Car hire in Iceland
Discussion
My wife and I are honey mooning in Iceland in November and I am going to hire a car while there.
Has anyone hired a car in Iceland during winter? Did you hire a 4x4? We are staying in Reykjavik and will be travelling around, but likely staying in the Golden Circle with the odd other excursion.
Thanks.
Has anyone hired a car in Iceland during winter? Did you hire a 4x4? We are staying in Reykjavik and will be travelling around, but likely staying in the Golden Circle with the odd other excursion.
Thanks.
Not hired from them but used them for other exclusions- I'd get a 4x4
https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/travel-services/c...
https://www.extremeiceland.is/en/travel-services/c...
TheAngryDog said:
My wife and I are honey mooning in Iceland in November and I am going to hire a car while there.
Has anyone hired a car in Iceland during winter? Did you hire a 4x4? We are staying in Reykjavik and will be travelling around, but likely staying in the Golden Circle with the odd other excursion.
Thanks.
I have used these folk 3 times and would have used them last month but we changed where we were going.Has anyone hired a car in Iceland during winter? Did you hire a 4x4? We are staying in Reykjavik and will be travelling around, but likely staying in the Golden Circle with the odd other excursion.
Thanks.
https://www.bluecarrental.is/
Ask for Magnus.
Do not get the car delivered to the airport unless want to as it is expensive, their office is a 5 minute walk and decline the ash insurance.
Been 3 times, and hired a polo, grand vitara, and a jimny. Most places a 2wd hatchback is fine, but the 4wd gave some added confidence in soft gravel or an icy road. In you're planning to stay around Reykjavik and the golden circle you'll be all on good roads, thats exactly what we did with the polo. Definitely take a 4x4 tour though, they'll go places you wouldn't get to if you had your own 4x4 as they'll happily drive around on top of several meters of snow.
We went last Feb for a long Weekend
Also used bluecarrental
Duster 1.5DCi
Brilliant Car. Really good Service.
Not far to walk from the Terminal but wear decent shoes/boots.
I got very wet feet. Leave the Wife and Luggage at the Airport while you collect.
We didn't go far off of the main roads but was glad of the 4x4 on a few occasions.
Also used bluecarrental
Duster 1.5DCi
Brilliant Car. Really good Service.
Not far to walk from the Terminal but wear decent shoes/boots.
I got very wet feet. Leave the Wife and Luggage at the Airport while you collect.
We didn't go far off of the main roads but was glad of the 4x4 on a few occasions.
robdcfc said:
We went last year, you should be fine with a normal car for 90% of the island, dont pay extra for the snow tyres as all the cars have them fitted anyway.
We got all the way up to Husafell in a Hyundai i30, roads totally clear, all to see my mate get married inside a glacier.
Not all cars have proper snow tyres. We went in March and rented a VW golf, it had winter tyres but not studded snow tyres and coped admirably with the two inches of fresh snow that fell the night before we drove the golden circle.We got all the way up to Husafell in a Hyundai i30, roads totally clear, all to see my mate get married inside a glacier.
I wouldn't bother with a 4x4 unless you're going really off piste OP.
More important that car hire download the app 'Appy Hour' it'll show where and when the happy hours are around Reykjavik so you don't end up paying £20 for a G&T. Also Svarta Kaffid on Laugurvegur for soup in a bun, got to be done.
Enjoym
Edited to apologise to robdcfc Nokian do indeed advertise their tyres as snow tyres even without the studs. To clarify we had snow tyres without studs on our car and it was fine, even overtaking bimbling Chinese tourists at 100km/h on the 1.
Edited by djc206 on Thursday 11th May 06:47
Allanv said:
I have used these folk 3 times and would have used them last month but we changed where we were going.
https://www.bluecarrental.is/
Ask for Magnus.
Do not get the car delivered to the airport unless want to as it is expensive, their office is a 5 minute walk and decline the ash insurance.
They seem quite expensive. We're there for a few weeks in June and hiring a car for 4 days. £130 for an Opal Astra via Argus Car Hire, or could get a Golf for £150. Blue Car Rental would charge £233 for a similar sized car, Kia Rio, for exactly the same period.https://www.bluecarrental.is/
Ask for Magnus.
Do not get the car delivered to the airport unless want to as it is expensive, their office is a 5 minute walk and decline the ash insurance.
I can get employee discount at Enterprise in Reykjavik and even they can't beat Argus. Add in the 8% cashback via Quidco and the Astra is costing us £120.
Hiring a car in November all cars will come with studded tyres - it's a legal requirement for leaving the city. You won't need a 4x4, all the places where they are of use will be closed. They're generally needed when heading inland for river crossings - they close the inland roads during winter. You'll still be able to see plenty, the road to the Golden Circle will be open and Road 1, the coastal road which hugs the whole coastline will be open.
JQ said:
They seem quite expensive. We're there for a few weeks in June and hiring a car for 4 days. £130 for an Opal Astra via Argus Car Hire, or could get a Golf for £150. Blue Car Rental would charge £233 for a similar sized car, Kia Rio, for exactly the same period.
I can get employee discount at Enterprise in Reykjavik and even they can't beat Argus. Add in the 8% cashback via Quidco and the Astra is costing us £120.
Hiring a car in November all cars will come with studded tyres - it's a legal requirement for leaving the city. You won't need a 4x4, all the places where they are of use will be closed. They're generally needed when heading inland for river crossings - they close the inland roads during winter. You'll still be able to see plenty, the road to the Golden Circle will be open and Road 1, the coastal road which hugs the whole coastline will be open.
I'll say it again it is categorically not true that studded tyres are a legal requirement. Winter tyres are, they are not the same thing.I can get employee discount at Enterprise in Reykjavik and even they can't beat Argus. Add in the 8% cashback via Quidco and the Astra is costing us £120.
Hiring a car in November all cars will come with studded tyres - it's a legal requirement for leaving the city. You won't need a 4x4, all the places where they are of use will be closed. They're generally needed when heading inland for river crossings - they close the inland roads during winter. You'll still be able to see plenty, the road to the Golden Circle will be open and Road 1, the coastal road which hugs the whole coastline will be open.
We paid about £120 for 4 days of VW Golf hire from Budget.
JQ said:
You won't need a 4x4, all the places where they are of use will be closed. They're generally needed when heading inland for river crossings.
Don't cross rivers in a hire car though unless you're dealing with a specialist rental company. Your insurance won't cover river crossings and all the rental companies will have pictures on the office walls of tourists bobbing down rivers in cars.Hired a standard Skoda Rapide with Spike tyres in December - January 2015 and had a fantastic time.
The spike tyres are plenty good enough for the snow and ice at that time of year, but dont go off road!! Off road cars are special and will normally be 4x4. Extra insurance will be applied to vehicles that can be used to off road.
We used the car for our whole stay and i learnt to slide the car in the hotel car park, much to my wifes anger.....
The spike tyres are plenty good enough for the snow and ice at that time of year, but dont go off road!! Off road cars are special and will normally be 4x4. Extra insurance will be applied to vehicles that can be used to off road.
We used the car for our whole stay and i learnt to slide the car in the hotel car park, much to my wifes anger.....
I don't see it mentioned above but be very careful with insurance... depending on which part of Iceland you are intending to visit, the wind can be vicious enough to strip the paint from the car in short order.
The normal hire can insurance will not cover you for this and the extra insurance is not cheap.... I'm currently pricing up a trip there next year and the extra insurance is almost as much as the hire... without it the costs (if affected) are eye watering.
Likely this will not be an issue if you're only staying in the capital but we're heading up country for the Northern lights - right in the area affected by the winds.
The normal hire can insurance will not cover you for this and the extra insurance is not cheap.... I'm currently pricing up a trip there next year and the extra insurance is almost as much as the hire... without it the costs (if affected) are eye watering.
Likely this will not be an issue if you're only staying in the capital but we're heading up country for the Northern lights - right in the area affected by the winds.
We hired a standard Astra from Sixt for 166 euros back in January.
Declined all insurances, despite it being lashed with snow - which is not often according to the locals, you mainly get windy wet weather. Stayed in an Airbnb at Uthlid, went up to the Gullfoss falls, Strokkur geysir, ventured down to Selfoss and Reykjavik so put plenty of miles in with absolutely no problems whatsoever.
Declined all insurances, despite it being lashed with snow - which is not often according to the locals, you mainly get windy wet weather. Stayed in an Airbnb at Uthlid, went up to the Gullfoss falls, Strokkur geysir, ventured down to Selfoss and Reykjavik so put plenty of miles in with absolutely no problems whatsoever.
We went in January and few cars in Reykjavik had studded tyres, just regular winter tyres or non-studded snow tyres.
As others have said, staying in the touristy bits you won't need a 4x4 and any car will be fine. Go a bit further though and it can be handy. The hire company won't let you go away in anything that couldn't manage normal roads so don't worry too much.
Be aware that there are roads which say you cannot take a normal car past the sign, even a 4x4 hatch/saloon, and hire cars are explicitly not insured on such roads. Heed these signs; the Icelanders are not messing about, those roads quickly get seriously gnarly!
As others have said, staying in the touristy bits you won't need a 4x4 and any car will be fine. Go a bit further though and it can be handy. The hire company won't let you go away in anything that couldn't manage normal roads so don't worry too much.
Be aware that there are roads which say you cannot take a normal car past the sign, even a 4x4 hatch/saloon, and hire cars are explicitly not insured on such roads. Heed these signs; the Icelanders are not messing about, those roads quickly get seriously gnarly!
K50 DEL said:
I don't see it mentioned above but be very careful with insurance... depending on which part of Iceland you are intending to visit, the wind can be vicious enough to strip the paint from the car in short order.
The normal hire can insurance will not cover you for this and the extra insurance is not cheap.... I'm currently pricing up a trip there next year and the extra insurance is almost as much as the hire... without it the costs (if affected) are eye watering.
Likely this will not be an issue if you're only staying in the capital but we're heading up country for the Northern lights - right in the area affected by the winds.
I was offered sand and ash insurance for £17/day but we were only doing the circle so I declined. I took out excess insurance from a uk company to cover the 1500 euro standard excess, I think it cost about £10. I don't normally bother but I figured if I was going to stack a car anywhere it'd be Iceland.The normal hire can insurance will not cover you for this and the extra insurance is not cheap.... I'm currently pricing up a trip there next year and the extra insurance is almost as much as the hire... without it the costs (if affected) are eye watering.
Likely this will not be an issue if you're only staying in the capital but we're heading up country for the Northern lights - right in the area affected by the winds.
OP be sure to inspect whatever car you hire closely. What with snow and ice about the corners tend to be a bit battle scarred but also check the roof and bonnet as damage occurs when people brush snow and ice off, I've never thought to check the roof of a car before!
Kenty said:
A few photos of Iceland to wet your appetite!
http://www.smoothstripes.com/eyecandy/iceland/#263...
Great album dude, love the photos, they make me want to visit Iceland right now! http://www.smoothstripes.com/eyecandy/iceland/#263...
Thanks all. Finally booked our honeymoon, staying at an apartment in Reykjavik. Looking at hire cars now. We are planning on being based in Reykjavik and doing the Golden Circle and some Northern Lights hunting, but not venturing too far out.
Looking at rental prices and there is a massive mixed bag!
Re the insurance, I was going to get a policy from Icarhire.co.uk that covers the excess. Any others like this?
Looking at rental prices and there is a massive mixed bag!
Re the insurance, I was going to get a policy from Icarhire.co.uk that covers the excess. Any others like this?
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