DiscoverCars.com: The Best Way to Book a Rental Car for Your Next Trip

This summer I’ve been bouncing around Europe — Italy, Portugal, England, back to Ireland. After spending time away from my partner visiting friends on the mainland, I headed back to the UK to do a road trip for my birthday. We spent 6 days exploring Devon and Cornwall. Then two weeks later, one of my best friends came over from Florida and we did a 6-day road trip through Northwest Ireland and up the north coast.

After three years road tripping across Australia, it’s no surprise that my favourite way to explore a new place is by car. There’s something about having complete freedom over where you go that makes experiencing a destination so special. You can be spontaneous, stop whenever something catches your eye, and get to enjoy all the gorgeous scenery between destinations. And since I don’t live at either of these places, hiring a car was the only thing that made sense.

I used DiscoverCars.com to book both rentals and it was such an easy experience. I’ll be sharing everything below.

*This post was created in collaboration with DiscoverCars.com. Some car rental costs were covered, but all opinions are entirely my own.

Why We Decided to Rent a Car

Road tripping a country is a no-brainer. You’re simply not going to get the same experience trying to get around via bus or public transport. Especially if you want to reach remote locations, stop at every beach, hike every trail, and have the freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want.

Most of the locations we visited wouldn’t have been accessible by public transport at all, and by the time you factor in Uber or taxi fees, it’s just not worth it financially either.

Having your own car also means you can be flexible. We kept changing our plans as we went — because of weather, driving time, and discovering new things we wanted to add along the way. That kind of spontaneity just isn’t possible when your trip is locked in place.

And the best part? Having a place for all your stuff, with you, at all times. I’m never the kind of girl who knows exactly what she needs to bring — this way everything we could possibly need was always within reach. Including lots of water and a very important amount of snacks. A girl has gotta have her snacks.

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Booking Our Car with DiscoverCars.com

Booking was so easy. You go to their website, type in your destination, dates, pickup and drop-off times, and whether you plan to return the car to the same location or somewhere different.

The next page loads with all the available rental companies in the area along with their car options. You can filter by car size, transmission type, deposit type, car features, extras, and more. Once you’ve set your filters, it shows you all the available options with prices and supplier ratings side by side — making it genuinely easy to compare.

Everything you need to know is right there on the screen: mileage limits, deposit type, supplier rating, price, and included features. Click “View Deal” to review exactly what’s included before committing to anything.

You can also add extra coverage through DiscoverCars.com at a better rate than what the actual rental company will charge you at the counter. The included coverage typically covers damage to someone else’s vehicle but not the rental itself, which is why most places require additional coverage. The extra coverage through DiscoverCars.com helps bring the maximum payout down, so if you do incur any damage, you’ll owe far less out of pocket.

All required documents and the rental conditions from the supplier are shown on screen before you book — make sure you read through them.

From there, you continue to payment where you’ll confirm whether you want the extra coverage, whether to add breakdown cover, and then enter your payment details. If you’re arriving by plane, add your flight information so they can track any delays.

What Is DiscoverCars.com?

DiscoverCars.com is a car rental comparison platform that lets you compare rentals across 50,000+ cities in 164 countries. Think of them the way you think of Booking.com for accommodation, or Google Flights for flights — they’re not the rental company themselves, but they compare all the local suppliers in your area by company, price, make, model, size, and more.

You can filter by deposit cost, airport vs non-airport pickup, automatic vs manual, border crossing permissions, and more. They also offer competitive insurance coverage that’s typically cheaper than what the actual rental agency charges at the counter.

For my Ireland and Northern Ireland trip specifically, I needed an automatic car (driving manual in England was stressful enough), unlimited mileage, and crucially — the ability to cross the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Being able to filter for all three at once made the whole process quick and straightforward.

You can find all of my go-to travel tools and resources, including DiscoverCars.com, over on my Best Travel Tools page.

Picking Up Our Rental Car

England — London Stansted Airport

At London Stansted, there’s a complimentary shuttle from the terminal to the car rental area that runs every 15 minutes — super convenient. The location was large with plenty of seating, and we were able to get straight to the desk without waiting.

The only documents I needed were my driver’s licence, proof of credit card insurance coverage benefits, and my credit card for the deposit. The whole process was quick. The rental supplier will try to sell you their insurance at the desk, so be prepared to either show proof of your credit card coverage, present third-party coverage you’ve already purchased, or buy it directly from them.

The car we received was brand new. They disclosed any pre-existing damage upfront so we didn’t have to worry about being held responsible for it.

On return, we dropped the car off and they reviewed it within minutes, sending an email straight away confirming the car was returned and my deposit was on its way back. Painless from start to finish.

Northern Ireland — Belfast International Airport

The Belfast pickup was almost identical — just a smaller desk, which didn’t matter at all. In and out quickly for both pickup and drop-off. The car was also brand new, and the agent showed us a card explaining exactly what size of damage would incur a fee versus what’s considered normal wear and tear. You’d actually be surprised at how large a mark can be without counting as damage.

Our Road Trips — Where We Took the Cars

Ireland & Northern Ireland — 6 Days

Two weeks later, my best friend flew over from Florida and we road tripped from Dublin up the Wild Atlantic Way through County Mayo and Donegal, along the north coast and back to Belfast. Ireland is incredibly rural outside the cities — especially along the west coast — and there is simply no other way to see what we saw without a car.

I picked up the rental from Belfast International Airport the night before she arrived so I could have everything packed and ready for the early morning drive down to Dublin to collect her. Road trip ready.

Here’s a rough overview:

Pre-trip: Belfast Airport → Cookstown (collecting car, packing camping gear)

Day 1: Cookstown → Dublin Airport → Cliffs of Moher → Galway

Day 2: Galway → Pine Island → Clifden Castle → Sligo → Mullaghmore Beach (camping)

Day 3: Mullaghmore → Ben Bulben Forest Walk → Glenrif Horseshoe → Donegal Town → Slieve League → Carrickfinn Beach (camping)

Day 4: Carrickfinn → Annagry → Mount Errigal → Napoleonic Watch Tower → Hornhead → Dunfanaghy Beach (camping)

Day 5: Dunfanaghy → Glenveagh National Park → Doe Castle → Ballymastocker Beach → Buncrana → Malin/Ballygorman (camping)

Day 6: Malin Head → Carndonagh → Downhill Beach → Portrush → Dunluce Castle → Giants Causeway → Belfast International Airport

The west coast weather was absolutely wicked — as it usually is — but having the car meant we could keep dry, stay flexible, and still see everything we’d planned. The drive along the coast from Ballymastocker all the way to Buncrana was one of the most quietly beautiful drives I’ve ever done.

We ended her first trip to Ireland with a spice bag, curry chips, and a Guinness in a local pub. Honestly, a perfect ending.

[Pending] For the full Wild Atlantic Way itinerary, where we camped, and everything we ate — read my complete Northwest Ireland road trip guide here.

What We Liked About Booking Through DiscoverCars.com

Here’s what stood out most from my experience booking both trips:

• Easy comparison between suppliers — ratings, features, car types and prices all in one place, no jumping between sites
• Competitive pricing — genuinely better rates than booking direct in most cases
• Large selection of vehicles — whatever size, transmission type or feature you need, it’s there
• Clear, fast booking process — simple from start to finish and confirmation is instant
• Responsive customer service — I reached out via their chat support once with a question and they handled it quickly

Things to Know Before Booking a Rental Car

If you’ve never booked a rental car abroad before, it can feel daunting. Here’s everything you need to know so you feel completely prepared.

Returning the Car

Returning both cars was completely straightforward. Both times we showed up, handed over the keys, and they inspected the car within minutes. An email confirming the return and the refund of my security deposit came through almost immediately.

Both rentals required the car to be returned with a full tank of gas, which I sorted at a nearby petrol station before drop-off. A seamless experience from start to finish. 

Would I Use DiscoverCars.com Again?

When it comes to truly seeing a place at your own pace and reaching spots off the beaten path, road tripping is the best way to do it. Having your own car completely changes the experience — and if you look at everywhere we went on both of these trips, there’s simply no way we could have done it by bus.

As for DiscoverCars.com — absolutely yes. The booking process was seamless, the selection was great, and the one time I needed customer support they sorted it quickly. It’s now my go-to for booking rental cars wherever I am in the world.