The easiest way to get around Iceland
Iceland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world with its vast landscapes that drastically change within short distances. Having now travelled to Iceland multiple times I can confidently say it’ll take a few more trips to see everything since there’s so many incredible spots! I wouldn’t have been able to see everything that I have if it wasn’t for Lotus Car Rental. (This is a sponsored post, but I have used Lotus Car Rental several times prior and can’t recommend them enough).
Prior to my first trip to Iceland I did extensive research about everything, one of the topics being the best way to get around Iceland and which car rental company to go through. Renting a vehicle allows you the opportunity to plan a customized trip and not be stuck to a tour group’s itinerary. It’s also great for seeing things that aren’t typically visited by others.
Table of Contents:
1. Should we rent a F-road approved vehicle or a car?
2. Which insurance should we select?
3. How do we pick-up and drop-off the vehicle?
4. Should we get car wifi?
5. What should we all do in Iceland?
Should we rent a F-Road approved vehicle or car?
The process of renting a vehicle through Lotus Car Rental was quite simple. The first step is finding out if you’ll need to rent a F-road approved vehicle (4×4), or if you’ll be okay renting a car instead. Renting a F-road approved vehicle allows you the ability to go into Iceland’s beautiful highlands and F-roads, and provides you with more stability on gravel roads in general. If you’re not planning on visiting any spots that you’ll need to take a F-road to then you will be fine renting a car instead.
*It’s illegal to travel on F-roads without approved F-road vehicles, so I recommend planning your route ahead of time to avoid missing out on something you may have wanted to see.
What insurance do we need?
Lotus Car Rental offers three different insurance options, the first option “Silver” is automatically included in every rental. There are two other options which are called “Gold” and “Platinum”. Their “Gold” option includes gravel, sand and ash protection – which provides you with peace of mind if you’re ever driving through a yellow alert or worse. The wind can be unpredictable and sometimes so strong that rocks and gravel have broken vehicle windows after being picked-up by the wind. During my first trip to Iceland multiple vehicles parked at a popular spot had their windows smashed in due to strong gale and gravel.
Their third insurance option “Platinum” includes all of the above as well as tire insurance, river crossing protection, F-road protection, damages caused by animals, towing cost (deductible of 35.000 ISK), as well as free car wifi and online check-in! This is the insurance I have opted for on all of my trips, it allows me to pick-up the vehicle quickly and drop-off the vehicle quickly too (since the insurance provides full coverage). The peace of mind from having this insurance is a huge benefit as well! As mentioned before my first trip had strong gale, and some real rough weather where I actually needed to hold onto the doors when exiting otherwise they could be ripped right off (not exaggerating, this has happened to a lot of people). Knowing that if for some reason that did happen I wouldn’t be charged helped make driving in that crazy weather less stressful.
If you are planning on driving down F-road’s I do recommend the “Platinum” insurance as these roads are quite rough. I grew up in the country in Canada and thought I would be fine driving on these roads, but they are illegal to drive on in regular vehicles for a reason!
You may have auto insurance through your credit card company, but I’d recommend giving them a call to ensure you’ll be covered in Iceland. Some credit card company’s don’t cover sand and ash, or water damage (crossing streams and rivers on F-roads).
How do we get the vehicle after landing at the airport?
Once you have picked-up your bags and have made it into the arrival’s area there will be someone standing near the doors with a “Lotus Car Rental” sign. They will then shuttle you back to their location. If you don’t see anyone you can give them a call, or wait for 10-15 minutes as they are constantly going back and forth between the airport and their location. I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a shuttle, and they are helpful with loading your bags into the vehicle if needed too.
When returning your vehicle you’ll hop in the same shuttle and head back to the airport. It’s all very straight forward and easy!
Should we get the car wifi?
It depends on where you are coming from. Most countries in Europe have data for other European countries included in their phone plans. Other areas like North America often don’t include this, or have an optional daily charge which can add up quick depending on the length of your trip. Since I’ve always selected the “Platinum” insurance I’ve had the car wifi included on each trip. It works all over the country (in the highlands too), and was very nice to have especially when the hotel’s wifi wasn’t great.
Where should we go in Iceland?
Iceland is truly a country that you need to see it to believe it. There’s beautiful spots everywhere and different activities you can try all around the island including hiking, kayaking, paragliding, river rafting, snorkelling, and so many more. If you’re looking for my top places I’d recommend visiting in Iceland you can check out that blog post here.
