People who travel to Iceland often have a question - How do I rent a car? Where can I find good car rental companies, where is the best place to pick up a car and, in general, how much does it cost?
Let's figure out all these issues.
Content:
- Where to find car rental companies in Iceland
- How to rent a car - step-by-step instructions
- Getting a car upon arrival in Iceland
- Where is it more profitable to rent a car in Iceland
Where to find car rental companies in Iceland
The easiest way is to use one of the aggregators. For example guidetoiceland.is in addition to the selection and booking of tourist tours, you can rent a car there. You can also directly access the websites of rental companies such as Sixt, Avis, Eurocar and others. But often, aggregators offer a better price.
Which car is better to rent in Iceland
It all depends on the format of your trip around the country. The main determining factors:
- where do you want to go - whether you need four-wheel drive or not. In Iceland, entry to roads with the F index is allowed only on four-wheel drive cars. If you go there in an ordinary car and something happens, it will cost you a lot.
- where do you plan to spend the night - in a car, in tents or in hotels.
So the possible options for car rental in Iceland:
- an ordinary passenger car - you drive only on the main roads and do not enter the mountains (on the F roads), spend the night in campsites (in tents) or hotels
- SUV (pickup truck or jeep) - you can drive to any region of Iceland you need. There are options for SUVs with a tent on the roof.
- camper - you can spend the night right in the camper, staying overnight at the campgrounds. A very good option in case of bad weather
- A minivan, as well as a camper, can be equipped with everything necessary for living inside. Or, it is convenient to accommodate a larger number of passengers if you are traveling in a group.
Read more about the features of each option here:
Car rental in Iceland - tips and tricks
Rent a car in Iceland - how to choose proper car, what is the cost of renting a car, is it worth taking full insurance, where you can drive a car, and where you have t...
How to rent a car - step-by-step instructions
The first is to go to the website www.guidetoiceland.is .
Next, you need to select the dates for which you want to rent a car and the place where you want to rent a car. Most often, you will rent a car right on arrival, which means you will need to choose the Keflavík Airport option. Choose the airport, because in this case the transfer to the office of the rental company will be included in the price.
There are no rental companies at Keflavik Airport, but there are shuttle buses that take you to the company's office in the vicinity of the airport.
What is worth remembering is that during the high season in Iceland, namely from July 1st to September 1st (for some companies from mid-June) the cost of renting cars increases by one and a half, or even two times. For example, if in early June a car for 9 days would cost you about 280 euros, then exactly the same car for the same number of days, but in early July it will cost 370 or even 500 euros.
After specifying all the parameters, click on the button with a magnifying glass, the search symbol.
After a few seconds, you will see a list of all available options.
There are many filters for choosing cars at the top above the search results:
- Car category (compact, standard, station wagon, minivan and others)
- Fuel
- Transmission type
- The age of the car
- all-wheel drive
Pay attention to the inscription "or equivalent" near the brand of the car. This means that you are not guaranteed to receive this particular model. Perhaps you will be provided with a car with similar characteristics. It depends on what will be available at the moment when you pick up the car at the rental salon.
Secondly, click on the "See more" button and you will be redirected to the booking page.
It is on the booking page that you will see the full terms of the car rental, you will be able to order additional options (for example, a child seat) and you will have to specify your details.
If everything suits you, click the "Book" button, and follow the instructions to fill in your personal information: name, age, citizenship, and so on. After that, you will need to specify your card details for prepayment for booking a car. Different companies have different payment terms, so you need to look at each specific case.
This completes the booking process.
Do not forget to bring your license (international standard) and the credit card with which you paid for the reservation and the credit card must be in the name of the main driver, and yes... it should be a credit card, not a debit card (although sometimes salons agree to a debit card, but it is impossible to predict in advance). You will need all this at the rental salon. It is also advisable to have a printed booking confirmation with you.
Go to the website - www.guidetoiceland.is
Getting a car upon arrival in Iceland
If you have chosen the rental option right at Keflavik airport (all international flights to Iceland arrive in Keflavik), then you will either need to find a greeter with a sign of the name of the rental company (by the way, they monitor the arrival time of the aircraft and if your flight arrived earlier or was delayed, then you will be met just after your flight, right to do this, do not forget to specify the flight number when booking) or find a free bus in the parking lot that runs from the terminal to international rental salons.
If you took a car in Reykjavik, then you first need to get to the city. You can book a transfer from the airport on the same website guidetoiceland.is
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When you arrive at the salon you need, go to one of the employees at the counter and show your reservation. After completing all the documents, the amount of the deposit for the car and the rental price will be blocked on your credit card. The deposit will be returned to your card after you return the car safely.
You will be given the keys and shown which of the cars in the parking lot is yours.
Before leaving, inspect the car for scratches, chips and other defects. If you do not specify them in the rental documents and the salon staff does not certify them, then these scratches can be recorded on you and money for repairs will be deducted from your card.
There are a lot of dirt roads in Iceland and therefore paint chips are often on cars - be careful. It is worth noting that in Iceland it may be more profitable to take an old car, there will already be a lot of chips and scratches on it, they will be recorded in the documents, but the main thing is that if a small chip or scratch is suddenly added, then most likely they will not pay attention to it.
They will also try to sell you additional insurance in the salon, for all occasions. There are no toll roads in Iceland, so don't worry about it, and only in two places you will be charged for travel - two tunnels in the south and in the north. You can also register an additional driver, rent a navigator and much more. To take something from the offered or not is at your discretion.
Where is it more profitable to rent a car in Iceland
It is more profitable to take a car right at the airport in Keflavik, since a trip from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik will already cost 20 euros one way. And by taking a car right near the airport, you save 40 euros per person on the way to Reykjavik.
You can read more about the intricacies of car trips in Iceland here:
Car rental in Iceland - tips and tricks
Rent a car in Iceland - how to choose proper car, what is the cost of renting a car, is it worth taking full insurance, where you can drive a car, and where you have t...
