Car hire prices at Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport car hire averages around £32 a day for an Intermediate, the Nissan Qashqai size, when you book about a month ahead for October 2026. A Compact like the Opel Astra averages £24 a day, while an Economy Ford Fiesta is £20. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks drops the Intermediate to £29. Prices swing across the year from £17 a day in February 2027 to £125 in August 2027, so check your exact dates with the price checker.

At Dublin Airport, booking late saves money: across the year, an Intermediate drops from £61 a day 9 months before your trip to £36 in the last 2 weeks. For October 2026, an Intermediate runs about £32 a day a month before flying and falls to £29 in the final 2 weeks. If you have not booked yet, you have not missed out on lower rates. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 14 days of pickup.

Dollar is the cheapest company at Dublin Airport for an Intermediate, at £40 a day on average over the last 12 months from 524 prices. Dollar is based directly at the airport, but you must pay by credit card and leave a £3,211 deposit. Budget and Sixt follow close behind at £41 a day. For a lower deposit, Alamo averages £52 a day and holds £214, with an 88/100 score from 83 reviews.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

Enterprise is the best-reviewed company at Dublin Airport, scoring 90/100 from 40 reviews with an average desk wait of 25 minutes. Enterprise averages £55 a day for an Intermediate over the last 12 months, whereas Dollar is the cheapest supplier at £40 a day and scores 86/100 from 154 reviews. Alamo also rates well at 88/100 from 83 reviews and averages £52 a day with a 22-minute wait. National averages a 13-minute wait but does not yet have enough reviews for a score.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At Dublin Airport, deposits held on your card range from £214 with Enterprise, Alamo and National to £3,853 with Payless, and all 12 desks take credit cards only. Not a single counter accepts a debit card for deposits, so the main driver must present a credit card. The deposit and payment rules for each vehicle are shown clearly beside it in your results. Any optional extras charged at the desk are listed under each car with their prices.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

The biggest trap at Dublin Airport is assuming you can pay with plastic that is not a credit card, as all 12 rental desks refuse debit cards. Several counters also hold substantial sums while you drive, including Payless at £3,853 and Hertz, Dollar or Thrifty at £3,211. Queues can test your patience, with Payless, Dollar and Enterprise averaging a 25-minute wait at the counter. Leaving the airport without a credit card in the driver's name means walking away without wheels.

Fuel is full tank out, full tank back on 100% of prices at Dublin Airport, so there is no fuel charge to be surprised by.

For comfort on the motorway out of Dublin Airport, pick an Intermediate like the Nissan Qashqai at about £32 a day in October 2026. It seats 5 with room for 4 bags, making long drives comfortable once you leave the city centre behind. Stepping down to a Compact Opel Astra costs £24 a day and seats 5, but takes only 3 bags. Automatics make up 49% of what is offered, though choosing an automatic Intermediate costs £12 more a day than a manual over the year.