The 9 Best Car Rental Companies at Dublin Airport (2026)

My Irish Cousin is the only car rental company in Ireland with a perfect 5.0-star Google rating — 1,814 reviews at the time of writing, and not one of them dragged the score down. That record is the foundation of its first-place finish here, but it isn't the whole story.

The pricing model is the other half. One quoted price covers everything: zero excess, zero deposit, no credit card hold, all tolls (including the M50), a free additional driver, tyres and glass, and full roadside assistance. If you have an accident, you get a replacement car — not a cancelled contract, which is what most 'full cover' small print actually delivers.

It's also the only company on this list recommended in the Rick Steves Ireland guidebook, and the only one with 30+ locations across the island, so a one-way trip to Kerry or Belfast is simple to arrange.

NewWay built its name on the same insight as our #1: Irish car rental fees are a minefield, so remove the mines. The price you see includes unlimited mileage and full zero-excess insurance, which means no €2,000–€3,000 credit card hold at the desk.

Its big advantage over every other independent is convenience: NewWay has desks inside the arrivals halls of Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports, so you walk off the plane and up to the counter. Staff are notably low-pressure — no insurance hard-sell, which regulars mention constantly.

Enterprise is the best of the global brands at Dublin Airport, and it isn't close. The service culture is genuinely different — staff are trained to solve problems rather than sell cover — and the fleet is large enough that you usually get the class you booked.

National and Alamo bookings are served from the same desks and fleet, so rank them together. Enterprise also has the deepest branch network in Ireland, which matters if you're planning a one-way rental.

Sixt is the pick if the car itself matters to you. The Irish fleet skews young and premium — BMWs, Audis and high-spec VWs at rates that undercut what you'd expect — and the app-based check-in is the smoothest digital experience at DUB.

The catch is the small print: basic rates carry a high excess, and the desk is strict about credit card documentation. Buy the premium protection or book through an all-inclusive rate, and Sixt is excellent.

Avis is the reliable middle of the Dublin Airport market: desks in both terminals, a well-maintained fleet, and the Avis Preferred programme that lets members skip the counter entirely — a real benefit in the summer scrum.

Budget and Payless bookings are the same operation behind a different logo, so expect the same cars and the same queue.

Hertz remains the familiar choice for North American visitors, with the Gold Plus Rewards programme offering dedicated bays and faster service at Dublin. The 'Collection' series lets you book a specific model rather than 'or similar', which is rare at DUB.

Dollar and Thrifty bookings are served from the same Hertz desks and fleet.

Dan Dooley is Ireland's longest-established family rental brand — now Enterprise-owned, but still trading under its own name with its own Irish service style. It's notably more flexible on payment cards and deposits than the international desks.

The fleet can be a year or two older than Sixt's, but the cars are safe and clean, and long-distance rates are often the most competitive among the recognised names.

Europcar is the volume operator at Dublin Airport — desks in both terminals, and it also fulfils Keddy and CARHIRE.ie bookings, so its counters handle more arrivals than any other brand. Coverage and fleet depth are genuine strengths.

The trade-off is the desk experience: strict credit-card-only deposit rules, a hard sell on excess reduction, and the longest queues at peak times. Book the inclusive rate online and skip the negotiation.

Easirent is the budget play: often the lowest headline price at DUB, in exchange for an off-airport base reached by shuttle and a stricter, no-frills rental experience.

It works if you read the terms carefully and photograph the car at pickup. If your priority is the cheapest possible wheels and you can tolerate the shuttle wait, it does the job.