Car rental in Iceland – what you need to know

Leasing a motor vehicle in Iceland will give you far more adaptability than if you travel by general public transport or on an organised tour. You’ll be able to prevent when and where you want, you won’t be ready for other individuals and you can vacation substantially far more independently. You can develop your very own itinerary (and change it if situation dictate) and examine at your personal tempo.

With all that explained, there are lots of things to be mindful of when renting a car or truck in Iceland. This guide addresses a variety of concerns you will want to take into account.

Strategy in advance!

Apart from the blip of the pandemic which influenced journey the planet in excess of, Iceland has been steadily soaring in acceptance. Foreign right away readers a lot more than tripled from 672,773 in 2012 to extra than 2.3 million in 2018. In 2022, it is anticipated to be above 1.6 million and may well effectively significantly exceed that figure presented the international desire created by the most new volcanic eruption in the country.

In small, desire for tourist products and services stays superior and it pays to program forward, primarily with one thing like car employ, which tends to be booked some way in advance, if you want to get your 1st alternative of vehicle. Go away it as well late and demand from customers may perhaps imply you are going to obtain your self shelling out a quality for an inferior car.

Driving license

Driving licenses issued in the United states of america, Canada, the European Financial Region (EEA), Australia and New Zealand are legitimate for use in Iceland. If your driving license is issued from somewhere else, then you’ll need to have to test that it has a license amount, is printed in Latin characters (Roman alphabet), contains your photograph and has not expired.

If you are not able to fulfil all of these necessities, you can use for an Worldwide Driving Allow which is a journey document controlled by the United Nations. It’s primarily a translation of your domestic driving license so deliver that along with you also. If in question, examine with your automobile rental provider that you have the important documentation.

If you’re travelling with a different driver and program on covering prolonged distances, it may possibly be truly worth considering introducing an further driver. If you do this, you will need an correct license for that human being, too, of program.

Keep in mind also that, despite the fact that you can travel from 17 decades of age in Iceland, you ought to be at least 20 many years outdated to hire a car in the state.

Variety of car or truck

There are a quantity of issues to contemplate when picking out what motor vehicle to lease. It goes without declaring that you will want enough house for on your own, any passengers and any baggage. But for Iceland you also actually will need to be imagining about in which you are going to be exploring and at what time of calendar year.

A 4×4 is a popular solution but small or medium vehicles may perhaps suffice if all you strategy to do is travel all over Reykjavik. For Iceland’s F-roadways (mountain or highland roadways that are not routinely preserved), a 4×4 car or truck is critical, whatsoever the time of calendar year, and proposed year-round for certain areas these types of as the West Fjords or northern areas.

Rental charge

The price of your motor vehicle rental will rely on a amount of things: the type of vehicle, when you guide, the time of yr you are scheduling for, the period of your employ period of time and any extras you transpire to pick out. Booking in progress will likely conserve you some funds while reserving a car or truck with automatic transmission will commonly cost you around 10% extra than the equal car with a manual transmission. July and August is peak time in Iceland so renting a vehicle throughout this period will be a lot more high-priced.

A Hyundai I10 from Icerental 4×4 can price tag you as very little as 9,000 Icelandic krona for every working day (close to 64 USD, 55 GBP or 64 euros at present-day exchange prices), while a Mercedes Benz Vito (that can have up to 9 travellers and is allowed on some F-roadways) with platinum security, an added driver, on-board WiFi and a roof box, for a 7 days in peak time but booked in progress, will expense you above 400,000 krona (around 2,800 USD, 2,400 GBP or 2,800 euros at present-day exchange prices).

Insurance plan

Make guaranteed your car will come with all the insurance coverage cover you’d like. Third occasion legal responsibility (TPL) and collision injury waiver (CDW) insurance are a should and must be thought of as the really least protect. Bear in brain that driving in Iceland is compared with driving in other nations around the world, and the roads and landscape current some supplemental risks that you may well like to address for extra peace of brain.

In distinct, you may possibly like to contemplate insuring towards injury prompted by sand and ash, as perfectly as gravel safety. At any time of the yr, but notably in the time period from February to April, solid winds can toss up sand and ash which can lead to hurt to your rental car, expecially on the south coast where by there are extensive plains protected in debris. Likewise, with fewer than 50 % of Iceland’s 8,000 miles of street currently being paved, it’s not unheard of for free stones to strike your auto, however cautiously you generate.

Insuring for damage incurred on highland roads – for instance, water harm from river crossings – is also well worth on the lookout at if you prepare on driving any of Iceland’s F-roads. Theft insurance policies is one more consideration, though luckily thefts in Iceland are unheard of. Regardless of what level of go over you pick, it is critical to check out the phrases of your policy so that you comprehend your arrangement and there are no unpleasant surprises.

Essential Detect:

If you are examining this report any place other than on A Luxurious Vacation Weblog, then the probabilities are that this articles has been stolen without permission.

Make sure you make a note of the net tackle above and get in touch with A Luxurious Journey Blog to suggest them of this situation.

Thank you for your enable in combatting articles theft.

Some closing ideas

When you lease a car or truck, you need to be provided a piece of paper highlighting any existing destruction. Ahead of you depart, make certain this tallies witn the vehicle you’ve been offered and, if you see any dints or scrapes that have not been recorded, discuss to the rental organization ahead of you push absent. Examine the windscreen and tyres (like the spare!), and make positive that you are driving away with a total tank of gasoline given that that is how you are going to be predicted to return it. A beneficial tip is to take images of your vehicle, or even to shoot a shorter video of it, just before you drive away.

It is also critical not to get rid of your rental settlement. It will convey to you what action to acquire if you have a difficulty with your motor vehicle, and will possibly incorporate call facts for a breakdown guidance services ought to you need to have a single.

Check the tiny print, also. Are there any excess expenses these types of as airport decide-up prices, and just one-way rental expenses or mileage expenses? I would avoid rentals that limit your mileage as the distances in Iceland can be major, and the price big difference for unlimited mileage is normally negligible.

Last but not least, leave a lot of time when dropping the motor vehicle back to the rental enterprise. They’ll require to test the car or truck in excess of and provide you with a ultimate assertion. They may possibly also need to have to give you with a shuttle services to Keflavik airport as some of the rental firms are a brief drive away. And there might be loads of other men and women returning cars at the same time. Never spoil your vacation by not enabling by yourself satisfactory time to return your automobile and capture your flight.

See our leading strategies for driving in Iceland also!

Organizing a trip to Iceland you? You can observe a video clip from our trip to Iceland right here:

Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Icerental 4×4. Our excursion to Iceland was also supported by Helly Hansen.