What you need to know about Driving in Iceland

It has been soooo long, like 4 years since my last update on blog. So, why am I here today? This is because people have been asking me about my recent trip to Iceland. I've decided to put it up on a blog to benefit everyone! And... Thank YOU for visiting my blog today!

- About Iceland -

First thing about Iceland, you are going to think that it is going to be covered in ice. Temperature is negative 10 with scenery like what's shown in Games of Thrones. Then you are very wrong! Yes Iceland is a Nordic island country of Europe, situated in between Greenland and Scandinavia. But it is full of greens all around the country and there's only 11% of Iceland land covered with glacier. Those areas are located near South East where the mountains are with high precipitation level.

photo source: https://dykewriter.wordpress.com/2016/11/29/names-greenland-vs-iceland/

Iceland peak period would be from June to August as there is ample sunlight with sunrise at 3am, setting at 12am. Accommodation and car rental price skyrocket and is the most expensive period to travel. As sun is up most of the time, it means good visibility too. It would be great for sight seeing trips for waterfalls and you don't have to rush through all attraction site to get a good photo. BUT for travelers who are here to hunt aurora, this is a bad news. The sky is not entirely dark and it is harder to spot aurora.  

- Driving in Iceland -

Precipitation peaks from September to February making it rainy season in Iceland. Most of the roads were closed and it is advisable for all travelers to check Road Condition from website link. To be save, it is best to plan your itinerary reachable by Route 1/ Ring Route. It runs around the whole island and is the main route connecting all the sub routes to the attraction sites. 

Here's a snapshot of road.is view on road condition. Photo is taken on early November where only outer ring road is shown in green. Red means road are closed and better not risk it for the shortcut during winter season as the road may be slippery. My advice is to navigate your journey with car GPS rather than google maps as google maps are not updated with road closure. 

White line means snow, better be extra cautious driving in Iceland with snow and gale. The wind is no joke when you are driving with a lorry at the opposite lane. Beside the car logo, it shows 1/10. 1 means there is 1 car passing by this route in the last 10 minutes, 10 shows total car passing since 12am. In case of emergency, the number to call is 112.

It is also recommended that you drive during daylight hours as weather is unpredictable. "When you think the weather is good, wait 5 minutes. When you think the weather is bad, wait 5 minutes."

- Car Rental in Iceland - 

Dear travelers, please book in ADVANCE! like 6 months before you travel to ensure you get one. The earlier you do it, the cheaper it gets. In Keflavík airport, you will need to take about 3 minutes walk out of the airport to the free bus shuttle station which will bring you to all these car rental locations. 

Depending on the season you are going. For summer season or simply travelling around Reykjavik area, 2WD will be sufficient. If you are travelling on F-road, winter season, 4WD is recommended. 

The cheapest 4x4 is probably Suzuki Jimny which comes in automatic transmission and 1.3cc. Although it is 4 seated car, but if you are travelling in winter period with large baggage it is not recommended. This is probably the most common car you will see in the whole Iceland due to its economical price in rental and fuel. Another option for economical car would be Duster but only manual transmission available.

For my case, we booked Kia Sportage from Blue Car Rental which cost around USD1000 for 10 days. Jimny will cost around USD750 for the same duration. Kia also includes build in GPS and cruise control to ease travelling. Reason behind choosing Sportage:

1. It runs on Diesel (which is cheaper than petrol)
2. Ample space to fit 2 big baggage with space for hand carry at the back seat
3. Heated Seating and Steering

Upon return, do remember to get it washed for free at any gas station. Some company do impose certain amount of "cleaning fee" if covered with dirt.

- Car Fuel -

The most common petrol station Iceland will be N1, Olís Skeljungur. Their subsidaries are Dælan (low-cost company owned by N1), ÓB (low-cost company owned by Olís), Orkan (low-cost company owned by Skeljungur).

In Malaysia normally petrol station will come with proper convenient store with restroom. BUT in Iceland, the petrol station is all self service so it is not common to pay for petrol with cash. Green handle is for Petrol and Black is for Diesel. It is best to fuel up when you are below half a tank as the next station might be 100km away.

Below is map of Iceland gas stations with price from TripCreator.
Map of Gas Stations in Iceland by TripCreator

I will recommend N1 as they have most stations around the island and you can see petrol stations are more saturated in city area and around ring road. Price between each petrol station is the same so you can skip the hassle to get cheaper fuel. And for self service petrol station, it means no restrooms. It is quite tough to find toilet around even in attraction sites out of Reykjavik area. So it is best to go to one when you sees it.

price for diesel

During fueling, there are few options: 3,000 ISK, 5,000 ISK, 10,000 ISK or "fill up". For fill up option, the company will hold your credit of 25,000 ISK as deposit regardless of how much fuel you have pump. The amount will be hold for 2-3 days which is a burden for most travelers with limited credit card limit. You may also opt for prepaid cards with your choice of gas station (but make sure you get the one with more branches.

- Speed Camera -

This will be the pain in the ass when driving in Iceland. In residential area, speed limit is 45-50km/h and 90km/h maximum for paved road outside town. Do not speed in Iceland as it is FULL of speed camera especially when you are about to enter residential area. There are speed sign board all around or you may refer to GPS on speed limit. Car GPS is actually very accurate and waze does not work well in Iceland. Never rely on it to notify you on speed camera location.

watch out for speed trap signboard

For fine tickets, it will be issued to you a few weeks after by your car rental agency. Remember you gave them your credit card as deposit upon getting your car? That's how they will charge you! For speed ticket price, it depends on what speed you are caught at that time.

≥ 5km/hr : 5,000 ISK
≥10km/hr : 10,000 ISK

Highest fine can go up to 150,000 ISK.

- Toll Road - 

source: http://autobuzz.my/2016/08/19/utopian-road-trip-eight-days-around-majestic-roads-iceland/iceland-toll/

There is only one toll in the whole Iceland which is before Hvalfjudor Tunnel. Fee is 1,000 ISK. 

- Parking Rates in Reykjavik -

 There are 4 parking zones in Reykjavik, P1, P2, P3, P4 with different rates. The nearer to attraction site, the more expensive. Parking is free on Sundays.

Zone 1: 275 ISK/hour
Zone 2: 150 ISK/hour
Zone 3: 125 ISK for first 2 hour. Subsequent hour 30 ISK
Zone 4: 150 ISK/hour

For Zone 1,2,3 it operates from Monday to Friday 0900 to 1800. Saturday 1000-1600.
Zone 4, Monday to Friday 0800 to 1600 while Saturday and Sunday is Free.

**IMPORTANT** headlights should be always on in Iceland regardless day or night.