Winter driving in Iceland can be a fun adventure or an expensive downturn to your vacation. Most of the main roads are relatively clear, but some of the roads with less traffic can be dangerous. Couple that with the wind and you have the potential for some very dangerous driving conditions. Here are some tips for winter driving in Iceland that will help prepare you for your trip.
What Do I Need For Winter Driving In Iceland
For Americans and Europeans, driving in Iceland is a relatively easy adventure. All you need is your passport and a valid drivers license. Unlike some European countries, Iceland does not require you to get a visitors license or similar permit. When renting a car just show them your documents and you are well on your way. A word of caution though, I encourage everyone to purchase additional insurance for your rental.
Purchase Insurance
Most car rental places offer some form of insurance coverage with you rental. The key is understanding what the different levels are and what they actually cover. Our choice for rental car agencies is ACE Rental Cars.
ACE has a pretty expansive fleet of vehicles and you are certain to find the car you need. ACE offers up to three different insurance plans to cover you while in Iceland, so you will need to decide what your risk level is. For me, as I look over the three different policies and look outside at the weather, there is no decision except to purchase the highest level of coverage.
The reason for my choice to purchase the highest level of coverage comes down to liability. The highest tier covers everything without a deductible AND the highest tier covers door damage from wind. One last bonus of the highest tier is we get a 4G LTE hotspot. The hotspot allowed us to have internet across the entire country without charging my mobile phone plan.
Four or All Wheel Drive
When driving in Iceland in the winter, I encourage you to have either four wheel or all wheel drive cars. Also, be sure to ask if the car has snow tires on it. The snow tires have little spikes in them to help with traction on slick roads.
During our trip we saw countless cars stuck or parked on the side of the road. Most of these require a tow truck, which can be very expensive. Tow trucks charge per kilometer, so if you’re far away it’s going to be expensive. No insurance will cover towing services and you can’t call AAA in Iceland.
After returning from the ”Yoda Cave”, we helped a couple try to get their car out. The car is not moving. I think they ended up calling a two truck because it would not budge. Their is not four wheel drive, which makes it harder to get free.
Extra Supplies
After seeing the car above get stuck, we made the decision to carry extra gear with us. What if our car is the one to get stuck next time? What will we need and how will we get out? Well, you may not be able to pull or dig yourself out. What then? I suggest you be ready for anything since you don’t have to carry extra gear. Here is a winter driving packing list.
- Cold weather gear – regardless of your destination or how long you will be there, you don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere freezing.
- Battery Packs – If you have any kind of car trouble, you don’t want your mobile phone to die while you wait on help.
- Food and Snacks – In the unfortunate chance you are stuck, having a bit of food and snacks can be helpful. The couple in the picture above are already 6 hours into being stuck. I’m sure they were really hungry by the time they removed the car.
- Water – When it’s freezing cold outside you don’t realize how much you are sweating underneath. Having extra water will help prevent dehydration.
- Blankets – Regardless where you’re at extra blankets are always nice to keep in your car during winter. If stranded you will need them to keep warm.
- Metal Snow Shovel – I know this may sound crazy, but the couple’s car in the picture above is really stuck. They are carrying a plastic snow shovel with them, but when the snow is hard as ice, it’s difficult to break it up.
- Toiletry Items – Listen…everyone can relate to having that moment in their life where things seem to…fall apart. If you are stranded for many hours, nature does not stop for anything.
Driving Safely in Iceland In The Winter
Most of the main roads in Iceland are kept fairly clear. They deploy a fleet of snow trucks with salt spreaders to clear the snow and melt the ice. However, you must take caution when driving even with clear roads. The salt put on roads is generally only effective above temperatures of 15-20 F (-10 to -7 C), so on those really cold nights roads can refreeze. Since there is only about 4 hours of daylight in January, there is a lot of nighttime for things to get cold.
Round-a-bout Driving Safety in Iceland
I think it’s pretty safe to say that most drivers know how to navigate round-a-bouts. A couple of things to be mindful of are the round-a-bouts are two lanes and sometimes slick. Most round-a-bouts I’ve navigated in the US are single lane ones and they aren’t difficult. However, Iceland uses a lot of round-a-bouts to help with traffic flow. There are minimal red lights outside of Reykjavik, and round-a-bouts are used to direct the flow at intersections. One surprising thing is they are also on 4-lane highways. Oh, and people fly around them.
The typical way Icelanders drive around them are if you’re going straight, then both lanes are in use. However, if you need to exit the round-a-bout, then you use the right lane. To keep things simple for me and to prevent an accident, I stay in the right lane when going around them. Also, while the roads are often very clear, the round-a-bouts can be slick when making the turns.
Passing Lane Safety
Most of the country is a two lane road except in cases where four lanes are needed. Four lanes are more common in Reykjavik than small towns and villages. A few places you see four lanes outside the city are when going up the mountains. Other than that it’s two lane roads.
In most cases it’s safe to pass someone on a two lane road and you will see many Icelanders passing. After a few days of driving in Iceland, I am finally able to pass comfortably. One thing about Iceland is you can almost always see far ahead to see if anyone is coming. In some places you may not see another driver for many miles (or kilometers).
A couple of things to look out for are the semi-trucks and the tour buses. They are professional drivers and will nearly blow you off the road when they pass. Also, sometimes the passing lane is still has snow covering it, so passing can be a slick adventure. Keep an eye on how close you are to other drivers.
Understanding The Red Lights
One thing that is surprising and different than driving in the US is their red lights use the yellow light for going and stopping. The first time sitting at a red light and the car beside me starting to go. Looking up at the red light I see the colors go from red to yellow to green. It’s a kind of “warning” system to let you know the light is about to turn green. So you don’t have to try and watch the other lights to see when they change. Just keep an eye on your light and once it turns yellow, you can start moving. This is very helpful when driving a straight drive. You have a couple extra seconds to prepare.
Final Thoughts
Driving in Iceland in the winter can be a very safe adventure if you are defensive and cautious. Keep in mind that not all roads are clear and some can be treacherous! Just like the Yoda Cave road above. However, you can prepare for some common scenarios by packing extra gear in your car and having an all-wheel drive car.
Probably the most important items you can carry in your car are your cold weather gear, blankets, and water. These three items can help keep you warm and hydrated if you become stranded somewhere. Being properly prepared when traveling throughout the country will allow you to have a stress free trip, especially if you do the Ring Road Adventure.
