Is it worth renting a car in Ireland when you are under 23?

flanagan333 · Newbie

Is it worth renting a car in Ireland when you are under 23?

tony2phones · Guru

Hi Welcome, Perfectly possible to come over and get around between key places by bus/train

Six days will not get you far, certainly not all over the Island that needs 2 weeks minimum to drive 70% on a coastal route.

You want a Hotel for Good Friday, B&B the rest. You will have to check Easter time tables for transport as normal services will be slightly restricted.

I suggest you limit your options to Dublin, Galway and Killarney where you can get a choice of day trips but it would help if yo narrowed down and gave an indication of your absolute must see/do's

flanagan333 · Newbie

Hi tony,

Thanks for the answer.

It's our first visit to the island so our must see/do´s are pretty mainstream.

In so far, I have thoroughly planned only the three first days.

Day 1: Dublin. A trip to Bru Na Boinne and visit the Chester Beatty Library and Trinity College.

Days 2/3/4: Moving to Galway. Connemara and the County of Mayo. The Burren and if we have time a trip to Inishmor.

Days 4/5/6: Still to be planned but moving trough the southwest and southeast (Cork & Kilkenny)

From my perspective I think the best choice is to rent a car but I am a bit lost. Could anyone suggest a rental company allowing youngs under 23 to rent a car?

tony2phones · Guru

Try Dooley (I believe there is a E40/day surcharge) and Budget perhaps? although another shake up of Insurance underwriters last year caused more restrictions and the 2 years licence has jumped to 8 years with a minimum of 2 years full clean (no convictions),

Judy · Guru

If you are in the US or Canada you can call Dooley Car Rental at their toll free US number, 1-800-331-9301.

They will be able to answer your question about the requirements for an under 23 year old driver.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Whether it is worth renting a car and paying a "young driver" premium only you can determine. You should note that some car companies require that a license be held for a certain number of years. So ask about that when contacting them.

You mention that in 6 days you want to "go all over Ireland". That is just not possible. Whether you drive yourselves or take public transportation concentrate on 2 or 3 areas instead. Ireland is larger that it seems!