Iceland car rental recommendation

May 10, 2023 6:05 AM

Do you have a recommendation for a car rental company in Iceland?

I'll be traveling to Iceland this summer, going to rent a car. Just an automatic sedan (will not be going on F roads or off-road, do not need 4x4), probably compact or economy size. Top priorities are ease of location at KEF airport and low cost (and automatic availability). Seems there are many many options near the airport so not sure which company to go for. I don't have loyalty or membership with any of the usual global companies.

So really just looking for people's answers who have visited and had a good experience a la "When I was in Iceland, I rented from XXX company--it was lower cost than most of the others and only 5 minutes by shuttle from the airport" or whatever.

Thanks!

posted by greta simone to Travel & Transportation around Iceland (7 answers total)

We used Sixt. The rental location was in Reykjavik, not at Keflavik, but that was not an issue for us. They were pleasant and helpful, and the vehicle was in very good condition. We only drove around the city and the Golden Circle, but had no issues.
(This was in 2017)
posted by briank at 6:25 AM on May 10, 2023

I used Budget to rent an automatic compact car in July 2018, iirc the car rental was on site at the airport and they didn't give us a hard time about anything on either end, despite the fact that we returned the car with a solid layer of mud on it. It was $100 a day which seemed astronomical at the time, but post-covid that seems to be what rental cars always cost; I would imagine it's more expensive now.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:48 AM on May 10, 2023

We were very happy with Sadcar (SAD Car?) In Reykjavik. We got a slightly beat up but very reliable standard small wagon. This was 2016.
posted by chr1sb0y at 6:54 AM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I used Blue in 2018. The pickup is right at the airport at Keflavik. No hassles, but also I did buy the insurance (as I always do on international travel). Very easy pick up and drop off. I rented a small sedan, which was more than adequate for a tour of the coastal regions where there tend to be pavement and well-maintained dirt roads.
posted by slagheap at 7:48 AM on May 10, 2023

I used Blue in 2021 to rent a car to drive the ring road. It was a very good experience; the price was similar to or lower than the other companies and pickup was right at the airport. We were able to get a plug-in hybrid; fuel is fairly expensive in Iceland, especially if you're used to US fuel prices, so this was very helpful.

We got the accidental damage insurance and were very glad we did, as a piece of gravel kicked up by an oncoming car chipped the windshield on the second day of the trip. The cost of insurance was not all that much less than the cost of the windshield, but mostly it meant that we weren't worrying about it for the remaining ten days of driving. If you're staying close to Reykjavik this might not be a big deal, but you don't have to go far or drive the F-roads to get into a place where flying gravel is a possibility.
posted by egregious theorem at 10:02 AM on May 10, 2023

I asked this question last year.

Went with Blue as recommended, they were fab. You don't need the shuttle by the way, they are five mins walk from the airport entrance. I drove straight from the flight to Stikkisholmur in a raging storm and got a flat tyre. The smaller roads are spiky in places! Blue were super helpful in getting it sorted.

Driving in Iceland is literally awesome. Have fun!
posted by freya_lamb at 12:01 PM on May 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

I had a happy Europcar experience picking up at RKV (the Reykjavik city airport) and returning at the Akureyri airport in April 2023. I traveled with friends who used Europcar for KEF pickup & return and who seemed satisfied with their experience as well.
posted by girlstyle at 8:06 PM on May 14, 2023