Getting The Scoop On Driver’s Licenses And Insurance

If you are from the United States, Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, or an EU country, all you need to legally drive a car in Ireland is a valid driver’s license from your country of residence.

Your personal auto insurance most likely doesn’t extend to rental cars in Ireland except if you have a MasterCard Platinum or Gold card in the U.S. or a Visa Gold in Canada (in both cases you’ll still need to present the car rental desk with a letter of authorization from the credit card company). You must get a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) with your rental car (this is usually included in the price quoted). This insurance reduces the renter’s financial responsibility in the case of an accident.

The car rental companies also offer additional liability insurance (if you harm others in an accident), personal accident insurance (if you harm yourself or your passengers), and personal effects insurance (if your luggage is stolen from your car). Definitely consider the additional coverage (ask your car rental agent for more information). Unless you’re toting around the Hope diamond (and you don’t want to leave that in your car trunk anyway), you can probably skip the personal effects insurance, but driving around without liability or personal accident coverage is never a good idea. Even if you’re a good driver, other people may not be, and liability claims can be complicated.

If you plan on taking the car into Northern Ireland, be sure to inform the rental company, and ask whether additional insurance is required.