Renting a car and driving in Iceland is one of the most popular ways to see this beautiful country.
But whether you’re driving the Ring Road around Iceland or going on a few day trips from Reykjavik, here are some tips to make the most out of your Iceland road trip!
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!
Top 10 Tips For Driving In Iceland!
1. You’ll Most Likely Need An International Driver’s Permit
There seems to be a lot of confusion about whether or not you need an International Driver’s Permit to drive in Iceland.
In fact, even our rental car company (Blue Car Rentals), only required that we have a license with Latin characters to rent a car in Iceland.
But as it turns out, every visitor driving in Iceland needs to have an international drivers permit, regardless of the language of your license.
It clearly states the following about driving in Iceland on the International Driving Permit website:
“Iceland signed 1949 United Nations conventions, and it is a legal requirement for visitors to have a valid International Driving Permit (IDP) in order to rent a car and legally drive in Iceland. All visitors who plan to drive in Iceland must make sure they obtain an IDP in their home country or country of residence before they travel.“
International Driving Permit
You can read it for yourself here.
Better to be safe rather than sorry and get an International Driver’s License in your home country before your trip. Use my printable travel planner to help you stay organized, check it out on Etsy here.
2. Rent A Raised SUV (And Maybe Even 4WD) To Drive In Iceland
You need a raised SUV when driving in Iceland. There’s no denying that a raised SUV will cost more than renting a sedan, but you’ll thank me once you hit the road.
This is true even if you aren’t planning on going off-roading in Iceland, because it will just happen. You can’t avoid driving on unpaved, dirt or gravel roads. So it’s important to get a car that can handle every type of driving condition.
I would even argue that you should also get an SUV with 4 Wheel Drive. 4WD helped us a few times when we ended up driving on sand or complete dirt roads.
P.S. See more of my tips for how to rent a car in Iceland here.
3. Expect Unpaved Iceland Roads At Any Point
No matter where you are planning on driving in Iceland, you will most likely be driving on unpaved roads at one point.
The most visited spots will have the most established road networks. But even at some of the popular attractions in Southern Iceland you can encounter some unpaved roads.
The farther you get from Reykjavik and the Golden Circle though, the worse the driving conditions become. So although the Ring Road is paved, you’re likely to hit gravel roads once you exit to reach your destination.
4. Budget More For Gas – It’s Expensive In Iceland
Gas is an obvious expense when driving anywhere, but expect it to cost you even more in Iceland.
Let’s just say, I’m from Quebec, where gas is already stupidely expensive, and gas in Iceland is TWICE as expensive as gas in Quebec!
So don’t say I didn’t warn you!
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5. There Are Limited Gas Stations In Iceland!
We found that there were long stretches without any gas station in sight. And in fact, we almost ran out of gas on our way back to Reykjavik one day.
You have to think of driving in Iceland as country driving, with limited resources along the way. Try to be more conscious of your fuel gage and plan your stops accordingly. It’s a good idea to keep your tank at least half full at all times.
If you know you won’t be near another city for a while, just fill up!
P.S. Express Gas Stations Fill Up ONE AT A TIME!
The reason we almost ran out of gas is because we tried to fill up in Vik but couldn’t get the pump to work.
As it turns out, we were at an Express gas station which will only operate one pump at a time.
So if someone else is filling up with gas, your pump will say Occupied, and will only start pumping gas once they’re done.
6. Pack An Extra Charging Cable For The Car (With Adapters!)
This tip isn’t just useful for driving in Iceland, but anytime you rent a car on vacation. I always make sure to pack an extra phone charging cable with the necessary adapter.
Most cars today have a USB port to plug in your phone. If there’s a screen, this gives you access to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
But, even if there’s no screen in the car, this will at least charge your phone so it doesn’t completely drain the battery while you’re using it.
I bring an extra charging cable for this purpose so I can leave it in the car and not have to bring it back and forth to the hotel every night.
You should also bring an adapter based on your charging cable’s connection. For example, if your cable has a USB connection, bring a USBC adapter (and vice versa). Unfortunately, cars today are not standardized, so better to be ready for anything!
7. Pack An Extra Battery
We had some PRETTY long days driving in Iceland without a break, and more importantly without a chance to re-charge!
An extra battery pack (I have this one from Amazon) came very much in handy for those long days on the road.
You also don’t want to be stranded, in the middle of nowhere without a phone (which brings me to my next point…).
Going on a road trip?
Check out my digital and printable road trip I Spy game on Etsy.
8. Pay For Cell Service Or Have A Wifi Router
As I mentioned, Iceland driving is pretty remote. It’s a lot of nature and solitude.
So make sure you have a way to always be connected, regardless of where you are. You don’t want to be relying on gas station Wifi, because as we know, gas stations are already hard to come by!
I opted for an Icelandic data plan with Airalo (P.S. you can use my code MEGHAN4678 or click here for a discount on your first plan!).
But if you’re going to more remote destinations in Iceland, you might want to consider getting a Wifi Router with your car. Blue Car Rental offers this service when renting a car with them and it gives you unlimited data WHEREVER you go!
P.S. Northern Iceland and the Westfjords have particularly spotty cell reception, even along the Ring Road!
9. Download Maps Offline Before You Drive Around Iceland
As an extra precaution in case you do lose service while driving around Iceland, download Google Maps offline. It’s also a good idea to do this if you don’t want to risk running out of data!
This way, no matter where you are in Iceland, regardless of your connection, you’ll have the map!
Downloading your map offline is easy enough to do. On your phone, open the Google Maps App. Click on your profile (your picture in the top right corner), and a menu should pop up with an option for Offline Maps.
In Offline Maps, choose the option at the top to Select Your Own Map, which will open up the world map. Navigate to Iceland and then click download (p.s. you might have to repeat this process a few times, if the map is too big).
10. Don’t Blindly Listen To Google Maps, Use Your Judgment
Even though you now have easy access to offline maps, don’t blindly listen to Googles directions (or your rental cars GPS if you use that instead!).
We had an instance where Google wanted us to turn off the newly paved highway onto a deserted dirt road… just to save 2 minutes.
We ended up missing the turn, and it was good that we did.
As it turns out, this was the old road that is no longer in use… and was completely closed off a bit further down.
We did have to turn down a dirt road eventually to get to our final destination but there were multiple signs for the museum telling us to take the next turn.
So I’m not saying to never turn on a dirt road, just use your judgment. Google doesn’t always know best.
11. The Wind Is STRONG! And Will Push Your Car!
I’ve never felt wind this strong while driving as I did in Iceland.
Legit, the wind will push your car so you have to be extra vigilant on a windy day.
Most of the highways are also only two lanes, so it’s dangerous if you veer even a little bit. And it’s not just for oncoming traffic, you may be driving up a mountain on narrow switchbacks, or along a sheer cliff dropping into the ocean!
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12. Check Road Conditions Before Driving In Iceland Every Day
A good habit to get in to when driving in Iceland is to check the weather and road conditions.
This is especially if you’re traveling between September and June, through the highlands, or up North. Snow storms can hit Northern Iceland as late as early June, and winds can become violent enough to push your car off the road.
You can check Iceland’s weather service here (there’s also an app you can download, which might be more useful for quicker updates!).
You can check road conditions here. The site lets you inspect specific roads, and tells you how passable they are, with detailed descriptions. There are even cameras posted along them that will show you real time road conditions.
But for in the moment updates, you can sign up for alerts from Safetravel here.
13. Expect Animals To Be On The Side Of Iceland Roads
When driving in Iceland you also have to watch out for animals on the side of the road.
There are tons of sheep just roaming about. We even had to completely stop our car once for a PUG in the middle of the road!
Remember, a lot of driving in Iceland is like driving through country roads, so they’re not accustomed to a lot of traffic.
P.S. Don’t Speed In Iceland… There Are Radars
Speeding fines in Iceland are nothing to laugh at. It can cost you between $200-$500 USD!
In general, the maximum speed limit on a paved highways is 90 km/ hour, on gravel roads in rural areas it is 80 km/hour, and in populated areas it is 30-50 km/hour.
But pay attention to speed signs, because Iceland has cameras set up everywhere to catch speedy drivers.
And let’s be real…there’s no sense in rushing around Iceland, you’ll want to see as much of this beautiful country as you can!
Iceland Road Trip Game: Is It Bugs, Or Rain!?
It’s always good to keep yourself entertained on the road, and the best way to do that is with a game!
Our favourite game to play in Iceland was this: it raining, or are those bugs hitting our windshield!?
It rains a lot in Iceland, even when it’s sunny, so you never knew if you were driving through a small bit of rain.
There were also areas with high concentrations of bugs, and that when they hit your windshield would look and sound exactly like rain drops.
So we really never knew which one it was, but it was also a fun debate!
P.S. If you’re looking for another road trip game to play in Iceland, check out my printable I Spy games for the car here.
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Last update on 2024-05-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API