Car rental prices 2015

murphy · Guru

Car rental prices 2015

tony2phones · Guru

Insurance has gone up a lot this year but to be honest without doing your own comparisons the actual price increases will be unknown. There have been a LOT of rental cars written off this year, many in head on collisions! including 2 in Kerry tonight. Unlike tonight's incident some have regrettably cost lives. Hospital costs, injury and death payments all contribute to the increasing cost of motor insurance in this country.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Dan -- I saw that post, as well. The poster was specifically referring to Dan Dooley. Now, while I am a HUGE fan of Dooley's forthright transparency, vis-a-vis pricing, and have used them many times, either their popularity (or, their slightly aged fleet) seems to have caught up to them.

In 2013 and again, in 2014 (both times, in June) I found their price quotes to be rather excessive, relative to their other major competitors. In 2013, I used Hertz for two rentals -- a 7 passenger, people mover for the first 12 days and a compact car, for the following 12. In 2014, following Michele's lead, I contracted with Avis, for a Qashqui for approximately 3 weeks. Both rental were at significantly lower prices than Dooley's

It does NOT surprise me that prices will rise in 2015, but I am skeptical that a 35-40% increase is in the wind. Rental companies, like airlines, tend to price based upon contingencies -- i.e., projections of demand, versus anticipated supply. The poster was seeking quotes for Summer, I think and being 6 months out, most current projections are currently calling for higher tourism numbers than 2014's (Which was a 'Banner' year). I suspect that closer in (say, Feb or March), Dooley's prices will probably fluctuate a fair bit.

Only time will tell, though.

Michele Erdvig · Host

I just did a quick comparison on Avis.com for Shannon and Belfast. The same week in Belfast was about a third of the price of Shannon. It will be interesting to see how this one pans out.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Something else to keep in mind, though: http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=EURUSD%3DX+Interactive#%7B%22range%22%3A%226mo%22%2C%22scale%22%3A%22linear%22%7D

The Euro was about $1.38 when I left Ireland last June. As of a few minutes ago, it was trading at just under $1.22!

That should take SOME of the sting out of the Car Hire increases.

almoon · Member

I just popped in to check for this very topic. We are likely going over in March so I did some preliminary online comparisons a few minutes ago. We have used Dan Dooley for our past few trips, usually out of Shannon. (This time we will probably go into Dublin because I like the plane seating on the Airbus better, but that's another topic.)

It was quite a surprise to see Dooley's prices about double Hertz and Avis. I checked prices for both Shannon and Dublin just in case it was higher at Dublin for some reason. I'll be keeping a close eye on this.

Bob, the Euro would have to go to about $.50 to make up for Dooley's price!

tony2phones · Guru

Try comparing http://www.easytourireland.com/ seem to get good press and cater to the US market. I would also recommend double checking the included components of any quote.

Michele Erdvig · Host

The prices I got were in US dollars and Belfast was much cheaper. We must keep an eye on this.

A couple of years ago I used Dooley but checked their website every day for months. On only one day the price went way down and I chose that price. Next day it was back up. You can also check to see if Dooley will do a price match.

bdokeefe · Veteran Member

Mid November, I booked a mid-size, 4 door sedan, auto (G1 class), 12 day rental from Dan Dooley for $372, pick up 26 March from Shannon. Insurance through WMC, which I called and confirmed.

Glad that I booked when I did...

My wife is going over on a separate trip a month later with a friend. I booked her trip as a Flight/Drive package through Air Lingus. The car rental is with Dooley. Now another friend is joining them so the little mini 3 door car won't work. I'll see if I can upgrade through Dooley or Air Lingus. Hopefully not too big of a hit.

I did call and check if the super CDW would be cheaper through Dooley or the 'VIP Express Car Insurance' offered with the Air Lingus package, as the VIP looked pretty expensive. The Dooley agent I spoke to advised me to get the coverage through Air Lingus, as it is cheaper and better coverage.

Geno · Guru

Going to Ireland in March and we have always used Dooley because everything is up front. On some other sites it is a challenge to know what the Super Excess Insurance and putting another driver on will add, since these are available "when you arrive at the counter." That being said, however, the prices I am seeing on Dooley right now are out of the realm of reasonable, and I will probably shop around.

Any suggestions? This is probably the first time I have performed this "dance." Normally I don't mess with it much, just rent from Dooley and go. But wow are they high right now.

Geno

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

EDITED -- Because I tried to reply using my tablet!

I got a decent quote from Budget for June, as a test. In 2013, two rentals with Hertz went well, as did a three week hire from Avis, in 2014. Likewise, in 2010, our rental with Budget yielded a slightly ratty, but otherwise serviceable, Ford Focus.

In 2011 and 2012, I rented from Dooley -- 5 times.

In March / April of 2011, I rented a newer, Ford Mondeo that reeked of stale cigarette smoke, but it was the only car in that class available. In June, I had a new, Renault Megane. April of 2012, they gave me a newer Ford Focus. In October, I reserved two Focus class rentals and they gave me a brand-new Focus for the first two weeks and a Nissan Qashqui for the second two weeks.

Now, I don't buy the Insurances -- use my Master Card, instead -- plus, I have lately bought an Annual 'Excess' Cover policy, first, from Insurance4Carhire and then, from Questor -- in order to cover losses for tires, etcetera that MC does NOT cover.

The Budget, Hertz and Avis rentals were more work, in order to track down the actual FINAL price, but in each case, they proved to be MUCH less expensive than Dooley was quoting at the time.

-- Edited by Itallian Chauffeur on Monday 5th of January 2015 10:32:58 PM

Geno · Guru

Bob:

So do you get the vehicle first, and then contact Insurance4Carhire or Questor after that to secure insurance? Have not done that before, so wasn't certain how the process should unfold.

Thanks,

Geno

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

If you are purchasing coverage for JUST the specific rental period, then yes -- As you will need the specific dates. Again, this does NOT cover CDW / Theft -- merely the 'EXCESS'.

SOME Trip Insurance also offer coverage for 'Excess'. http://www.insuremytrip.com/?linkId=30002&gclid=CKSM4-LO_8ICFeY-MgodemwACg

If you are looking for an Annual Policy, then you can just pick a start date. Due to great, good luck (and fortuitous timing! biggrin biggrin ) I once had ONE Annual Policy that actually covered THREE trips!

Now, the coverage 'Pool' has shrunk over the years, so I'm not sure what current prices / offerings are.

A good place to check: http://www.moneymaxim.co.uk/faq/car-hire-insurance/non-uk-residents-expat-car-hire-insurance

tony2phones · Guru

Insurance4Carhire do not at this time (again) cover anyone with a non EU driving Licence. Unfortunately they still seem to sell their product to non EU licence holders, or at least some are claiming to have bought their products.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

tony is correct (as he usually is biggrin ).

Some year's ago, Insurance4Carhire sold both Annual and Short-Term policies and I used them. Around 2010 or 2011, they dropped the Annual Cover and only offered Short-Term, Rental Specific, but subsequently, they stopped selling even that product to non-EU drivers.

I have / had coverage through Questor, but I believe that they have also stopped selling to North Americans, of late. confuse confuse

http://www.moneymaxim.co.uk/faq/car-hire-insurance/non-uk-residents-expat-car-hire-insurance shows two companies that purport to offer coverage:

http://www.worldwideinsure.com/WWTswitcher.php?policy=ERI&partnerID=451&partner=null and

https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/#0

As always, though, you would need to read ALL the Terms and Conditions to VERIFY. hmm hmm

tony2phones · Guru

Easytour Ireland do all inclusive. might be worth sending CowboyCraic a message think she knows another company who you can pre pay full package rental.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Just a small update. Since I had a bit of time today, I did a bit of research using arbitrary dates of April 20th through May 13th, beginning with a Basic search on Kayak (www.kayak.com/cars ) for a Compact (Ford Focus class, manual transmission). Their quotes INCLUDED an automatic CDW coverage.

Interestingly, their GENERIC Terms stated this: I added Oversized type to emphasize comments I thought were 'KEY'

"Collision Damage Waiver

CDW/COLLISION DAMAGE WAIVER - DEPENDING ON CAR GROUP RENTED COST OF CDW IS BETWEEN 21.56 EUR AND 34.05 EUR PER DAY . NON-WAIVERABLE DAMAGE RESPONSIBILITY - DEPENDING ON CAR GROUP RENTED IS BETWEEN 1350.00 EUR AND 2300.00 EUR . IF CDW IS DECLINED THE CUSTOMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FULL VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. . CDW COVERAGE PROVIDED BY U.S. ISSUED VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS, AND CITIBANK ISSUED MASTERCARD WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. . CDW COVERAGE PROVIDED BY CANADIAN ISSUED VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS AND MASTERCARD WILL BE ACCEPTED. . CDW COVERAGE PROVIDED BY ALL DINERS CLUB AND ALL OTHER TYPES OF MASTERCARDS WILL BE ACCEPTED AS LONG AS BUDGET CAN VERIFY THE COVERAGE (BUDGET WILL CALL THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY TO VERIFY). . CUSTOMER WILL BE REQUIRED TO LEAVE A DEPOSIT OR A CHARGE CARD HOLD IF COLLISION DAMAGE WAIVER AND/OR THEFT PROTECTION IS NOT TAKEN OF 2000.00 EUR FOR DAMAGES. THIS WILL BE CHARGED AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE RENTAL. IF THIS AMOUNT IS NOT AVAILABLE ON THE CREDIT CARD THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE CDW. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO CUSTOMERS WHO BELIEVE AN ARRANGEMENT EXITS REGARDING INSURANCE BETWEEN THE CUSTOMER AND THEIR CREDIT CARD COMPANY, BUT BUDGET IS NOT ABLE TO VERIFY. IF THE CUSTOMER CHOOSES TO RELY ON THEIR CREDIT CARD FOR COVERAGE AN ADMINISTRATION FEE OF 25.00 EUR WILL APPLY. "

Some interesting info in there. I wonder what companies the Credit Card details apply to? confuse confuse

Best prices listed at the time of the search were for Budget, although NOT by a lot.

I next went to the Avis www.avis.com and Budget www.budget.com sites and reentered my query, but opting to decline insurances.

Results were: Avis $334.43 and Budget $288.47 (236.84 Euro). I AM a FastBreak (discount member), but don't know how/if this affected the price. Neither quote mentioned Airport Fee, CDW Waiver Fee or any other locally imposed fees.

Interestingly, www.dandooley.com returned a price of only $309.71, which should be inclusive of ALL fees OTHER than the CDW-Waiver of 25 Euro. As Michele has pointed out -- The BEST method of securing a good price with Dooley would be to query regularly and save the quote (as it is good for SEVEN days) and then, 'Jump' once the price begins to rise.

Bottom line, though, is that there are CLEARLY affordable car hire options available -- Particularly with the Euro rate hovering at $1.12 and predicted to fall even lower!

Since my quote covered a period of 24 days, I consider those current quotes to be exceptional bargains.

biggrin biggrin Clearly -- 2015 is shaping up to be an EXCELLENT year to visit Ireland. biggrin biggrin

tony2phones · Guru

Avis and Budget are separate arms of the same company.

Michele Erdvig · Host

I just keyed in 21 days in the spring on budget.com and got rates for a compact for $174 USD. When I go to budget.ie the price is $292.

Shop, shop, shop and compare apples to apples.

tony2phones · Guru

Based on a TA post I did a little digging on Enterprise car rental web sites.

Just done a quick comparison for the time I am away next so for 16 days if I were going to hire a car. (includes Easter)

Class A

Limerick E 335

Dublin Swords E 335

Galway E 419

Shannon Airport E 463

Dublin Airport E 777

Class F

Limerick E 450

Dublin Swords E 450

Galway E 562

Shannon Airport E 686

Dublin Airport E 1028

So anyone saying they save money flying into Dublin rather than Shannon might want to think again if they factor in car hire? Unless they take a quick cab ride to Swords? Not sure I would have believed that if I hadn't look'd myself

Based on the above, using Enterprise (not an endorsement just an example) if you rented from Swords, not a million miles from Dublin Airport and dropped in Limerick not a million miles from Shannon Airport

Class A E 429

Class F E 544

All the above are my own findings on my circumstances so individual to my search.. They are Basic Rates other Insurance might/will need to be added.

-- Edited by tony2phones on Monday 26th of January 2015 06:34:07 AM

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Rental was From/To Dublin Airport. Avis and Budget are 'twin sons from the same mother', but I also note the Dooley quote was also competitive. A subsequent check from Hertz (as a Gold Plus member) returned a price of 288.41 Euro ($331.67) that included a 21 Euro Location Fee -- but, NOT the CDW-Waiver charge.

Sadly -- as much as we PREFER flying in/out of SNN --- for us in North Florida, DUB is reachable via 1 stop flight (ATL), whilst SNN is a MINIMUM 2 Stop flight -- Unless we drive to an airport 2-2 1/2 hours away. Given my wife's Flight Anxieties, DUB invariably becomes our portal. It doesn't help that GNV-ATL-DUB also tends to be cheaper. If nothing else, it saves us a few hundred dollars in Parking Fees, tolls and/or hotel stays . furious furious

-- Edited by Itallian Chauffeur on Monday 26th of January 2015 09:42:30 AM

Michele Erdvig · Host

The quote I tried (above) was for Shannon. Getting a car deal is like getting a flight deal. You must be vigilant and try, try again. Plus, everyone has different circumstances and needs.

Geno · Guru

What has anyone's experience been with Auto Europe? They are offering the best rates that I see right now, even with adding on the extra driver, excess insurance, etc. that is often not that easy to figure out.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

The problem with AutoEurope is that they don't actually rent cars. They are a Consolidator, which means that you won't know ALL the details, fees and conditions until AFTER you book and are assigned to an actual vendor (Hertz, Dollar, Sixt, Enterprise, etc.). You are also then STUCK with having to deal with TWO entities, rather than one, should any problems arise.

While I will give them points for providing details on Fuel Policy, there are NO apparent details as to: Location Fee, Road Tax, CDW-Waiver Fee or other 'Incidentals on their 'Basic' quote --Nor, do the advise the costs for 'Excess' or 'Super-Excess' -- even if you 'Tick' the box offering, "Show No Deductible Rate".

Using my previously listed details, AutoEurope returned a Lowest price of $220.21. If I ASSUME a Location Fee of 30 Euro and a CDW-Waiver Fee of 25 Euro (averages), that would add $61.60 to their price. That means, at best, a total price of $281.81 (For MY dates/conditions).

IF all other terms are equal, that gives me a savings of MAYBE $55 over the 'All-In' Dooley price of $337 -- on a 24 day rental. While I have somewhat of a reputation for being, uhmmm -- FRUGAL wink -- Given past experience, I would opt to spend the extra $2.30 per day in order to deal with directly with Dooley, rather than through an intermediary, with Sixt. If the AutoEurope price does NOT include Road Tax (at 2 Euro per day) then the savings would pretty much evaporate!

Also, Dooley charges 25 Euro for waiving the CDW. Sixt does not APPEAR to -- BUT they DO charge 75 Euro to process any documentation in the event of an accident!?! furious furious

A visit to the Sixt website showed (after a BIT of hunting! furious furious ) The following conditions / pricing:

Pre-Paid Rental Price Quote (as per above): $339.86. This INCLUDED Road Tax (2 Euro per day), VAT (although a separate disclaimer said "Prices exclusive of VAT of 13.5%?? confuse confuse ) and Airport Fee (28 Euro). NOT included, were: Cross Border Travel: 29 Euro, One Way Fee (30 Euro).

Optional CDW 14 Euro per day, 'Top Cover' ("Excess") 16 Euro per day, Theft 7 Euro per day and Glass and Tire ("GT") at 7 Euro per day.

At the end of the day, as Michele says, "You must be vigilant and try, try again. Plus, everyone has different circumstances and needs."

Just be sure to compare Apples to Apples. biggrin biggrin

Geno · Guru

Have used Dooley for quite awhile, but just wanted to see if anything out there made a compelling reason to switch. As you note, knowing all of it up front is always what brings me back, even if they are a bit higher. Also have always had great service from them. Easy to deal with.

Thanks

Geno · Guru

Got an intermediate car for 10 days, extra driver, full excess insurance from Dooley for $393. Quite happy with that. Started out at almost $480 a week ago, but they dropped the rate to $435 earlier in the week, and then I called the NJ number, asked them if they could do any better than that, and he took another 10 percent off since we were renting two vehicles.

I checked with several other rental companies, and while the initial fee looked alright, by the time you add in all the insurance (which we always take), the extra driver, and all the other "hidden" fees, the actual fee was always higher than Dooley. So I decided to go with what I was used to and deal with them.

Glad that is done!

-- Edited by Geno on Thursday 29th of January 2015 09:55:23 AM

Michele Erdvig · Host

That seems like a very good price, Geno. Glad to hear you have that part of your trip sorted.

balinaraw · Member

I planned my trip in 2014 using some feedback from IrelandYes posters. I really appreciated it. I was trying to compare 'inclusive rates' between frequently mentioned rental car companies. I looked at Avis, Budget, Dan Dooley, Hertz and Easytourireland.com (also Hertz). I settled on the Hertz through easytourireland.com and was very pleased. I am planning my second visit for this spring and just received an email announcement from easytourireland with a special promotion. Your readers may want to check it out. They have an 'early booker' promotion of a free GPS and a free second driver if you reserve a car before the middle of February. Apparently it applies to a rental anytime during 2015. I am planning to take advantage of that myself. They also include all the insurance and no deductibles. Thought I would pass it on. Thanks for your assistance on last year's trip.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Thanks for the info about the specials at easy tour ireland. A free GPS and second driver is great if the price is right. And since you have booked with them it must have been.