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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Iceland Car Rental

Renting a car in Iceland is expensive. Not surprising I guess since everything IS expensive. I think it's about economies of scale. Not enough people and a limited summer.

Anyway the major car rentals in Iceland are listed below. We went with ALP.is (which is really run by Budget). They offered the best rate I could find of about US$90 a day for a small compact car (Toyota Yaris). If you pay before hand the rate is slightly lower. It cost us about USD$40 to gas up each time. Not too bad!


FAQs:

1) Do I need an SUV
2) Will I need an Iceland road map?
3) What are the major car rental agencies in Iceland?
4) What are the driving distances between cities in Iceland?


Do I need an SUV?

If it's in the summer and you aren't planning on camping off the beaten path then a 2WD is perfectly fine. Your rental agreement allows you to travel on gravel roads though NOT "F" roads as seen on the maps. The 2WD will take you through the West Fjords and all the major tourist sites.

Will I need an Iceland Road Map? Are the guide books sufficient?

You will need one because the maps in the usual guide books are inadequate. (I used Lonely Planet and Rough Guide). We wanted to use our GPS but there are no Iceland maps for TomToms. :(

We ended up buying a complete Iceland book of driving maps. It cost us US$40. But hey we had no choice, but you my friends, can avoid this!

Support me and buy your Iceland map by clicking on these links! :)

Waterproof Map of Iceland - $11.95 on Amazon




Lonely Planet Iceland
- $15.63 on Amazon




Rough Guide Iceland
- $15.95 on Amazon



List of Car Rental Agencies
  • ALP ( Always Low Price | Budget )
  • RA Recommended! Pick up from the airport (Keflavik | Intl) or BSI Bus Terminal (within walking distance from the city). Unlimited mileage.

  • Berg Car Rental They have service stations throughout Iceland as well.


  • Atak Car Rental Available at airport (international), BSI (bus terminal in Reykjavik), and any Reykjavik Hotel


  • AVIS | Sixt Unlimited miles. Pick up from Keflavic Intl Airport or Reykjavik Hilton

  • National Car Rental Largest car rental in Iceland. Unique in that it offers many locations outside of Reykjavik so you can supplement your trip with flying. Looks good!


  • Hertz Iceland Lots of locations throughout the country as well (Akureyri, Isafjordor etc.) but this was the most expensive rental agency when I was searching at $180 for a compact.


  • I've listed the ones I like most but here's aComplete listing of car rental agencies.

    What are the driving distances between cities in Iceland?

    This table provides a comprehensive listing.

    (Courtesy of the Iceland Tourism Board)


    Bear in mind that the speed limit is 90km/hr on paved road. On gravel we were able to drive between 30-70km/hr depending on the quality and curvature of the roads.

    28 comments:

    tanyaa said...

    Upon arrival in Iceland at Keflavik Airport, there are 2 main ways for the tourist to get into Reykjavik. One would be to catch a taxi....but this would cost the equivalent of around 80-100 pounds!! The other and much cheaper option is to catch the Flybus.The Flybus connects with all arriving flights, no matter how late - we arrived around 11.30pm, and there was a bus waiting for our flight. It departs from just outside the arrivals terminal. When we were there the cost was 1,150 Kroner each (around 10 pounds) and the trip took between 35-50 mins - we bought a ticket aboard the bus.
    -----------
    Tanyaa
    Viral Marketing

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    If you're booking online, read the terms and conditions carefully before confirming your reservation. If you're booking over the phone, ask the agent about restrictions. Be sure you understand the conditions of your reservation.

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    Car Rental Iceland said...

    Hello,

    Nice post. I like the way you start and then conclude your thoughts. Car rental in Iceland this summer with various discounts on its wide range of high-performance vehicles, which is offering various discounts on all of its vehicles. Thanks for this information.I really appreciate your work, keep it up....

    Anonymous said...

    AVOID Go Car Rental in Iceland. The cars are cheap but old and DANGEROUS. The winter road conditions are harsh and the vehicles are not up to it. They do not have winter tyres which is a must. and the steering on ours was terrible. We took it back within a few hours.

    Do not put your life at risk. AVOID!!!

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    Unknown said...

    Hi there, we have recently lunched an Icelandic peer to peer car rental. We have both small independent car rentals as well as individuals using our site. We would be happy to be included in your links.

    The name of the site is carrenters.is and here is a link to it Car Rental Iceland

    Michaela said...

    Good day,

    Me and my husband travelled to Iceland for our honeymoon in end of june 2013 for 8 days. We rented a car with the company called www.reykjavikcars.com since they were the cheapest we could find. We didn't have high expectation but we got a new car with free GPS (very important in Iceland since not all roads are well marked!), something we did not expect but saved our trip!

    Just few tips of advice, be careful not to cross rivers if you dont know what you are doing and ask locals to guide you where and how is the best way to cross.

    Also, get a 4 wheel drive, some of the gravel roads are tough on small cars. We had a Dacia Duster and it got us everywhere we wanted to go (plus the diesel was relatively cheap). But we did come across some tourists that had problems with their small rental cars, especially in Thorsmork. Last but not least, stay on road and prepare yourself for all kinds of weather!!:)

    Michaela

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