Renting a vehicle in Iceland during the winter?

Question

I am planning a visit to Iceland during the winter and assume that I might need a 4x4 to travel on the ring road. My questions are;

1. Can we rent a vehicle prior to visiting Iceland or should we do it after landing?
2. What are Iceland's reliable and recommended rental car services for this purpose?
3. Can international license holders drive in Iceland with an international driver's license (are there any exceptions)?
4. Any recommendations (things to note) from someone who has rented a vehicle during Iceland's winter?

Answer 1

I went to Iceland at the end of March some years ago (2009). We rented from (I think) Hertz at Keflavik, I don't remember whether we booked it ahead of time. The car we got was this:

which was a Škoda Octavia 4 wheel drive with studded tyres. It performed well in the winter driving conditions, even in blizzard

and fresh snow.

The weather is quite unpredictable and often severe in Iceland, so be prepared (carry food and warm clothes) and previous winter driving experience is helpful. Every day, check the road conditions on https://www.road.is for where you plan to go. They try to keep at least the ring road clear all the time but you never know.

See my Iceland trip gallery for lots more photos.

Finally, don't be this guy:

Answer 2

1. You can rent before visiting
2. There are the usual global brands
3. Yes, an IDP is accepted, an EU/EWR common format DP or older national DP is also sufficient on its own 1 2
4. I was there during summer, so maybe somebody else can give you advice

Answer 3

Can we rent a vehicle prior to visiting Iceland or should we do it after landing?

Yes, and I would advise you do so as the 'walk up' rates are often higher than 'pre-paid' ones.

What are Iceland's reliable and recommended rental car services for this purpose?

All of the renters at Keflavik are decent, I think I've rented from them all over the years.

Can international license holders drive in Iceland with an international driver's license (are there any exceptions)?

I'm a Brit and didn't need to do anything other than show my UK licence, you need to just read the agreement with whoever you're going with - that or call them to ask.

Any recommendations (things to note) from someone who has rented a vehicle during Iceland's winter?

If you're an experienced ice/snow driver than by all means rent a non-4x4, but I'd still advise it, it can be very treacherous to drive at times and even just the drive from the airport into town is further than a lot of people think, it's on the west side of the island too so gets a bit more of the westerly snow and ice too. The renters may well try to sell you on 'ash insurance', this is quite useful in the summer where ash does settle on the roads and scours off the paint quite quickly, but the more rain/snow there is the less of a problem it it.

Have fun, try to get out of the city too, it's an amazing landscape if the weather permit.