Driving in Iceland: 10 Things to Know
I don’t really enjoy driving, but road-tripping around Iceland was well worth it. There’s very little traffic. Outside Reykjavik you can drive many miles without passing another car!
That said, we learned a few things you should keep in mind if you’re planning a visit.
Rental cars and vans
Only a few car rental car companies are at the airport in Keflavik. They may be a bit more expensive, but for some it’s worth the cost to avoid a shuttle hassle. We wasted more than an hour waiting around for a shuttle to our rental care center, around 15 minutes off-site. I’m impatient, so after a long flight, that’s the last thing I wanted to do.
Avis, Budget, Europcar, and Hertz are all at the airport.
A lot of people drive around Iceland in vans, which are all also located outside the airport.
This photo shows the row of rental companies with setups inside Keflavik, the main airport in Iceland.
Police
A lot of blogs talk about Icelandic police targeting speeders, and the huge fines that come along with an infraction.
We saw exactly one patrol car, pictured below, with an officer using a radar gun.
We passed a couple of photo radar cameras around Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon (45 minutes from Reykjavik). Aside from this, we didn’t see a single officer focused on speeding tickets during our 1200 miles of driving.
It’s a slow-go
Icelandic drivers tend to obey the speed limits, whether you’re in Reykjavik or on the other side of the country. I
It’s a slow-driving society, which was (frankly) a nice relief from what I’m used to! Digital signs in many towns will give you a “sad face” if you’re going above the posted limit.
On highways, and the Ring Road, the top speed is 90km per hour, which his less than 60 miles an hour.
Sharing the road
Iceland has twice as many sheep as people, so you’re bound to see sheep, elk, and other animals on the highways outside of the city.
We were most excited to see the Icelandic reindeer, and less excited to see farm equipment.
Gas is a challenge
Make sure to bring a debit card with a pin, and inform your bank ahead of time. I thought those days were over, but my bank was confused as to why I was gassing up in Iceland.
Most of the self-pump stations require cards with pins.
American Express works at very few, for you AmEx users. I ended up having to buy gift cards inside one of the gas stations, since the pump touch screen wouldn’t work with my card.
Also, since the towns are far apart, gas up as much as possible, even if you’re above half-a-tank.
Highways
Most of the ring road is a paved, 2-lane highway.
I was very impressed with its condition! There are virtually no potholes. The roadway was mostly smooth, which is not what I was expecting for a country with a freeze-thaw cycle.
Driving over the mountain passes, expect snow drifts and squalls. We had snow covering the road in the east in mid-May in Eastern Iceland. Also, the more remote highways are gravel and dirt.
One-lane bridges
Outside Reykjavik, you’ll come across dozens of single-lane bridges.
Each is nicely marked, and other drivers are very patient and courteous when it comes to deciding who goes first. Again, something I’m not used to!
You can see a truck waiting for us to pass on this single-lane bridge in Southern Iceland.
You car will be beat to hell
Ours was rusty and missing some trim. The tire sensor never shut off. The winter weather in Iceland is unforgiving, and we returned ours in rough shape. There’s blowing lava dust, snow, mud, and more. We definitely had the dirtiest car in Reykjavik at the end of our road trip!
City names
You won’t be able to pronounce 95% of the names. Even the seemingly easy ones are misleading.
Take the sign below. The town of “Hofn” … sounds more like “Hupb” for some reason.
Still, there aren’t many roads to get lost on, so navigating is pretty easy.
Check the Iceland road websites!
Road.is and SafeTravel.is
They’re updated constantly with snow conditions, along with the weather forecast. People who live there use it all the time, and it was very helpful to us.
