What visitors wish they'd known about hiring a car: automatics, insurance, size and the roads. Ranked by how many trip reports said it.
What visitors said
1Reserve an automatic early. Manuals dominate rental fleets and the automatics run out22 visitors
From visitors' trip reports
Rent an automatic at Shannon: Sixt cars are parked right outside the terminal, no shuttle, and a lane-drift alert helps on the left side. · Fodor's, 2023
Pay about $300 extra for an automatic for a week; the Dublin Airport Dollar/Hertz desk system was down so a bus ran to the pickup. · TripAdvisor, 2023
Rent the smallest automatic that fits your luggage; manuals are cheaper but stressful with left-side driving. · Blog, 2025
Book a compact automatic early; only full-size autos were left, awkward on narrow roads. · TripAdvisor, 2022
22 visitors here; showing 4 of the 9 who gave detail.
2Take zero-excess rental cover. Hedges and stone walls scratch cars, and excess runs €1,500–5,000 (~$1,620–5,400)10 visitors
From visitors' trip reports
Choose a rental like NewWay that includes zero-excess insurance and no big deposit; others hold 1,500 to 3,000 euro (~$1,620–3,240) for weeks. · Blog, 2025
Buy the agency's zero-deductible cover; it cost about 45 euro (~$49) per person to cut the 2,000 euro (~$2,160) excess. · Blog, 2024
Get full-coverage rental insurance; narrow roads with stone walls caused several close calls. · Blog, 2025
Buy comprehensive insurance because hedges scratch paint. · Blog
10 visitors here; showing 4 of the 7 who gave detail.
3Don't rely on credit-card rental cover without a letter that names Ireland. Desks reject generic ones10 visitors
From visitors' trip reports
Get card-issuer proof naming Republic of Ireland coverage; Europcar refused an email over three weeks old and one lacking Ireland wording. · Fodor's, 2022
Rely on card rental insurance? Get a letter naming Ireland specifically; the generic one was rejected and took two attempts. · Fodor's, 2023
Get written proof from card issuer before declining rental insurance. · TripAdvisor, 2026
Credit card rental coverage doesn't apply; budget for full cover. · Blog
10 visitors here; showing 4 of the 8 who gave detail.
4Compare rental quotes with full insurance and deposit included. The headline daily rate misleads7 visitors
From visitors' trip reports
Mandatory insurance inflates the advertised daily car rate considerably. · Blog, 2018
Booking car via Costco cost far less than direct. · TripAdvisor
7 visitors here; showing 2 of the 3 who gave detail.
5Rent the smallest car that fits your luggage. The roads are narrow and walled12 visitors
12 visitors said this; none added more detail than the headline.
6Hire the car only for the countryside leg. Cities are easier on foot and public transport5 visitors
From visitors' trip reports
Pick the car up in Galway on day four and drop it at Dublin Airport; it cost little more than a same-city return. · Blog, 2022
Rent a car for only part of the trip: she picked up in Galway and dropped in Cork, then took the bus to Dublin. · Blog, 2024
Spend St Patrick's Day in Galway, then return the car in Dublin where the city is walkable and has transit. · TripAdvisor
Rent the car only for Galway to Kerry and return at Shannon; Dublin and Galway are easy on foot. · Blog, 2026
5 visitors here; showing the 4 who gave detail.
7Download offline maps and carry a paper road atlas. Signal and signposting both fail12 visitors
From visitors' trip reports
Download offline maps (maps.me) before leaving; turn-by-turn works in airplane mode and was more reliable than Google for hiking trails. · Fodor's, 2023
Save every destination as a Google Maps favourite before leaving home; they appear without a local SIM and let you walk to each stop. · Blog, 2025
Waze guided the whole road trip flawlessly; carry an Ordnance Survey Discovery 1:50,000 paper map as backup. · TripAdvisor, 2024
Carry a paper map for Donegal's narrow lanes; the group got lost and had to buy one at a petrol station. · Blog, 2015
12 visitors here; showing 4 of the 5 who gave detail.