Renting a car in Reykjavik

[Wyoming2010]

Who has done it and can provide tips and information? 

 

Do you book ahead online? 

What car rentals are near the cruise port? 

Do you need a special license/permit to drive there? 

Did you get the insurance? 

What was the average price for a day?

If you ported overnight (like we are), did you keep the car for 2 days and part at the port?

 

Thanks much.  There's so much to see and excursions are so expensive, this may be our best bet. 

[Nitemare]

4 times so far

 

Yes

We've rented from the airport and from town.  We found the options by googling

No. As long as your license is in "Roman Characters" it will be fine

Insurance is highly personal.  We get some of the options, but it depends on where you plan to go and your risk tolerances. 

If you book early you can get a decent 2wd vehicle for $50-70/day.  AVOID CHEAPO COMPANIES, like "SAD cars" as you will break down.  If you book late you can expect to pay double or triple the above.  A 4wd vehicle will double your cost.  You do not need 4wd for 95% of touring in Iceland

Lots of parking options in Reykjavik.

 

Tons of car rental info on the Iceland board at TripAdvisor.

[FredZiffle]

100% agree that renting a car is the way to go.  Roads were in better condition than what I was used to in the US and are well-marked.  I can't recall who we used, but they delivered and picked up the car at the port.

[Wyoming2010]

On ‎6‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 5:14 PM, FredZiffle said:

100% agree that renting a car is the way to go.  Roads were in better condition than what I was used to in the US and are well-marked.  I can't recall who we used, but they delivered and picked up the car at the port.

 

Thanks to you both.  FredZiffle -- if you find the name of the rental company that delivered, please let me know. 

[czrunner]

Does anybody have experience with renting a car in Reykjavik and returning it at the KEF airport?  We will be in Reykjavik overnight (on the Bergen-Reykjavik cruise with Viking) and plan to rent a car the second day, after disembarking.  Viking ships dock in Skarfabakki Harbor, which is a little outside Reykjavik.  Do some rental companies provide shuttle or pick up at the harbor or does Viking provide a shuttle into the center of the town and if so, is it even on the last day of the cruise?  I plan to do some googling, but just came across this topic, and a first hand experience is always useful.

[Nitemare]

I can confirm that renting in the city and returning at KEF is possible, as is the reverse.  I don't know off hand which ones do that at this time, but you can do a test booking to see if there are one way fees

[Wyoming2010]

On ‎6‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 6:33 AM, Nitemare said:

4 times so far

 

Yes

We've rented from the airport and from town.  We found the options by googling

No. As long as your license is in "Roman Characters" it will be fine

Insurance is highly personal.  We get some of the options, but it depends on where you plan to go and your risk tolerances. 

If you book early you can get a decent 2wd vehicle for $50-70/day.  AVOID CHEAPO COMPANIES, like "SAD cars" as you will break down.  If you book late you can expect to pay double or triple the above.  A 4wd vehicle will double your cost.  You do not need 4wd for 95% of touring in Iceland

Lots of parking options in Reykjavik.

 

Tons of car rental info on the Iceland board at TripAdvisor.

 

Thanks. Do you know how far in advance one can book?  I tried on the Eurocar rental site and it's showing no availability that far out -- unless they are actually sold out. 

[Nitemare]

We usually book our cars about 9-10 months out

[Wyoming2010]

Thanks

[shudie]

On 6/22/2019 at 12:43 AM, Wyoming2010 said:

Who has done it and can provide tips and information? 

 

Do you book ahead online? 

What car rentals are near the cruise port? 

Do you need a special license/permit to drive there? 

Did you get the insurance? 

What was the average price for a day?

If you ported overnight (like we are), did you keep the car for 2 days and part at the port?

 

Thanks much.  There's so much to see and excursions are so expensive, this may be our best bet. 

 

We are definitely hiring a car. From my investigations so far, I think Hertz and Europcar have stands at the dock. We are going to keep the car overnight. 

[swin26]

We just rented at the port and kept it overnight- free parking.   We rented from Europcar - right outside the port shop.  Enterprise was also at the port- 2 minute walk away. There were signs saying that only pre-booked cars were available.  Make sure you have a debit card or chip and pin credit card for gas.  Sometimes you can pay inside with a US chip (no pin) credit card - but not always. 

[Dorset cruise fan]

We hired earlier this summer with Europecar and it was really straightforward. But their office next to the port shop wasn't staffed even though they knew we were arriving. This created a mild panic but a quick phone call later and someone arrived quickly to do the paperwork. As already said, parking is easy next to the port and we were really pleased with how well it all went. We noticed when we got to Akuyreri that they had an office there as well and wished we'd done the same thing there.