“Colors of Water” by Ulrich Latzenhofer is licensed under CC BY 2.0
A surprising number of tourists get themselves into trouble while driving in Iceland. They blindly follow their GPS to destinations 6 hours the wrong direction. Or they follow their outdated GPS onto closed and dangerous roads. Or they cause accidents by stopping in the middle of the road to take pictures. (Remember that in Iceland, hazard lights are for hazards!)
Hundreds of tourists are rescued every year by ICE-SAR, a group of volunteer responders.
I’m not telling you all of this to dissuade you from driving in Iceland. You just need to use some common sense. No matter what kind of car you rent, you shouldn’t think you can drive to any location any time of year.
Suppose you are in Vik, in south Iceland. And you read about a really cool hike up to the top of Sveinstindur. (The picture at the top of this post is along the route to Sveinstindur.) So you look on Google Maps and find out that it’s only about a 2 hour drive:
Looks pretty easy. Take Route 1 (Ring Road) to 208, which turns into F208. Turn right on F235, and you’re there!
I think this is what gets people into trouble. Google Maps doesn’t tell you about those F roads.
F208 doesn’t open until around mid-June. Or maybe the end of June– it depends on the weather. And these F roads aren’t really roads- maybe you would call them tracks? Here is a beautiful picture of F210:
“Iceland” by Moyan Brenn is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Some F roads have a river crossing, or many river crossings:
“Jeep Crossing River” by Mr Hicks46 is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Suffice it to say that you can’t just bring up Google Maps and decide you want to drive on an F road today. You need to have the right vehicle for it, and be there during the right time of year. And know that the road is actually open.
Let’s get back on topic: What kind of vehicle should you rent? The first question is whether you plan to drive on F roads. If you aren’t visiting in the summer (mid June through mid September or so) then you aren’t driving on F roads. If you’d like to have some adventures on mountain roads, then yes, you need a robust 4 wheel drive vehicle.
To be clear, there are tons of amazing things for families with kids, or anyone, to see and do in Iceland without venturing onto an F road. Even roads that are not F roads offer plenty of adventure. Many are gravel. Some wind along cliffs right next to the ocean. Some have one lane tunnels where traffic going one direction has to yield to oncoming cars in occasional pull-off areas. Avoiding F roads may mean you miss out on some of the interior highlands, but it doesn’t mean you miss out on Iceland. In general, I recommend you ignore F roads in your travel planning, though I’m sure some people disagree.
If you are skipping the F roads, do you need 4 wheel drive? In the summer, probably not. In the winter … probably not? I’m going to sound like a father lecturing his kid here, but what you need more than 4 wheel drive is common sense.
4 wheel drive (or all wheel drive) means that power is applied to all 4 wheels. So if you are stopped on ice or snow, you are more likely to have a wheel with enough traction to get you started again. BUT ALL CARS HAVE 4 WHEEL BRAKING. Let me say that again, or rather copy it from someone else:
All motor vehicles need traction for safe steering – 4WD/AWD does not provide extra traction for steering.
All cars need traction for safe braking – 4WD/AWD does not provide extra traction for braking.
Roads in Iceland in the winter can be bad. Road.is will show you what conditions are in any part of Iceland. Here is the map for the whole country right now (February 11, 2016):
Source. (That ink will bring you to the latest conditions. And you can click to see more detail on a particular area. It’s a good link to bookmark!)
We can play a game of “spot the green roads”. You’ll see some around Reykjavik, and then a few more up in the Westfjords. (Did I miss any?) If you’re driving in winter, you’re going to see some slippery conditions, or some spots of ice. And you may need to alter your travel plans if you see some of those other colors, representing difficult road conditions or an impassable road. (Note that if Icelanders call a road impassable, it’s impassable. Turn around.)
These conditions are typical for winter travel– this is not the result of a recent storm or extreme weather. You’ll see very few green roads in the winter. And once you get moving, 4 wheel drive doesn’t help all that much.
What helps much more are snow tires. When I absolutely had to get my wife to the hospital in the middle of the blizzard (for our last baby!) I had a choice of 2 cars: A 4 wheel drive SUV with all season tires, or a 2 wheel drive minivan with snow tires. I chose the minivan. When you are driving on snow or ice, tires that grip the road are the most important thing. For most winter driving situations, I think it is fine to choose a 2 wheel drive car with snow tires from a reputable car rental company. We recommend Blue Car rental, who provide studded snow tires on all cars in the winter.
One more thought. I’ve noticed that a lot of people recommend a 4 wheel drive car when they really mean “an SUV or another car with higher clearance and better suspension.” You may be more comfortable on gravel roads in a car like this, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be 4 wheel drive. If someone recommends a 4 wheel drive car, ask for clarification. Do they really think you need it for snow and ice, or just for clearance?
Whatever kind of vehicle you choose, what helps most of all is common sense. Check road.is every day. Drive carefully, and be willing to change your plans if the conditions aren’t good.
I think the prospect of renting a 4WD and exploring the island is a pretty awesome one. I think it’s funny that people can be so trusting of their GPS, and it’s even funnier that doing os can cause so many problems. I love off-roading, and I grew up riding with my dad in his Jeep, so this is the type of adventure I’m looking for. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading, Tobias! Yes, traveling on F roads in Iceland can definitely be an awesome adventure- as long as you know what you are getting into!
We will be coming to Iceland in Dec and have two small kids. We are staying an hour from airport. We don’t plan on going off roading, just the regular tourist attractions, do you think we need to pay the extra for 4×4?
Hi Jordan,
I just updated the post with an anecdote from early this year: When I absolutely had to get my wife to the hospital in the middle of the blizzard (for our last baby!) I had a choice of 2 cars: A 4 wheel drive SUV with all season tires, or a 2 wheel drive minivan with snow tires. I chose the minivan.
I think you will be fine with a less expensive 2 wheel drive car, since all rentals in December should come with snow tires. Just be careful, check road.is, and change your plans if necessary!
Hi Eric – great info! Thanks! I’m planning a 14 day self-drive around the country from 17-30 Sept. I have been advised by the tour company to have a 4×4. I am quite used to driving on gravel roads in a 2WD sedan. What do you think? I wouldn’t mind a bit of exploring on F roads, but obviously a 4 WD is necessary? Thank you in advance for your assistance
Tracey
Hi Tracey,
For F roads, you will need a 4 wheel drive car. But many of the F roads may be closed by the end of September, though it varies significantly each year. (See our post about F roads in Iceland.)
If you decide you don’t want to bother with F roads, then I wonder if the rental car company is just advising you to get a car with more clearance. Sometimes I think people in Iceland say “4 wheel drive vehicle” when they really mean “an SUV with good ground clearance that will be more comfortable on gravel roads.” We found some gravel roads very uncomfortable in our full-size van, and we avoided the eastern part of the Westfjords (Latrabjarg bird cliffs, for example) because of this.
But if you’re looking at two similarly sized cars, I don’t think 2 wheel drive vs. 4 wheel drive will make a difference.
Thanks for your reply Eric. I have decided to go with a 4×4 (which by the way is an SUV w slightly more clearance) as one of the main reasons for going is to get some great photos, so maybe a little off the beaten track is required 😉
I have a similar car here in Oz and it handles/feels well on gravel roads. Mind you, the gravel roads there seem a little different to here!!
Thanks again for the advice
Tracey
Great tips, thank you for sharing. My family and I (Wife, kids 15 and 12) will be traveling to Iceland in July 2018. We were thinking of a camper van. Would we need 4wd to reach many campsites? Is there a list of attractions on F roads so I can see what we would be missing?
Cheers
Hi John,
In general, I think most people should stay away from F roads. Yes, you are missing out on some wonderful places in the interior of Iceland, but you’re also increasing the chances that something goes wrong. And perhaps the most famous area accessible by F road is Þórsmörk, which you should absolutely not visit in a camper van– even if it’s 4 wheel drive and allowed on F roads. You’d need much more clearance to avoid getting swept away by the river crossings.
I don’t know of a list of attractions that require F roads, though it’s a good question. Most places in the Highlands require traveling on F roads, so lists like this one can show you some Highlands attractions. Most campsites not in the highlands should be accessible without using F roads.
If the rugged beauty of the Highlands is something you don’t want to miss, check with the camper van company to see which F roads they recommend you should avoid. And then plan around that. Otherwise, there’s tons of incredible things to see in the rest of the country. For us, some of the bumpy gravel roads were enough adventure– and none of them were F roads!
Thanks for this posting about vehicle choice in Iceland. Have you gone to the westfjords? We were not sure if we need AWD or 4×4 to see the main sights there?
Good luck with your book project!
Hi Mary! We did visit the Westfjords. We stuck mainly to the paved roads on our 2 wheel drive van; that got us up to Ísafjörður, which I loved. What time of year are you going?