First of all, most U.S. drivers already carry auto insurance which will provide full or partial protection while driving a rental car (within certain dollar limits and coverage only for rentals within the United States and, sometimes, Canada). Some insurance policies only cover cars rented while your own car is being repaired, while most do not cover certain types of vehicles, like luxury cars or vans. Check your own personal policy for these limitations and exclusions.

Even with these limitations, your personal auto insurance will be the primary source of coverage if you have an accident or suffer injury while driving a rental car. Other types of coverage, such as credit card policies and the rental company’s optional insurance offered at the time of the booking, will be subrogated. This means it will not apply until you have reached the maximum of your own auto insurance coverage. Also, be aware that your personal auto insurance rates may increase if you file a claim for damaging a rental car.

Some states have legislature in place requiring rental companies to inform you that their insurance coverage may duplicate your personal auto policy, though these laws do not specify how you must be notified. The best way for you to do is to talk directly with your auto insurance agent before you rent a car and ask the following questions.

What geographical area does my policy offer rental coverage in? (Generally speaking, auto policies cover the U.S. and Canada only.)

How much liability coverage do I currently have? (If you own an older car, for example, you may carry only the minimum amount of liability coverage that is required by the laws of your state, a level that may be insufficient to protect you against the risk of completely replacing a brand-new rental vehicle or, potentially even worse, paying an excessive personal injury claim.

How much is my deductible? (Are you willing to pay that amount out of pocket if you have to file a claim for damaging a rental car?)

Does my policy cover only the value of the vehicle(s) listed on my policy? (If so, you should compare that value to the replacement cost of the type of car you will be renting.)

Does my policy cover theft and collision damage? (Most U.S. drivers already carry collision coverage that can replace the protection sold by rental car companies.)

In the end, the decision of whether or not to purchase optional extra insurance from a car rental company is yours, of course. Consider well the value of the insurance against the cost and bear in mind the above information and make the decision with all the facts.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Car Rental

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If you are looking for a car rental in Ireland, there are a number of options available to you with regard to pick-up locations and type of vehicles. In general car rentals in Ireland is a competitive market and you would be best to look around all the main companies, and even the smaller ones that are specific to Ireland as it is not uncommon for them to be offering the best value.

In terms of locations of your car rental in Ireland, the two main cities, Cork and Dublin, are covered by all the car rental companies, and in general Dublin Airport, Cork Airport and Shannon Airport are also covered by all companies. If you are picking a car rental up at one of the major airports you may fill in much of the paper work in the airport itself before getting a bus to the car park which in most cases is located just outside of the airport grounds.

When it comes to renting a car in Galway, Sligo, Tralee and Rosslare you options are going to be greatly reduced with Hertz and Budget being the only operators.

In general the vehicles are top notch, and cars are generally well less than a year old. The range offered starts at Group A with a Toyota Yaris up to a Lexus IS200 or Mercedes E200. Most people travelling from America are used to air conditioning, but in Ireland it is not necessary and most vehicles do not have advanced climate control.

As regards driving in Ireland, the main roads are good but not up to continental standards and while motor ways are becoming more and more common, Ireland still lags behind in this department. Crucially cars drive on the left of the road in Ireland and for those who are used to driving on the other side, it takes some time to get used to. One tip that works quiet well is to always make sure to keep your right hand to the centre of the road. The only time this is ever an issue is at cross roads. The other thing that our foreign visitors should bear in mind is that roundabouts are used extensively and in many cases with traffic lights.

Speed limits in Ireland are in kilometres per hour and are strictly enforced even if the Police coverage on the roads is not as much as perhaps in other countries. In built up areas the speed limit is 50km while on motorways the speed limit is 120km. Speed signs are along every road so there should be no concerns about not knowing what speed limit the road you are travelling on is.

Ronan Menton is the webmaster for a number of travel related websites and has been for some time in Ireland, associated with search engine optimisation in the Irish travel industry. He spends two months a year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and now sees it as his second home. Among the many sites he is currently working on are the following: Celtic Car Rental and e Car Rental Ireland.

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There are times in one’s life when the use of rental cars cannot be avoided. When someone plows into you at an intersection, when you are taking a 2-day trip and your compact car just does not have enough room to stretch out, these are times when you are happy that there are rental cars at your disposal. Before you rent that car, though, you should know some things about the process.

1- The first step involved in obtaining a rental car is to do research on the companies in your local area. There are a number of nation wide companies and more than likely local companies to choose from when conducting your research. Try to narrow them down to three or four companies that are closest to either your pick up location or your destination.

2- You will want to ask about procedures that may be required by the rental company. Many companies require that the car be fueled up before its return, if this is not done, they will charge you extra for it. It may also be in your best interest to ask what the fee would be if the car is needed for longer than expected as well as what the rate is for late drop off.

3- If you have personal auto insurance, call your agent to see if you are insured with a rental car as well. This will allow you to save money by turning down the insurance offered by the rental company at the time of vehicle pick up.

4- Finally, you have chosen the company and the car, its time to pick it up. Make sure that you have the paper work that you will need. Most companies will require you to show your drivers license, be sure to have it. Also, your proof of auto insurance, if you will be turning their insurance down. A major credit card is necessary; if you are not using cash to rent your car, do not count on them taking a check.

5- Be sure to read the contract and ask questions about anything that you do not understand. It’s better to take sometime at the counter or on the phone to pin down the details, than to think you got it and have to deal with the company in the event of an accident. Ask questions!

John Mancini writes about rental cars online and offline. You can read more about national car rental and alamo car rental on his websites.

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