When renting a car, you need insurance. If you have adequate insurance on your own car, including Collision and Comprehensive, this may be enough. You should check first with your insurance agent to determine if your policy will cover renting a car while in Ireland. If your personal auto insurance does not cover a rental car or not one in a different country such as Ireland or if you don't have your auto insurance in the US, you will need to buy coverage at the car rental counter. It is also possible that your credit card company offers some type of insurance. You could check with them to determine if so. When renting a car abroad, you may need extra documents so check with the Irish rental car agency to see what driving documents and proof of insurance they require. From what we have read to rent a car in Ireland you normally will need a valid current driving license and a credit card. Passports are usually required for ID purposes as well. Some age restrictions may apply and if you are under 25 yrs of age or over 70 yrs, you will need to check availability. Ensure you provide details of any additional drivers that will be driving. Most rental cars have manual transmission so ask about automatics if you wish to rent one instead of a manual. If you plan to travel between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland or if you want to pick up the car at one location and return it somewhere else, check out if these are options with the rental car agency when you book your rental car. [Let CarInsurance.com help you find affordable auto insurance now.] The rental car information we saw noted that third party insurance is compulsory and is included in the rental rate but check on this to make certain. This coverage however only covers you for other people's injury and damage to their vehicle (so like Bodily Injury Liability and Property Damage Liability in the US basically). Other coverages that are offered typically include: - Collision Damage Waiver (CSW) which limits your financial liability for damage to the rented vehicle. Rentals are subject to a liability excess. (Purchasing additional cover can offset this excess). Visitors, who wish to claim CDW coverage using a credit card facility (e.g US MasterCard Gold or Platinum), are advised to provide documentary evidence confirming the cover for their trip to Ireland. You should note that CDW conditions may have exclusions (windscreen, tires).
- Theft Loss which limits your financial liability for loss or theft of the rented vehicle.
- Personal Accident Insurance which covers the driver for personal injuries.
Free Auto Insurance Quotes
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) in Ireland has a website where you can familiarize yourself with the rules of the roads when driving on the Irish roadways. You can comparison shop your US policy by getting a car insurance quote here. | 
