I am looking for recommendations for car rental companies in Dublin and/or Edinburgh. It would be for roughly 5 days each.

I've always used Avis in Ireland with no issues

I used Hertz in Ireland and Arnold Clark in Northern England / Scotland.

Super easy in Ireland, we used enterprise I think? All easy with the big companies. Even got a car seat no problem.

If you haven't driven on the wrong side of the road, doing a lap without anyone who could back seat drive is a nice way to get comfortable. You get used to it for the most part real quick.

One note, most credit cards, if they still cover car rental insurance, do not cover Ireland. If you're planning on having your card cover the insurance, check before you go.

I would verify this. I believe the exclusion list is shrinking for many cards.

The card I used in 2019 covered rentals in Ireland, it was one of the few that did. In 2023 it no longer had rental coverage anywhere.

Used Enterprise for Ireland. No issues whatsoever.

Most places in Europe make you buy extra coverage or they put a large hold on your card. Keep that in mind.

I and co-workers from Europe use/like SIXT.

Used Europecar in Scotland. They were good, I had no issue with them.

Make sure to get an automatic. The automatic is quite a bit pricier but worth it. I wanted the standard but was glad to have the automatic. It took a while to get used to the driving. The standard transmission would have made it very difficult. I may try the standard if I ever make it back.

I went with the manual, and boy was that rough day 1. I couldn't even figure out how to get it in reverse. I was so mad, I got out of the car (was blocking traffic in the rental lot). Someone asked what was going on, and I told them. Luckily it was another American, he told me you had to pull up on the knob to get it into reverse. Took me about a day to adjust, and after a week, I still struggled on the roundabouts. It was fun though, glad I did it.

I used Hertz and was so impressed! Got an automatic which was great. However, one of the rough roads jumped out and got one of the tires while I was driving. I had to replace it in some small town. I called Hertz to let them know. Expecting the same customer service as car rental companies in the state, I never even expected to reach anybody at the desk. Not only did I speak to somebody, he was soooo kind and worried about my safety more than the car.
Return was easy as well. I got the full insurance because I had heard horror stories and they reimbursed my cost for the tire on the spot when I returned the vehicle.

rebelag62 said:

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I went with the manual, and boy was that rough day 1. I couldn't even figure out how to get it in reverse. I was so mad, I got out of the car (was blocking traffic in the rental lot). Someone asked what was going on, and I told them. Luckily it was another American, he told me you had to pull up on the knob to get it into reverse. Took me about a day to adjust, and after a week, I still struggled on the roundabouts. It was fun though, glad I did it.

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I highly advise against anyone using a manual transmission when operating a vehicle in the UK and Ireland. It is challenging enough operating a vehicle on the opposite side of the road.

Where were you 5 years ago? Haha

Fuzzy Dunlop said:

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Used Europecar in Scotland. They were good, I had no issue with them.

Make sure to get an automatic. The automatic is quite a bit pricier but worth it. I wanted the standard but was glad to have the automatic. It took a while to get used to the driving. The standard transmission would have made it very difficult. I may try the standard if I ever make it back.

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This.

Also, unless you're already used to driving on the opposite side of the road, I would recommend renting in Edinburgh from the airport and not in town. I would not want my first experience to be in a crowded area with more pedestrians....the roads around the airport are a bit less stressful right off the bat as you're getting acclimated.

AgRyan04 said:

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Fuzzy Dunlop said:

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Used Europecar in Scotland. They were good, I had no issue with them.

Make sure to get an automatic. The automatic is quite a bit pricier but worth it. I wanted the standard but was glad to have the automatic. It took a while to get used to the driving. The standard transmission would have made it very difficult. I may try the standard if I ever make it back.

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This.

Also, unless you're already used to driving on the opposite side of the road, I would recommend renting in Edinburgh from the airport and not in town. I would not want my first experience to be in a crowded area with more pedestrians....the roads around the airport are a bit less stressful right off the bat as you're getting acclimated.

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This is a good recommendation. Our hotel was about 10 miles from the airport and I was able to get minimal practice in on the way. The last couple of miles were in downtown traffic but it was about noon on Sunday so traffic wasn't too bad. My wife was my navigator and she did a great job reminding me to "stay left".

One funny story:

We were walking around downtown Edinburgh waiting to check in to our hotel for a few hours. We had parked and dropped off our luggage at the hotel so we didn't have to drag it around.
Anyway, we were walking around town and I was having trouble crossing streets because I was looking the wrong way, almost getting run over, etc. so we were about to cross one street at the cross walk and I look the wrong way (again) and step into the street. My wife pulls me back on to the curb as a box truck was barreling down on me. A dog was in the passenger seat (driver's side in the US) and I thought the dog was driving!! I told my wife, "That dog almost ran over me!"

It's a real mind bender the first few days because you have to get used to people driving on the wrong side of the road.

Have not been to Ireland, so can't answer on auto hire.

In England/Scotland, have used Enterprise, Europcar, and last trip used Auto Europe, nary with an issue.
All cars hired have been manual. If you learned to drive a manual here, it shouldn't take long to adapt while sitting in the right hand seat. Pedal config and shift pattern are the same as in the US, so first gear is furthest away and up. Biggest point to remember is to look right-left-right, and remember if you are turning right out of a parking lot onto a roadway, you will be CROSSING traffic.

My biggest issue has been single track (lane roads) with oncoming traffic. Practice there is for either car to make way for the other by pulling to the side of the road if there is enough room or if there is a layby (it's like a tiny widened shoulder space, big enough to pull into but not drive along in). While driving single tracks is usually at a fairly low speed and other drivers are quite courteous, due to driving in the states, my tendency has been to veer to the right when an oncoming vehicle approaches, which means I am veering into their right of way! I have gotten some quizzical looks from other drivers when this has happened!

A few other things to remember:
1. Fuel ain't cheap. Their gasoline runs double-triple what it costs in the US outside of places like CA or NY.
2. When driving on their M roads (equal to interstates) and their A roads with multiple lanes (similar to state highways), they are very conscious of the fast and passing traffic lane on the inside. Don't settle into that lane unless you are passing all of the cars on the road, and be aware of traffic coming up behind you.
3. Roundabouts are an experience, and none of them are created equal. Some are a simple 2' diameter paint spot in the road, some will be a couple hundred feet across. When you are entering a roundabout, you yield to traffic on the right. As you make the roundabout, use your blinker to indicate when you are exiting the roundabout. If you miss your turn, simply make another trip around the roundabout and exit.
4. Don't drive in central London. I've tried, and it was about the most frustrating thing I have ever experienced.
5. Use the services on the main roads to go potty. They don't have the frequency of fuel stations at exits like we do in the US, and quite a few of the fuel stations don't have public toilets, so I have found myself with a high need to relieve my bladder with no place to stop. Lots of peeing on the side of the road in inconspicuous areas had been done until I better learned to stop when I could rather than when I needed.

Avis in Ireland has always been good to me. Get full auto insurance so you can sleep at night. Get a diesel if possible and price per liter is expensive than US. Standard transmission is cheaper if can drive manual. If have a family with luggage you'll need to factor as part of size of vehicle - for example a 7 person car will seat 7 people and no luggage (unless strap to roof but you'd better pack straps if so). If you can envision a Chevy Suburban that would equate to an autobus in Ireland in terms of size. We rented a Dacia that seated 7 and we folded down third row to hold our luggage while 3 kids sat in second row bench - to give you an idea. Remember they use Kilometers too!

I'll be a decenter on the automatic. I have driven over 2500 miles in Ireland and NI in a manual. If you have never driven a manual, go for the automatic. If you know how to drive one, it's pretty easy.

In 2019, I hadn't driven a manual in 22 years, and it didn't take but a few minutes to pick it up again.

I used Eurocar in Scotland this past summer and am happy to recommend them. I had a blowout during the trip on a tiny road in the middle of nowhere, and they handled the situation well. There was no spare tire (it has become rare to have a spare in your rental car, even here in the US), so they sent out a wreckeer to get us & the car. They took us to the Eurocar place in the nearest town and switched our vehicle out with another one that was actually an upgrade. The only fee I had to pay was for the tire, which was a surprisingly reasonable price.

Overall, they were very accommodating, professional, and affordable.

I usually book my cars through rentcarla.com when I book a car in Europe. It's a site kind of like Expedia or Kayak, but specializes specifically in rental cars in Europe. I've used it several times now and have always been pleased with the service and prices.

I agree with all the posters above who say to get an automatic and to rent from the airport. Definitely the right move, regardless of how comfortable you are diving stick shifts or driving in cities.