Northern Lights Car Rental Practical Keflavik airport car and camping-car rental, open 24/7 since 2012

What comes with every Northern Lights Car Rental booking

Northern Lights Car Rental keeps the essentials in the price. As a local Icelandic company based right by Keflavik Airport, its promise is straightforward: the rate you see already carries the things you actually need for a self-drive trip, from insurance cover to unlimited mileage and, in the cold season, the winter tires that Icelandic roads demand.

The following come as standard on every car in the fleet, from the economy car to the 4x4 SUV and the camping cars. They reflect the company's local, practical approach: honest inclusions and support that stays with you for the whole trip, not just the handover at the airport.

• Personal service from a local Icelandic team, with online check-in to speed up your arrival.
• Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) included on every vehicle, so you have baseline cover from the moment you drive off.
• Unlimited mileage on all rentals, so you can chase the whole Ring Road and beyond without watching a meter.
• 24/7 road assistance, so there is real help behind the wheel at any hour on Iceland's remote roads.
• 24% VAT already included in the rate, so the quoted price is the tax-inclusive price.
• Free studded winter tires from November 1 to April 15, fitted at no charge for grip on icy roads.

Winter tires and cover built for Icelandic roads

Basic cover handles everyday driving, 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. Northern Lights Car Rental includes CDW on every rental, and from November 1 to April 15 it fits studded winter tires at no charge, which is the single most useful piece of cold-season kit for the ice and snow that come with an Icelandic winter.

Because CDW is the standard inclusion, it is worth checking what any excess or self-risk looks like and whether additional cover suits the roads you actually intend to drive. Gravel, light Highland access and windblown sand or ash come with the territory on the tougher routes, and the south coast and the country's black-sand deserts in particular can be hard on glass and paintwork. If you plan to leave the sealed roads, confirm the details of your cover before you go.

The company does not publish a minimum driver age or a deposit amount. If either matters to your booking, the sensible step is to check the terms directly or contact the team at +354 571 22 66 or info@nlcarrental.is before you travel, so there are no surprises at pickup.

F-roads and where each car belongs

One practical rule shapes every Iceland rental: only a true 4x4 may drive the country's F-roads, and 2WD cars may not. The economy and compact cars in the Northern Lights Car Rental fleet are two-wheel-drive vehicles for sealed and well-maintained roads only, while the Suzuki Jimny and the larger 4x4 SUV are the vehicles with the drivetrain for gravel and, in season, the mountain tracks. The F-roads open only in the short summer window, roughly mid-June to September, and many require fording unbridged rivers that rental insurance never covers, so plan the route to the car and check conditions before every leg.

Where a Northern Lights Car Rental car can take you in Iceland

Northern Lights Car Rental keeps a practical fleet at Keflavik Airport, so the right choice is less about the badge and more about the surface under your wheels. Collect your car from the 24/7 airport base, point it east with unlimited mileage already included, and here is how to match a 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 fleet feel most at home. The economy car, from around 49 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 room on the same roads, the compact car is a relaxed choice for 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 rentals the distance never counts against you.

The full loop and the west: a 4x4 SUV

When the trip grows longer, a roomier all-wheel-drive car comes into its own. The 4x4 SUV is the Northern Lights Car Rental choice 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. It suits 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. Travelling as a larger group? The larger car or seven-seater keeps everyone 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 car rather than a badge alone. The compact Suzuki Jimny 4x4 and the larger 4x4 SUV are the vehicles with the drivetrain 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 a true 4x4 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: the 4x4 camping car

If your idea of Iceland is waking beside the route rather than driving back to a hotel, Northern Lights Car Rental also offers a 4x4 camping car with a rooftop tent that sleeps two. It is a neat way to combine the reach of a capable car by day with a sleeping platform by night, so you can stop where the light is best along the Ring Road and South Coast and follow the weather rather than a fixed itinerary. Whichever car you choose, the same principles travel with you: CDW, unlimited mileage, 24/7 road assistance and, in the cold months, free studded winter tires, all collected from a 24/7 airport base.

Iceland with Northern Lights Car Rental, season by season

Northern Lights Car Rental sits right by Keflavik International Airport, with a 24/7 airport service, an airport shuttle and pickup, and online check-in, and every rental comes with CDW, unlimited mileage and 24/7 road assistance from around 49 euros per day. Because the base runs around the clock, it never really matters what time your flight lands. The honest question is which Icelandic season suits the trip you have in mind and which car from the 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 a booking. For the paved circuits, the Ring Road, the Golden Circle, the South Coast and Snaefellsnes, the economy car from around 49 euros per day keeps fuel costs down while covering the headline sights. If the interior is on your list, a true 4x4 such as the Suzuki Jimny or the larger 4x4 SUV unlocks gravel roads and light Highland access with the clearance and traction those routes demand. The 4x4 camping car with a rooftop tent pairs that capability with a drive-and-sleep set-up, so you can 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 vehicle as the weather turns and gravel surfaces grow greasier. The 4x4 SUV 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 settled by day. With CDW and unlimited mileage on every vehicle, an autumn booking 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. Here the company's free studded winter tires, fitted at no charge from November 1 to April 15, genuinely earn their keep, giving you the grip that icy roads demand. For most winter travellers the sensible answer is a higher-clearance 4x4 SUV, 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. The 24/7 airport service and 24/7 road assistance suit a dark, late arrival at Keflavik far better than any office counter that keeps daytime hours only. 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 car for the season rather than the season for the car, and Iceland tends to reward the choice.

Who Northern Lights Car Rental is best for

Northern Lights Car Rental is a local Icelandic company sitting right by Keflavik Airport, with a practical fleet that runs from a frugal economy car up to a genuine 4x4, 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 included CDW, unlimited mileage, 24/7 road assistance and, in the cold months, free studded winter tires, backed by a personal, hands-on airport handover. The company's 3.8 Google rating is a modest score, so it reads as a practical, no-frills choice rather than a premium one.

Budget travellers are the natural fit for the entry point. The economy car from around 49 euros per day is a comfortable, fuel-sipping choice 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 CDW is included on every vehicle and mileage is unlimited, 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 room or capability step up naturally. A compact car adds space for the paved classics, while the Suzuki Jimny 4x4 and the larger 4x4 SUV pair four-wheel drive with the clearance for gravel and, in season, light Highland access, so you can head onto rougher ground with the right car under you. Larger groups can take the larger car or seven-seater to keep everyone together, and those who fancy sleeping under the sky can pick the 4x4 camping car with a rooftop tent, a drive-and-sleep option that turns a capable car into a compact mini camper.

Because Northern Lights Car Rental is primarily a car rental that also offers camping cars, rather than a large motorhome operator, it suits travellers who mainly want a car and value the camping option as a bonus. If your priority is truly living on the road across a longer sleep-and-travel itinerary, it is worth comparing a dedicated campervan as well; the company's camping cars cover the middle ground. Above all, this is a rental for travellers who value the practical fundamentals, a 24/7 airport service, unlimited mileage, free winter tires and personal local service, with 24/7 road assistance behind them, and who are happy to check the terms directly on details like driver age and deposit, which the company does not publish.

Northern Lights Car Rental FAQ