Car Hire Dublin

I am visiting Donegal in September - flying into Dublin and was appalled at the cost of Car Hire - £100 per day minimum. Has anyone any suggestions on better priced car hire or is it more economic to pick a car up away from the airport? I wanted to travel along the north coast and see other places around Donegal so a car is important. I should have checked before booking flights and hotel as in hindsight it would have been better doing a ferry crossing with my own car I guess! In previous years, car hire has been a fraction of current cost.

Hi Philip,

We are very sorry to hear about your issue with car rental costs for your holiday in Ireland. This appears to be a problem in most destinations, as car hire companies to begin to update their fleets after the devastation caused by the pandemic over the past two years and also deal with other inflationary issues affecting their costs.

While resolving this issue is beyond our control, we will certainly bring your complaint to the attention of the Car Rental Council of Ireland (https://www.carrentalcouncil.ie/) and ask that they respond directly to you.

I would suggest that you check with your chosen airline to see if they have any partner deals with rental companies as these may prove better value and are a little more secure. There is a page on car rental on our website and I would also suggest taking a look at the Dublin Airport car rental page for the details of the usual agents available. 

I would recommend looking into collecting a car at Belfast City Centre, Airport or Derry Airport, before embarking on your trip around the North West Coast, I've run a quick quote, and car rental with collection at City of Derry Airport for example is coming in under £300 for a week in September. 

To get to the City of Derry Airport from Dublin, you can get the 933 bus from Dublin Aiport directly into Derry City Centre, and then the 234 service once you arrive at Derry bus station straight to the airport. That being said, taxis are quite cheap and there is a taxi stand right on Foyle Street as you leave the bus station. For Belfast City Centre, get the x1 or 705x service from Dublin Airport. 

Let me know if you have any other questions, and I would be glad to answer. 

Cathaoir

Thank you so much for this Cathaoir. I will look into these ideas you suggest and look forward to a lovely trip in September!!

Hi Philip. 

You are very welcome. 

If you do decide to go with the options I have suggested, I would very much recommend using Rome2Rio to plan any section of your journey you may embark on without a car. Simply enter your location and destination i.e 'Dublin Airport' to 'Belfast' and it will yield results for your journey, it includes public trains and buses as well as private. 

I hope this helps! 

Cathaoir