Ice Car Iceland cars, 4x4s, campervans and truck campers with camping gear

What comes with every Ice Car booking

Ice Car keeps the essentials in the price and the surprises out of it. As a locally owned rental based near the Keflavik road in the Greater Reykjavik area, its promise is straightforward: the rate you see already carries the things you actually need, and the optional cover you can add is chosen to match Iceland's roads rather than pad the bill.

The following come as standard on every vehicle in the fleet, from the economy small car to the 4x4 Toyota RAV4 and the slide-in truck campers. They reflect the company's local, independent approach: transparent pricing and no hidden fees, with support that stays with you for the whole trip rather than ending at the handover.

• Unlimited mileage on all rentals, so you can chase the whole Ring Road and beyond without watching a meter.
• Free additional drivers, so couples and groups can share the long stretches at no extra cost.
• Camping gear included, with cooking equipment and camping essentials ready for the campervans and truck campers.
• A block of insurance covering Sand and Ash Damage Waiver (SADW), Gravel Protection (GP) and Theft Protection (TP), plus mandatory liability and accident coverage.
• No advance payment required to book, and no hidden fees at the desk, which keeps the upfront cost low and the pricing honest.
• Extras that suit the country: a 24/7 emergency contact, studded winter tires, in-vehicle WiFi, multilingual staff and multiple payment methods.

Insurance and deposit built for Icelandic roads

The included cover handles a lot, but Iceland is not everyday driving. Loose gravel flies up on the unsealed sections that link many of the best stops, sudden sandstorms and volcanic ash can strip paint and pit glass across the south, and exposed roads test any car in a way tarmac at home never will. To match this, Ice Car builds SADW, GP and TP into every rental, then lets you add optional cover to reduce your exposure.

• Included as standard: Sand and Ash Damage Waiver, Gravel Protection and Theft Protection, alongside mandatory liability and accident coverage.
• Optional CDW: a Collision Damage Waiver you can add to lower the security deposit and trim your excess.
• Optional Super CDW (SCDW): a further step that reduces the deposit more, for travellers who want the lowest excess before heading onto rougher ground.

The security deposit is held at pickup and runs to about EUR 1,700 for cars and EUR 2,500 for campers. Adding optional CDW or Super CDW reduces that amount, which is worth considering on the vehicles built for rougher ground, such as the 4x4 SUVs and the truck campers, where gravel, F-roads and windblown sand or ash come with the territory. On the south coast and the country's black-sand deserts in particular, that upper cover and a lower deposit are the difference between exploring with confidence and worrying about every stone.

Fuel and cancellation, kept simple

A couple of practical house rules keep things fair, and Ice Car states them plainly so there is nothing to guess. The fuel policy is same-to-same: return the vehicle with the same fuel level it had at pickup, so there is no full-to-empty surcharge to worry about if you top up before you drop off. The cancellation policy is tiered and clear: cancel 30 or more days before pickup for a full refund, 29 to 2 days before for a 50% refund, and 1 day or less before pickup for no refund. Both rules are easy to plan around, and the multilingual team is responsive if your schedule shifts.

Where an Ice Car vehicle can take you in Iceland

Ice Car keeps a fleet in the Greater Reykjavik area, so the right choice is less about the badge and more about the surface under your wheels. Take the airport shuttle to the depot, point your vehicle east with unlimited mileage and insurance already included, and here is how to match an Ice Car vehicle to the routes you actually want to drive, sealed asphalt classics and summer gravel alike.

Paved classics: the economy and compact cars

Iceland's headline drives are all on sealed asphalt, which is exactly where the two-wheel-drive cars in the Ice Car fleet feel most at home. The economy small car, from around 35 euros per day, is the natural budget pick for two or three travellers on the Golden Circle, the day loop from the capital region that links Thingvellir National Park, the geothermal field at Geysir and the thundering Gullfoss waterfall. For a little more space on the same roads, the compact car is a relaxed 2WD choice that eats up the South Coast run to Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, the black-sand beach at Vik and, further east, the glacier lagoon at Jokulsarlon and its neighbouring Diamond Beach. Every one of these sights sits on paved road, and with unlimited mileage on all Ice Car rentals the distance never counts against you.

The full loop and the west: a capable 4x4

When the trip grows longer, a roomier all-wheel-drive vehicle comes into its own. The Toyota RAV4 and the compact Suzuki 4x4 are the Ice Car choices for touring the full Ring Road (Route 1), which loops the whole island in roughly 1,300 kilometres past waterfalls, fjords and fishing towns, where the extra comfort and traction pay off over long days between stops. Both suit the Snaefellsnes peninsula too, often called Iceland in miniature, where a glacier-capped volcano, lava fields, bird cliffs and the photogenic Kirkjufell mountain fold into a single scenic circuit. Prefer to sleep as you travel? A 2 to 3 berth campervan keeps everyone and their kit in one vehicle for these paved routes, with unlimited mileage keeping the long legs simple.

F-roads and the Highlands: only a true 4x4

The interior of Iceland is a different country, and it calls for a genuine four-wheel-drive vehicle rather than a badge alone. The Toyota RAV4, the Suzuki 4x4 and the slide-in truck camper on its 4x4 pickup base are the Ice Car vehicles with the drivetrain and clearance the mountain tracks demand, so these are the ones to take onto the gravel that climbs toward Landmannalaugar, with its ochre and rust rhyolite peaks and natural hot springs, or into the green glacial valley of Thorsmork. Two honest caveats apply. First, the F-roads open only in the short summer window, roughly mid-June to September, once the snow has cleared, and many require fording unbridged rivers that are never covered by rental insurance. Second, only true 4x4 vehicles may legally drive the F-roads; the two-wheel-drive economy and compact cars are for sealed roads only and should never be driven onto an F-road.

Drive and sleep: campervans and truck campers

If your idea of Iceland is waking beside the route rather than driving back to a hotel, Ice Car offers both campervans kitted for two to three people and slide-in truck campers on 4x4 pickups with solar panels. The campervan is a neat way to combine touring and sleeping on the paved circuits, while the truck camper adds true 4x4 reach for rougher tracks and, in season, the F-roads. Either way you can stop where the light is best along the Ring Road and South Coast and cook a simple meal at the roadside with the included camping gear. Whichever vehicle you choose, the same Ice Car principles travel with you: unlimited mileage, free additional drivers, a block of insurance and a 24/7 emergency contact behind every rental.

Iceland with Ice Car, season by season

Ice Car is based in the Greater Reykjavik area at Melabraut 28, 220 Hafnarfjörður, with an airport shuttle to reach the depot, and every rental comes with unlimited mileage, free additional drivers, camping gear and a block of insurance from around 35 euros per day. With no advance payment required to book, reserving is low-commitment. The honest question is not whether you can travel, it is which Icelandic season suits the trip you have in mind and which vehicle from the Ice Car fleet you should pair with it.

Summer: midnight sun, open F-roads, the widest choice

From roughly June to August the mountain F-roads and the Highland interior open, and the near-endless daylight of the midnight sun lets you drive late into the evening without ever chasing sunset. This is the most flexible window for an Ice Car booking. For the paved circuits, the Ring Road, the Golden Circle, the South Coast and Snæfellsnes, the economy small car is the frugal pick from about 35 euros per day that keeps fuel costs down while covering the headline sights. If the interior is on your list, a true 4x4 such as the Toyota RAV4 or the Suzuki 4x4 unlocks gravel roads and F-road access with the higher clearance and traction those routes demand. Ice Car also offers campervans and slide-in truck campers, so you can pair 4x4 capability with a drive-and-sleep set-up and follow the long summer light wherever it leads.

Autumn: aurora begins, quieter roads, SUV comfort

Autumn, from September to October, brings the first northern lights of the season, thinner crowds and a calmer pace on the roads, and it is the moment to favour a comfortable, higher-clearance 4x4 as the weather turns and gravel surfaces grow greasier. The Toyota RAV4 or the compact Suzuki 4x4 strikes a sensible balance here, easy to drive on the lowland routes yet capable when a track turns to loose gravel, so you can chase clearing skies by night and stay warm and settled by day. With insurance included and no advance payment on every booking, an autumn trip with Ice Car stays refreshingly low-stress even as conditions become less predictable.

Winter and the spring shoulder, in any month

Winter, from November to March, is the aurora season proper, but it asks for genuine respect: daylight is short, the F-roads and Highlands close, and ice, snow and loose gravel reward a slow, deliberate pace. For most winter travellers the sensible answer is a higher-clearance 4x4 SUV such as the Toyota RAV4 or the Suzuki 4x4, fitted with the studded winter tires Ice Car provides for grip on ice, so you can seek the lights by night and return to a warm cabin. Take gravel and single-track roads gently, check road and weather conditions before every leg, and never underestimate a sudden squall on an exposed stretch. Here Ice Car's fundamentals genuinely earn their keep: a block of insurance, unlimited mileage and no advance payment take the financial worry out of a winter trip, while the studded tires, in-vehicle WiFi and 24/7 emergency contact suit a dark, late arrival at Keflavik. Spring, from April to May, is the quiet shoulder in between: milder driving on the lowland routes, longer light by the week, and calmer rates before the summer rush, with the higher passes and F-roads still shut until the thaw clears them. Book the vehicle for the season rather than the season for the vehicle, and Iceland tends to reward the choice.

Who Ice Car is best for

Ice Car is a locally owned Icelandic company in the Greater Reykjavik area, with a fleet that runs from a frugal economy car up to genuine 4x4 SUVs, campervans and slide-in truck campers, so there is a sensible match for most kinds of Iceland trip. Whether you are planning a first Ring Road loop or a summer push toward the Highlands, you get the same all-inclusive basics, unlimited mileage, free additional drivers, camping gear and a block of insurance, backed by a solid 4.0 out of 5 from 41 Google reviews.

Budget travellers are the natural fit for the entry point. The economy small car from around 35 euros per day is a comfortable, fuel-sipping two-wheel-drive car that handles paved routes like the Golden Circle and South Coast with ease, and it keeps running costs low over a longer summer tour. Because insurance is included on every vehicle, mileage is unlimited, additional drivers are free and there is no advance payment to lodge, the price you see up front is close to what you actually pay, which makes it easy to plan a two-person trip without surprises at the desk.

Couples and families who want a little more space or capability step up to the SUVs. The Suzuki 4x4 is a sure-footed compact SUV for mixed surfaces, while the roomier Toyota RAV4 adds comfort and confidence for longer trips and rougher ground. Highland-bound adventurers can take either true 4x4, both of which pair higher clearance with Ice Car's included cover and the option to add CDW or Super CDW to reduce the deposit, so you can head onto gravel and, in season, the F-roads with the right protection in place.

Ice Car also suits travellers who want to live on the road rather than day-tour. The 2 to 3 berth campervans come kitted for sleeping and cooking with camping gear included, while the slide-in truck campers on 4x4 pickups add solar panels and genuine off-the-beaten-track reach for the more adventurous. Both make sense for couples and small groups chasing freedom over fixed hotels, and the airport shuttle plus no-advance-payment booking keeps arrival simple even after a late landing at Keflavik. Above all, Ice Car is for travellers who value all-inclusive pricing, unlimited mileage and a personal Icelandic company that knows the local roads, with camping gear thrown in and a 24/7 emergency contact behind them. If your priority is truly living on the road, it is worth comparing a dedicated campervan as well; Ice Car's own campers and truck campers cover that ground while the cars and SUVs suit day-touring.

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