Ireland: Take a spin around the countryside with car rentals that start at $7.50 a day
Auto Europe is offering rental cars in Ireland for daily rates that start at less than the cost of a movie ticket. Pay a base rate of $7.50 a day for a weekly rental and get unlimited mileage to tour the countryside.
The deal: The lowest rate covers an economy car with manual transmission and is based on a week’s rental. Car-rental pickups are arranged through local suppliers at the airport, train station and other locations.
When: The offer is good from Saturday through April 20 with some blackout dates.
Tested: I went online and checked for availability of rental cars April 10-17 for a pickup at Dublin Airport. I found a Hyundai i10 with stick shift at the basic rate for $59 with tax. If you add collision and theft insurance through Auto Europe (which are required for the rental), the rate increases to $182 with tax.
Also, the airport pickup/dropoff site I selected comes with a surcharge of 30 euros (about $40), which drives up the weekly deal to $99 with tax. Still, not a bad rate overall.
The fine print: Proof of collision and theft coverage are required at check-in or you may be forced to buy it on the spot. The trick to making this deal work is to avoid extra costs for insurance. Auto Europe lists some MasterCard credit cards as offering acceptable coverage for Ireland, but you must request that information in writing and present proof of insurance.
Contact: Auto Europe, (888) 223-5555
