Below are some articles on cheap car hire Ireland:
Cheap car hire ireland
If you're planning to drive a rental car in Europe this summer, you might run into some age bans or surcharges. Some countries and/or rental companies enforce a maximum age for cheap car hire ireland, and young drivers under 25 can expect a hefty surcharge. I last reported on age limits more than a year ago, and a refresher is in order.
The senior limit is the more troublesome and unexpected one, although you can sometimes get around it. As far as I can tell, senior travelers—regardless of age—can rent cars without limitations or surcharges in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, cheap car hire ireland
gary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, or Switzerland.
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At the other end of the spectrum, rental agencies in four countries generally establish maximum ages for any senior cheap car hire ireland:
Ireland (Republic): cheap car hire ireland to travelers over 75. Those over 70 may have to pay an extra fee.
Israel: No rentals to travelers over 75.
Malta: No rentals to travelers over 70.
Romania: No rentals to travelers over age 70.
In a few other countries, maximum age limits may apply with some local rental agencies and/or on some car classes:
U.K., Northern Ireland: Some cheap car hire ireland agencies apply a maximum age limit of 69 for some car classes; some impose extra fees for travelers age 70 or older.
Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey: Some cheap car hire ireland are limited for travelers over 70.
Denmark: Some rental agencies impose a maximum age of 80.
Regardless of your age (and even if you're well under 70), rental agents always have the option of refusing to rent to you if either your driving record or your general behavior seems to indicate you'd have a problem driving safely. Agents can disqualify you even if you have a reservation, so if you have a poor driving record or appear to be at all senile, don't count on getting a rental.
Even though the tourist literature indicates absolute age limits in Ireland, Israel, Malta, and Romania, you may still be able to rent a car from a few suppliers. The big multinational companies, such as Hertz, say they have no corporate age limits, so any limits you might find with those companies are imposed by local franchisees. Even though you generally hear "no rentals over 75" about Ireland, some readers have told me they've been able to do it by checking around among lots of agencies cheap car hire ireland. And no matter where you are, the French lease program imposes no maximum age.
As far as I can tell, the age limits apply to renting, not driving. If you rent in a country without an age limit, you can drive into an adjacent country that doescheap car hire ireland have a limit—provided your rental contract allows such cross-border trips. Check to make sure.
An International Drivers Permit (IDP) is required to rent in Austria, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, and Romania. Elsewhere in Europe, an IDP is not required for the cheap car hire ireland, but you still may need it if an official stops you while driving. Overall, I recommend getting an IDP any time you plan to drive in any country where English is not either an official language or widely spoken. You can get it through a local AAA office.
Obviously, you need to make sure you're eligible to rent before you make final travel arrangements. You really don't want to arrive at a cheap car hire ireland counter, all set for a driving tour, only to be told, "Sorry, you're too old." When you arrange your rental reserve, make sure to give your age to the agent (or enter it on the website).
If you aren't sure about whether you can rent, consider renting through Auto Europe, a wholesaler that contracts with many suppliers. Spokespeople tell me that if any agency rents to older seniors, Auto Europe will find it—as long as they're good drivers cheap car hire ireland.
Car hire Southern Ireland
Car rental companies and fleet management firms are to meet representatives of the National Roads Authority (NRA) to discuss their concerns about the new barrier-free tolling system on Dublin’s M50.
The representative body for the firms, the Vehicle Leasing Association of Ireland (VLAI), will host a breakfast seminar on August 7,with barrier-free tolling likely to feature high on the agenda car hire southern ireland.
The NRA, which was invited to attend the event by the VLAI, has said it will be sending a representative. The VLAI also plans to invite all the companies providing electronic tags under the new system to attend the meeting.
From August 30,car hire southern ireland the existing M50 toll plaza will be removed and replaced with a barrier-free electronic toll system. Car rental companies and fleet management firms have expressed concerns about how the new system will affect their businesses.
Michael Hegarty, car hire southern ireland general manager of the fleet management division at Hertz Lease and a member of the VLAI council, said: ‘‘Businesses will now be left with no alternative other than to register their fleets and incur all costs for use of the M50, regardless of whether it’s business or private use.”
He said companies that offered fleet management services could be left picking up the tab for trips on the M50 by their clients. He said the VLAI had also raised concerns with the NRA about difficulties that might arise in tracing the owner of the vehicle in the case of a change of ownership,car hire southern ireland registration cloning or stolen vehicles.
car hire southern ireland Hegarty said that the VLAI had had extended discussions with the NRA regarding their concerns about the new tolling system, and had found the NRA’s attitude to be ‘‘take it or leave it’’.
A spokesman for the NRA said it had spoken at length to car rental companies and fleet management firms to iron out issues with the new system. He said a system had been introduced to allow rental firms to register their fleet in bulk for convenience car hire southern ireland.
Cheap car hire Southern Ireland
As holiday expenses go, few can have as many potential pitfalls as cheap car hire southern ireland in a foreign country. You're driving on the other side of unfamiliar roads, probably dealing in a language other than English - and to cap it all you've signed a contract that appears to give the car hire firm carte blanche to hit your credit card on the slightest pretext. Given all of that, it's amazing that anyone ever does it. However, despite the possible problems, hiring a car abroad need not be an ordeal - assuming you follow some basic rules.
Before you go
cheap car hire southern ireland is still generally cheaper if booked in advance, and a host of aggregator websites now compete with the big household names for your business.
The key to comparing prices is to include "super collision damage waiver" (SCDW) that most people will want to include. This is extra insurance which, in most cases, reduces the excess to zero in the even of a crash.
A survey conducted by Guardian Money shows that companies often quote an initial cheap car hire southern ireland, but make up the cost by adding it to the insurance.
There's no need to take it all, but if you have a crash, or damage the car, you'll soon find a £600 charge lands on your credit card (see 'Bang goes £641', below) whether you were responsible for the damage or not.
If you hire more than one car a year, cheap car hire southern ireland or are hiring it for more than one week, it is much more cost-effective to buy an annual SCDW policy from a company called Insurance4carhire.com. For £49 a year, you get all the super collision damage waiver insurance you can use in Europe - on all cars hired more than 150km from your home. This has the added benefit of covering wheels and tyres that the cheap car hire southern ireland company's own policies will never cover. It also offers worldwide or US policies.
When comparing prices it's also worth considering how much it will cost to add an extra driver to the policy, if required. Some firms like Holidayautos will let you add a second to the rental agreement for free. Others charge as much as £27.
When checking quotes, make sure they include any additional local surcharge. Some cheap car hire southern ireland firms impose €25, payable on arrival, for all airport pick-ups in Ireland. Never buy the personal accident insurance which will typically add €6 a day to the rental cost, as you've probably already got cover in your travel insurance policy, and may even be covered under your home insurance policy.
Once you arrive
The classic mistake that most people make when picking up a cheap car hire southern ireland is not checking it over. When the rep shows you the car go round it very carefully marking every blemish on the sheet they provide - even if the rep says there is no damage. Take photos. Pay particular attention to the wheels - particularly alloy wheels - and get the sheet signed. Check it really is full of fuel, and that the spare tyre is there. Some people also check that the engine is full of oil.
Handing back the keys
If you are due to return the car full of fuel, then do so because the charges to fill the car on your behalf are inevitably punitive - cheap car hire southern ireland not only charge more for the fuel, they also apply a extra handling charge.
Assuming you haven't damaged the car in any way, you need to be able to prove this if there's a dispute once you have returned to the UK. If you can, get the cheap car hire southern ireland to walk round the car with you and sign the sheet showing it's clean.
However, many firms now just ask you to park it up and hand over the keys. As someone who had a summer job working for a car hire firm, I now always photograph the car I'm handing back to show there was no damage when I left it. Again focus on the wheels as the most common post-rental claim is for damage to the wheels - typically scrapes to alloy wheel hubs - which are not covered by their extra insurance. Keep the pictures and copies of all paperwork supplied. If the car hire firm later tries to argue you damaged the cheap car hire southern ireland, you will be able to provide photos to show you were not responsible.
Bang goes £641
One man who knows all too well the perils of handing your credit card details to cheap car hire southern ireland firms is Ken Holder.
The retired chief engineer from Washington, Tyne & Wear, has been trying for more than a year to recover £641 charged to his card by cheap car hire southern ireland.
Despite having photographs that he says clearly showed he was not at fault, all demands for his money to be returned have fallen on deaf ears.
He hired a Fiat Brava at Malaga Airport in June 2007 and had declined to take the extra insurance because he wasn't going very far. "After an uneventful 45-mile journey to the place we were staying there was a bang, and the car's steering went stiff. I called Europcar, and was recovered using a tow-truck." Before it was taken away he saw that the air conditioning compressor was hanging by its pipes. He captured it all on film. "I know my way around engines. The restraining bolts were missing and it was also clear no impact had taken place."
When he handed the replacement car back, cheap car hire southern ireland Spanish staff refused to discuss the matter. "When we received our next credit card bill, there were three unexpected charges totalling £641.00. We contacted Europcar UK and were told that they would investigate and call us back. Having heard nothing for a number of weeks, I contacted them again."
Each time, over the subsequent 12 months, he rang cheap car hire southern ireland, he was promised it would be looked it, but nothing happened. "I'm at the end of my tether," he says.
In a statement cheap car hire southern ireland blamed the delay on "organisational changes". "Having reviewed this case and the photos there is no indication of any 'shearing' within the boltholes. Europcar believes this is sufficient evidence to suggest that Mr Holder may not have been entirely at fault for this damage. cheap car hire southern ireland is happy to refund the damage charges of €909. In addition, as a gesture of goodwill, it will be happy to cover any charges that may have been incurred, given the delay in this being resolved cheap car hire southern ireland."