convenient. You can drop a car off at a different location than where you picked it up, but there will be an additional charge. 

Gas prices:

The only good thing about our crazy high gas prices? It won’t be such a shock when you see European prices. And yes, they sell by the liter, not the gallon. Irish gas prices as of today: about €1.859 per liter (€7.037/gallon).