Driving is by far the best way to explore Ireland — public transport reaches the cities and main towns, but the places that make Ireland remarkable (the Conor Pass, the Beara Peninsula, Malin Head, Glenveagh) are accessible only by car. Self-driving gives you the flexibility to stop anywhere, leave early, and take the scenic road rather than the main road.
Ireland drives on the left — the same as the UK, Australia and Japan. For visitors from right-hand traffic countries (USA, most of Europe), this takes a day to feel natural. The hardest adjustment is not the side of the road but the width of rural roads: many lanes in the west of Ireland are single-track, requiring you to pull into passing places when meeting oncoming traffic.
Speed limits in Ireland are in kilometres per hour (km/h), not miles per hour. National roads (marked N) have a limit of 100km/h, regional roads (R) 80km/h and local roads (L) 60km/h (reduced from 80 in 2025). In built-up areas the default is 50km/h, with many city and residential streets now 30km/h. GPS mapping apps (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze) are all reliable in Ireland and handle rural routing well.
Highlights
- Drive on the left — right-hand drive hire cars; give way to traffic from your right at roundabouts
- Speed limits in km/h: 30–50 in built-up areas, 60 on local (L) roads, 80 on regional (R) roads, 100 on national (N) roads, 120 on motorways
- Many rural roads in the west are single-track — pull into passing bays when meeting oncoming vehicles
- Fuel: petrol and diesel available at most towns; LPG and EV charging are patchier in rural areas
- Car hire excess can be €2,000+ — take the collision damage waiver or a separate excess insurance policy
- Tolls: the M50 Dublin ring road uses barrier-free e-tolling — pay online by 8pm the following day or face a fine
Attractions in this guide
Local tips
- →Book car hire early — availability drops significantly for peak summer weekends, especially at Cork and Kerry airports
- →Manual (stick shift) is the traditional, cheaper default; automatics are increasingly available but cost more and can sell out — book one early if you want it
- →The M50 toll around Dublin must be paid online (eflow.ie) by 8pm the following day — hire car companies pass on fines and admin fees if you miss it
- →Allow more time than the sat-nav says on coastal roads — the R559 on the Ring of Kerry and the Slea Head Drive in Dingle are slow, beautiful roads where you will stop frequently
- →Gap of Dunloe is closed to private cars in peak season — take a jaunting car from Kate Kearney's Cottage or cycle in; Slea Head Drive sees heavy traffic in July and August, so go early morning
- →Sheep and cattle on rural roads are common, especially in Connemara and Donegal — slow right down and let them pass
- →Fuel up at larger towns before heading into Connemara, Donegal or the Beara Peninsula — distances between stations can be 40–50km on remote roads
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Plan your Ireland trip
Getting there
Car hire is available at all major Irish airports. Book in advance and read the small print on insurance excess — most basic hire car policies have a high excess (€2,000+). Reducing the excess to zero with a Collision Damage Waiver is strongly recommended for driving on narrow rural roads.
Region
Ireland · Planning
Attractions covered
4 in this guide
