Renting a car in Iceland is a pretty complex process and you need to have everything prepared to pick up your vehicle.
Each company might have some particularities when we are talking about the documents required, but most of the documents are the same, no matter from whom you rent the vehicle in Iceland.
It is a process which requires attention and involvement from your side. You need to sign documents before picking up your vehicle. Don’t just sign them! Read them before!
Here are 6 of the most important things to know before hire a car in Iceland
Things that might help you reduce your costs and avoid any unexpected events.
1. Don’t hire a car from the airport office
Never, I mean never hire a car from the Iceland airport office. It has to be a really limited situation to do that.
Do you know why you should not rent a vehicle from the airport? Well, let me give you at least 3 reasons:
- it is always much expensive
- you might not find any available car
- they will rent you what they want and not what you need. The bigger the car, the higher the price.
We always book vehicles from the internet, from specialized sites. And we always book in advance to get the best price. And trust me! This strategy works great every time! I advise you to do so in order to get the best price for your car rental!
Get the best price for your car rental today
2. Keep the number of drivers at a minimum
In most cases, extra drivers mean also extra money. Usually, there is a daily fee which you have to pay if you want to have more than 1 driver. The fee is per day and per driver. Maybe, at first sight, doesn’t seem much money, but when you multiply the amount per day with the number of days you rent the car and with the number of additional drivers you will get a good amount of money.
So, one of the things to know before hire a car in Iceland is to assess how many drivers you will need during the holiday and if it is really necessary to be more than 1.
Iceland rental important things before hire vehicle in Iceland
3. Be careful to have a valid credit card on the driver’s name
All car rental companies of Iceland ask for a valid credit card for a deposit when renting a vehicle. The only difference is that some companies accept 16 digit number card for a deposit and will let you pick up your rented car while others won’t give you the car if you don’t have a valid credit card. A small number of companies will allow you to pick up your car if you show them a credit card on your wife name. But most of the companies would ask that the credit card holder and the main driver be the same person.
Just to be sure that you don’t have any problems when picking up your car, take with you a credit card.
4. Buy extra insurance
This extra insurance thing is crucial for me. Especially when we are talking about Iceland. In Iceland everything is expensive. And none of the car rental companies offers full coverage. All of them have a collision damage waiver, and some have gravel protection and theft protection up to a certain amount.
The extra insurance is design to protect you and cover all your costs, especially the ones not covered by the car rental company. It is a relief when you travel!
5. Fill up the tank before you return the car
Other important things to know before hire a car in Iceland are that it is better to return the car with a full tank and that most Iceland rent a car companies practice really high fees for fill up the tank.
There might be a limited number of gas stations across the country, but at least around Reykjavik, there are a few. So, you have no excuse! If you want to save some money fill up the tank by yourself. The gas price in Iceland is very high, why to add up the fill-up fee?!
It is not that complicated to return the car with a full tank!
6. Don’t drive outside the paved roads
You are not allowed to drive a rented car outside the paved roads! This is a very important rule. F roads and any other types of roads except for paved roads are forbidden. Fines might be applied and more than that, if something happens to the car you will have to pay for road assistance and car repairment.
Stick to paved roads! There are plenty of things to see and places to visit along the paved roads. There is no reason why to go with the rented car on F roads or unpaved roads. You expose yourself and your family or friends to all kind of risks.
Iceland Vehicle on the road
These are the most important things to know before hire a car in Iceland. Suddenly, the process of hiring a car in Iceland does not seem so complicated and risky. Pay attention to details and to documents you will sign, buy the extra insurance and there is nothing to get worried about!