Best Car Hire Ireland Deals from £9/day | All Major Airports Covered

Car Hire at Ireland’s Major Airports

Car hire Ireland covers five international airports, each serving a distinct cluster of driving regions. All prices shown are for compact vehicles booked in advance. Walk-up desk rates run 40% to 60% higher.

Car Hire Dublin Airport: from £9/day

Dublin Airport is Ireland’s busiest gateway, handling over 32 million passengers annually. It is where most visitors choose to hire a car Ireland, thanks to the widest choice of suppliers and the most competitive rates on the island. Car hire Dublin Airport is available from dedicated desks in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 arrivals halls, with no shuttle transfer required.

The M50 orbital motorway is accessible within five minutes of the airport, connecting directly to the city centre in 30 minutes, Wicklow Mountains National Park in 45 minutes South and the Boyne Valley UNESCO site at Newgrange in 45 minutes North on the M1.

Car Hire Shannon Airport: from £11/day

Shannon Airport sits at the gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way and the Burren. Car hire Shannon Airport makes the Cliffs of Moher accessible in 45 minutes, the Burren limestone plateau in 30 minutes and Galway city 75 minutes North on the M18.

Shannon is the preferred pick-up point for the Central and Northwest sections of the Wild Atlantic Way. Booking cheap car hire Ireland at Shannon rather than Dublin saves both time and fuel on a West coast itinerary.

Car Hire Cork Airport: from £12/day

Cork Airport is the primary gateway for Southwest Ireland. Car hire Cork Airport places Blarney Castle 15 minutes North on the N20, Kinsale, one of Ireland’s finest food towns, 30 minutes South, and the start of the Ring of Kerry circuit at Killarney 90 minutes West on the N22. The Wild Atlantic Way Southern section from Mizen Head to Malin Head begins effectively at Cork, making it the best starting point for a full island traverse by hire car.

Car Hire Kerry Airport: from £14/day

Kerry Airport at Farranfore puts you at the heart of the Ring of Kerry. Car hire Kerry Airport places Killarney town centre 15 minutes North, the start of the Ring of Kerry loop 20 minutes West at Killorglin and the Dingle Peninsula 30 minutes Northwest. For visitors whose entire itinerary is focused on Southwest Ireland, collecting car hire Ireland at Kerry saves three hours of driving from Dublin or two hours from Cork. The airport handles direct flights from several UK and European cities in peak season.

Car Hire Ireland West Airport Knock: from £13/day

Ireland West Airport Knock serves the Connaught province. Car hire Knock Airport gives direct access to Westport, one of Ireland’s most celebrated towns, in 40 minutes South on the N5, Achill Island in 50 minutes West and the Céide Fields UNESCO megalithic site in 45 minutes North. Knock is the preferred base for exploring the Wild Atlantic Way Northern section through Sligo and Donegal, the most dramatic and least visited stretch of the entire route.

Car Hire Ireland by Region: The Complete Driving Guide

Car hire in Ireland gives access to five major driving regions covering the full breadth of the island. From the Georgian streets of Dublin to the cliff-edged roads of Donegal, no other self-drive destination in Europe compresses such varied landscape into such manageable distances.

Dublin and the East Coast

Dublin rewards a car hire base despite the city centre being well served by public transport. Phoenix Park, at 1,750 acres the largest enclosed public park in any European capital, is inaccessible by tram and awkward by bus. The Wicklow Mountains National Park begins just 30 minutes South of the city on the R115 and is entirely dependent on car hire Ireland to explore properly. The coastal road South from Dun Laoghaire through Dalkey and on to Killiney Bay offers views that regularly appear in international travel lists. Newgrange and the Boyne Valley, a 5,000-year-old passage tomb predating both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, is 45 minutes North on the M1, no public transport reaches the site directly.

The Wild Atlantic Way

The Wild Atlantic Way stretches 2,500 kilometres from Donegal in the North to Mizen Head in County Cork. Car hire Ireland is the only practical way to follow it as public transport coverage disappears almost entirely West of Galway and North of Sligo.

Essential stops include the Cliffs of Moher at 214 metres above the Atlantic, Connemara National Park, the Sky Road loop at Clifden and the Slieve League cliffs in Donegal, which stand three times higher than the Cliffs of Moher and attract a fraction of the visitors.

Allow a minimum of five days for the full route. A compact hire car handles the narrow stretches between Clifden and Westport significantly more comfortably than a large SUV.

For a complete breakdown of the route, including the five regional legs, suggested itineraries and where to eat along the way, see our full guide to driving the Wild Atlantic Way.

Or build a personalised route in under a minute with our free Wild Atlantic Way trip planner.

The Ring of Kerry and the Southwest

The Ring of Kerry is a 179-kilometre circuit around the Iveragh Peninsula and Ireland’s most-driven scenic route. It connects Killarney National Park, the Gap of Dunloe, Ladies View and the Skellig Islands viewpoint in a single manageable loop. Car hire Ireland for the Ring is best collected from Kerry Airport or Cork Airport.

Drive the circuit anti-clockwise to avoid oncoming coaches on the narrow mountain sections. The Dingle Peninsula immediately North offers equal scenery with considerably fewer visitors and is reachable in 45 minutes from Killarney.

Our complete guide to driving the Ring of Kerry covers every stop, the best places to eat and the Skellig Ring detour in detail.

The Causeway Coastal Route

The Causeway Coastal Route covers 195 kilometres along the North coast between Belfast and Derry. The Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 40,000 basalt columns, sits at its centre and has no direct public transport link from Belfast.

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Dunluce Castle and the Dark Hedges are all within 30 kilometres of each other on the B15 coastal road. Most car hire Ireland operators allow cross-border travel but always confirm at the booking stage and carry your rental agreement at all times.

The Burren and County Clare

The Burren is one of Europe’s most singular landscapes, a 250-square-kilometre limestone plateau in County Clare that supports rare Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants in the same field. The Poulnabrone Dolmen, a 5,500-year-old portal tomb, sits in open farmland with no public transport access. The 160-kilometre Burren Loop from Shannon Airport combines the Cliffs of Moher, Doolin (home of traditional Irish music), Kilfenora and the Black Head coastal road in a single day circuit. Cheap car hire Ireland at Shannon Airport makes this one of the best value day drives in the country.

Car Hire Ireland: Seasonal Pricing Guide

Prices for car hire in Ireland vary significantly by season and airport. July and August carry a premium of 60% to 80% above January baseline rates. Booking at least four weeks before travel delivers the best combination of price and availability. Mid-week collection from Monday to Thursday is typically 10% to 15% cheaper than weekend pick-ups at all airports. Use the search form above to compare car hire deals Ireland wide across all five airports in real time.

Prices shown are for compact vehicles booked online in advance at Dublin Airport. Walk-up desk rates run 40% to 60% higher. Mid-week pick-up (Mon to Thu) is typically 10% to 15% cheaper than Fri, Sun.

Toll Roads in Ireland

Ireland operates electronic tolling on its major motorway network. The M50 Dublin orbital motorway uses a barrier-free system, no toll booths, charges are read electronically and billed to the rental agreement by the hire car operator. The M1 North of Dublin to the border, the M7 and M8 South towards Cork and Limerick, and the M4 West towards Galway all carry tolls at barrier stations where Mastercard and Visa are accepted. Budget approximately 10 to 20 euros per day for toll costs on a full itinerary. The N17 and N5 routes to Knock Airport are toll-free. Always ask at the collection desk how the car hire Ireland operator handles M50 toll charges, some bill weekly, others monthly, with an additional administration fee of 5 to 10 euros per transaction.

Fuel in Ireland

Supermarket forecourts, Tesco, Lidl and SuperValu, price fuel 5% to 10% below motorway service station rates. Most car hire Ireland vehicles run on petrol (unleaded) or diesel. Confirm the fuel type at the collection desk before departure, as misfuelling costs can run into hundreds of euros. Electric vehicle hire is available at Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports, and Ireland’s public charging network has expanded significantly, with rapid chargers available in most towns on the major driving routes. A full-to-full fuel policy is standard on most cheap car hire Ireland deals and avoids the steep refuelling surcharges applied by some operators.

Driving in Ireland: Essential Rules

Speed Limits

Speed limits in Ireland are posted in kilometres per hour. Motorways carry a 120 km/h limit in dry conditions. National primary and secondary roads are 100 km/h. Regional and local roads are 80 km/h. Urban and built-up areas are 50 km/h. Speed cameras are common on national roads and in urban areas, with fines enforced against foreign hire car drivers via the rental agency.

Alcohol Limits

The legal blood alcohol limit in Ireland is 0.05%, stricter than the UK limit of 0.08%. For learner permit holders and professional drivers the limit is 0.02%. The safest approach is to avoid alcohol entirely when driving car hire Ireland. Penalties include a fine, penalty points and potential disqualification. Garda checkpoints are common on Friday and Saturday evenings and around public holidays.

Documents at the Collection Desk

Three documents are required at all car hire Ireland collection desks: a full valid driving licence held for at least 12 months, a passport or national ID card, and a credit card in the main driver’s name. UK, EU and EEA licences are accepted without additional paperwork.

Non-EU licence holders should confirm whether an International Driving Permit is required at the booking stage. A credit card is strongly recommended over a debit card to avoid higher security deposits. Every price shown for car hire Ireland through Getcarhire.com includes mandatory insurance and all applicable taxes. Getcarhire.com is consistently rated among the best car hire in Ireland for price transparency and customer service. UK visitors combining a trip across both islands will find equally competitive rates for car hire across UK airports and cities through the same search.

Rural Roads

Ireland’s rural roads are frequently narrow with stone walls, hedgerows or ditches on both sides. The Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Connemara and the Burren all include stretches where passing an oncoming vehicle requires one driver to reverse to a passing place.

Booking a compact car hire Ireland vehicle makes rural driving considerably easier and is typically 20 to 30% cheaper than a mid-size or SUV. Allow extra time on scenic routes as 50 kilometres on a map can take 90 minutes at a proper pace.

Frequently Asked Questions: Car Hire Ireland

Is it worth hiring a car in Ireland?

Yes, particularly outside Dublin. Ireland’s most celebrated destinations, the Ring of Kerry, the Wild Atlantic Way, the Cliffs of Moher, the Causeway Coast and the Burren, have little to no practical public transport access. Car hire Ireland gives you the freedom to stop when a view demands it, to explore peninsulas and headlands that coaches cannot reach and to cover distances in a day that would take three on public transport. The road network is well maintained and driving distances are shorter than the map suggests.

What is the minimum age for car hire in Ireland?

The minimum age for car hire Ireland is typically 21, though many suppliers require drivers to be at least 23 or 25 for certain vehicle categories. Drivers aged 21 to 24 are subject to a young driver surcharge of approximately 20 to 35 euros per day at most operators. Always check the age policy of your specific supplier before booking, as it varies between companies and vehicle classes.

Can I take my hire car from Ireland into Northern Ireland?

Most car hire Ireland operators allow travel between the Republic and Northern Ireland, but you must confirm this in advance and ensure it is recorded in your rental agreement. Some cheaper car hire Ireland deals restrict cross-border travel. Northern Ireland uses the same road network and drives on the left, but speed limits are posted in miles per hour rather than kilometres per hour. Carry your rental agreement at all times when crossing the border.

What is the cheapest time to hire a car in Ireland?

January and February are consistently the cheapest months for car hire Ireland, with compact vehicles available from £9/day at Dublin Airport. July and August are the most expensive, with prices 60% to 80% higher than the January baseline. For the best balance of price and weather, May, June and September offer good driving conditions at significantly lower rates than peak summer. Booking at least four to six weeks in advance across all seasons secures the best available price.

Do I need an International Driving Permit for Ireland?

UK, EU and EEA driving licence holders do not need an International Driving Permit for car hire Ireland. Visitors from the US, Canada, Australia and other non-EU countries are advised to carry an IDP alongside their national licence, though most operators will accept a valid foreign licence. Confirm the position with your specific supplier at the booking stage if your licence was issued outside the EU or EEA.

Are there toll roads in Ireland?

Yes. The M50 Dublin orbital motorway uses barrier-free electronic tolling billed through your rental agreement. The main intercity motorways, M1, M4, M6, M7, M8 and M11, carry tolls at barrier stations where card payment is standard. Budget 10 to 20 euros per day for toll costs on a full itinerary. Always ask at the collection desk how the car hire Ireland operator processes M50 charges as an administration fee typically applies on top of the toll itself.

Ready to find the best car hire deals Ireland has to offer? Getcarhire.com searches all major suppliers across Dublin, Shannon, Cork, Kerry and Knock airports in a single search. The price you see is the price you pay, no hidden fees, no surprises at the collection desk. Book cheap car hire Ireland today, lock in your rate with free cancellation on most vehicles, and start planning the road trip the Emerald Isle deserves.