Car Booking Process in Iceland
Online booking advantages: Online reservation provides the most convenient method for finding suitable vehicles. Compare verified rental company offers in advance, selecting vehicles matching your route and budget.
Booking steps:
- Set dates and locations: Specify rental dates and pickup/return cities. Use "Specify location" for convenient pickup points.
- Apply filters: Sort by vehicle type, transmission, deposit amount, and other criteria.
- Review vehicle details: Study listings and add necessary options like child seats, roof racks, or in-car Wi-Fi modems.
- Complete booking: Enter primary driver information and contacts. Pay advance by card; voucher arrives via email.
- Vehicle collection: Inspect exterior and interior upon pickup, documenting all defects. Check fuel level for matching return. Sign contract and pay remaining balance.
Travel preparations complete—time to explore!
Essential Iceland Destinations by Car
Iceland is designed for road adventures, where every turn reveals new, often incredible vistas. Glaciers, waterfalls, volcanic fields, and northern sea beaches await. Essential requirements: reliable maps and weather adaptability.
Must-see destinations:
- Hverir Geothermal Area near Lake Mývatn: This valley resembles alien landscapes with bubbling mud pots of various sizes, strong sulfur scents, and salt/mineral deposits creating bright yellow, orange, and red earth tones while fumaroles release steam clouds. Walk safely on wooden boardwalks for optimal viewing. En route, stop at Skútustaðir pseudocraters on Lake Mývatn's southern shore—formed when lava contacted water.
- Skógafoss Waterfall: One of Iceland's most impressive and accessible waterfalls, featuring a 25-meter water wall. Approach quite close to the base where spray creates constant mist and frequent rainbows. Climbing steps on the right reveals summit views and the Fimmvörðuháls trail beginning. Nearby Skógar Museum, housed in an old school building, displays fascinating exhibits about rural life and folk crafts.
- Jökulsárlón Glacial Lake: Where Breiðamerkurjökull glacier slides into the ocean, breaking into icebergs. Ice chunks of all shapes and blue shades float in the lake, slowly moving seaward. Observe seals often resting on ice floes from the shore. Directly across the road lies Diamond Beach (Breiðamerkursandur), where waves cast small ice fragments onto black volcanic sand.
- Vík Town and Reynisfjara Beach: Vík is Iceland's southernmost settlement. The main nearby attraction is Reynisfjara black basalt beach, where powerful Atlantic waves crash against shores while protruding basalt columns form unusual hexagonal structures. Spot Reynisdrangar sea stacks offshore.
- Þingvellir National Park: Iceland's historical and geological heart. Here in 930 AD, the first parliament—Althing—was established. The park sits in a rift valley where Eurasian and North American tectonic plates separate. Visible ground fractures and fissures include the famous Almannagjá gorge. Þingvallavatn is the country's largest natural lake. Walk trails along the rift, viewing Öxarárfoss waterfall cascading from Öxarárgjúfur canyon within park boundaries.
Extended exploration opportunities: If dramatic landscape excitement continues, head east to Stuðlagil canyon with its basalt columns and turquoise river. In Skógar valley, visit Skógar Museum for Icelandic lifestyle insights. For seal viewing in natural habitat, detour to Vatnsnes peninsula in the north, especially near Hvítserkur rock.
Car Rental Locations in Iceland
Pickup options: When booking online, specify convenient pickup locations. Most tourists collect vehicles directly at Keflavík Airport (KEF) for immediate departure. For city-based starts, vehicles are available in Hveragerði, Kópavogur, Reykjavík, Selfoss, or Hafnarfjörður.
Collection options include airport pickup, rental office collection, or address delivery. Use the "Specify location" filter to display only vehicles available at your chosen pickup point, saving time.
Essential Iceland Driving Tips
Car rental provides the best method for experiencing Iceland's beautiful locations, but road conditions have unique characteristics. Key knowledge for comfortable and safe road trips:
- F-Road Regulations Due to Iceland's challenging weather conditions, F-category dirt road travel requires 4WD vehicles and mandatory rental company coordination. Contact Localrent support before booking, specifying route and travel dates for permission.
- Daily Safety Rituals Begin each day checking weather and road conditions. Icelandic weather changes instantly. Strong winds particularly threaten high vehicles with roof tents or campers, while winter blizzards pose severe risks. Red alert declarations prohibit all vehicle travel—life-threatening conditions exist.
- Iceland's Sheep Country Spring and summer feature newborn lambs and sheep grazing freely nationwide. They frequently enter roads or stand nearby. Always reduce speed when spotting sheep near roads—they're unpredictable and may dart into traffic. Exercise special caution in rural areas.
- Icelandic Horse Encounters If stopping near roadside horses, never feed them. Icelandic horses require specific diets; foreign food seriously harms their health. Horses are skittish animals. When encountering riders or herds crossing roads, stop at safe distances allowing calm passage without honking or startling animals.
- Wind Management Iceland experiences almost constant strong winds. When parking, position vehicles so wind hits windshields rather than doors. Opening doors against wind risks gusts wrenching them from hands and damaging hinges—a common tourist vehicle problem.
Can I drop off the car at 5 am?
Hello! When booking the car, you can select the pick-up and drop-off time and place. If your drop-off time is outside of the rental company’s opening hours, an out-of-hours service charge will be displayed.
Hello. Are there any age and driving experience minimums?
Hello! The minimum driver’s age is 23 years, the minimum driving experience is 3 years.
Hello! We need 2 child safety seats. Is that possible?
Hello! No problem, you can select the necessary number of child safety seats on the car page. You will see the cost of the equipment for the entire rental period near this option. Make sure to indicate the age and weight of your kids in the comment to your booking.
Do I need to fill up my car before returning it?
Hello! Fuel policy: You must return your rental car with the same amount of fuel you picked it up with. If the amount of fuel is lower, you pay the difference at the rates of the car rental company. If the amount of fuel is higher, you are not compensated for the difference.
Good afternoon! I booked the car for a certain period of time. Can I extend my rental?
Good afternoon! You can extend your order if the car is available. To do this, contact us at hello@localrent, and our customer support specialists will help you!