Kamps are great in Iceland especially in late spring. In May and June, the day is already long, campsites are open, roads are passable, and nights are not as cold. At the same time, the cost of renting an RV is still quite reasonable then. A June trip in an RV is a relatively comfortable and inexpensive idea for Iceland.
Is it worth renting an RV in Iceland
In Iceland you will find plenty of different types of RVs. When looking at their different types, let’s keep in mind the fundamental differences between them. Heating for the sleeping area, a kitchen with a large burner, sink and refrigerator, and a functional bathroom are the basic features with which different types of RVs differ. Of course, the larger ones also offer space to spend time comfortably, while the smaller ones admittedly allow you to sleep inside, but cooking or evening chats are more likely to have to be moved outside or to the camper’s kitchen.
Kamps are great in Iceland especially in late spring. In May and June, the day is already long, campsites are open, roads are passable, and nights are not as cold. At the same time, the cost of renting an RV is still quite reasonable then. A June trip in an RV is a relatively comfortable and inexpensive idea for Iceland.
We describe the advantages and disadvantages of each type of RV later in the text, and here let’s group them just for clarity:
- Motorhomes
are the largest vehicles, equipped with both a kitchen and a bathroom, hot water, a refrigerator, plenty of lights and outlets, as well as large beds and plenty of space for both passengers and luggage; 6-person versions are the most popular, but you can find both smaller and larger ones; if someone simply says ‘camper’ they usually mean just motorhome – it’s actually a house on wheels; - 4×4 motorhomes
are usually large semi-trucks (e.g., a Dodge Ram) with something like a small caravan perched on the ‘float’; they are much smaller than motorhomes and not equipped with a bathroom, but are nevertheless more spacious than most campervans, have a sizable kitchen and refrigerator, allow you to stand inside, and, well, are great for driving in the interiors; - Campervans
are usually cars adapted from delivery vans, but you can also find off-road vehicles converted into such campers; they offer the possibility of sleeping inside (and therefore warm), good protection from the wind and (usually) parking heating for cold nights; they usually also have a small refrigerator; however, they do not have a bathroom, and the kitchen is a slightly larger (or quite ordinary) touring burner, which is rather difficult to use inside the car, especially in the smallest models; - Tent on the roof
RVs with a tent on the roof are counted as campers in Iceland basically only because they are rented together with all the camping equipment – stove, dishes, cutlery, chairs, etc.; but, for example, a tourist refrigerator is a rarity in them; the advantage over carrying an ordinary tent is the ease and speed of setting up the rooftop version; certainly the disadvantage is that there is only one tent, so the car is a two-person proposition;
In the following text, we will discuss these in more detail in reverse order – from the simplest cars with a tent on the roof, to full motorhomes.
Renting a car with a tent on the roof
The primary reason why ordinary cars with a tent on the roof are presented as motorhomes in Iceland is that they are rented together with basic camping equipment. If you want to sleep in tents on the ground, in practice you have to bring them with you, as well as a stove, dishes, cutlery and anything else you want to have with you while camping. However, in such an RV with a tent on the roof, this is already included in the rental price
A typical Dacia Duster with a roof tent.
| The cost of renting an RV with a tent on the roof (14 days) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dacia Duster | Suzuki Jimny | |
| April | 200,000 ISK (approx. 6,200 PLN) |
2,300 EUR (approx. 10,500 PLN) |
| June | 225,000 ISK (approx. 7,000 PLN) |
2500 EUR (approx. 11,500 PLN) |
| July | 265,000 ISK (approx. 8,200 PLN) |
4500 EUR (approx. PLN 20,700) |
As you can see, the Suzuki Jimny is a much more expensive option, despite being a smaller car. At the same time, it also gets much more expensive in the summer. In this category, the Dacia is certainly a better choice. However, it is worth noting that for a 4- or 5-person trip, renting a suitable campervan may not be more expensive at all, and will certainly provide more comfort (well, and 5-person trips are usually much more fun 🙂 ).
Renting a campervan
Campervans, true to their name, are usually created from the conversion of a classic van (that is, a van precisely). The rear part of the car is adapted into a bedroom, which can usually also be converted into a seating and cooking area for the day.
Popular campervan sizes
Driving characteristics here, of course, remain the same as in the base car, while cooking and sleeping conditions are spartan, but sufficient. Cooking is almost always in such a car based on a small touring stove powered by gas cartridges (round and oblong, shaped somewhat like spray air fresheners). The stove usually has one burner, but for some cars we get (or can rent) two stoves. So the cooking possibilities are only slightly better than in typical tent conditions. Besides, cooking inside the RV causes it to fog up very quickly, and opening the door unfortunately lets the cold in from outside.
Smallercampervans are usually NOT equipped with a refrigerator. The larger ones usually have a refrigerator, but one that only works while driving and lacks a freezer. Take this into account when deciding on this solution.
In addition, there really is very little space in the campervan in the back, so to a large extent you have to think of it as a tent on wheels rather than a riding house. The most convenient way would be to set up a table and chairs in front of the campervan and cook and eat there, but due to the strong and very frequent Icelandic winds, this is also conspicuously difficult. Nevertheless, since you have to stay at the campsite for the night anyway, we can move the cooking (usually) to the camping canteen and at least the problem of limited kitchen space disappears.
Th e sleeping area of the campervan doesn’t offer much space, but you can certainly get a good night’s sleep. Of course, again, it is more of a standard similar to a tent than even a hostel bed. However, unlike a tent, here we have hard walls to protect us from the wind and heating – both make a huge difference even in summer. In practice, this means that it is a very functional solution also for spring or autumn trips – when there are fewer tourists in Iceland and all prices are noticeably lower.
Naturally, in such a car there is not even the simplest bathroom, let alone a shower. Of course, bathrooms and showers are available at every campsite, but not always in the price of accommodation (although they are never expensive). Renting a campervan will always be more expensive than a 4×4 car, but having our own bedroom saves the cost of guesthouses and we do not have to worry about booking accommodation. The floor we sleep on is always level, well, and we are well protected from the wind and cold. So it is certainly more comfortable than, for example, Duster with a tent.
| Costs of renting a campervan (14 days) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citroen Berlingo (2 persons). | Dacia Duster 4×4 (2 persons). | Mitsubishi Pajero 4×4 (2 persons). | Renault Master (5 persons, refrigerator and sink) | |
| April | EUR 1450 (approx. PLN 6,700) |
EUR 2,300 (approx. PLN 10,600) |
2800 EUR (approx. 12,900 PLN) |
2650 EUR (approx. 12,200 PLN) |
| June | 1450 EUR (approx. 6,700 PLN) |
2750 EUR (approx. 12,700 PLN) |
3200 EUR (approx. 14,700 PLN) |
2800 EUR (approx. PLN 12,900) |
| July | 1700 EUR (approx. 7,800 PLN) |
3650 EUR (approx. 16,800 PLN) |
4750 EUR (approx. 21,800 PLN) |
4500 EUR (approx. 20,700 PLN) |
As you can see from the table above, the smallest campervan is not only clearly cheaper than the others, but also by far the least expensive in summer. The prices of the other 3 models are relatively close to each other, which certainly makes renting the Master, on a per-person basis, the cheapest, but it is a front-wheel-drive car, which makes the comparison to the Pajero or Duster somewhat unfair.
W henrenting a Dacia Duster in campervan version (with a bedroom inside the car) is, as you can see, quite a bit more expensive than the same car with a tent on the roof. It is colder in the tent, of course, but for the difference in price you can buy two really very good sleeping bags….
4×4 campers – a specialty of Iceland
Particularly noteworthy is the hybrid created by embedding a kind of small caravan on the back of a large off-road semi-truck (pick-up truck). It’s hard to describe it more clearly – see what it’s about in the photo below
4×4 camper in Thorsmork
In the living area, there is as much space as in the largest campervans (for example, you can easily stand), but of course, compared to a motorhome, it is still quite claustrophobic. The cab, on the other hand, is made to American 6-passenger standard, so there is plenty of space here. However, unlike both those types of campervans, here we can’t walk down the middle from the cab to the living area. Every time you have to get out and enter the other part from the back. This is not a big problem, but a certain inconvenience as much as possible. On the other hand, where such a 4×4 camper shines is driving on mountain roads. The Dodge Ram 1500 (or similar) semi-trucks on which these campers are based offer more than 300 horsepower, 4-wheel drive, of course, a locking differential and a reducer. Plus really big, tall wheels, well, and an equally tall, off-road suspension. So this is as full-blooded off-road car as possible. These cars look bizarre, but off-road they perform perfectly. You can drive them practically anywhere in the interior without any problems (the only exception is the Kross, but the brave will not be frightened) and cook food and sleep in relative comfort – lower than in a motorhome or hostel, but still incomparably higher than in a campervan or tent. In addition, it is a 4-person car, so it can be cheaper per person than campervans based on typical off-road cars – such as the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Trudely say that a 4×4 campervan is a compromise between an off-road vehicle and a campervan. Rather, it is a combination of the best features of both types of cars.
The disadvantage of such a car is high fuel consumption. The large front and side surfaces cause huge air resistance; on top of that, the really high weight and the usual American automatic transmission, mean that in off-road driving a combustion of 20 l/100 km is not unusual…. The high sides on each side also mean a fair amount of sensitivity to wind gusts, but nevertheless the high unladen weight means that the driver does feel the gusts on the steering wheel, but they don’t throw the car on the road the way they can in a motorhome. Bottom line: for 4 people this is a very, very interesting option. If you want to see the interior, well, and are willing to pay more in exchange for extra comfort (compared to a campervan or sleeping in a tent), then definitely consider such a 4×4 camper.
| The cost of renting a 4×4 camper (14 days) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Toyota HiLux (3 persons). | Dodge RAM (4 persons) | |
| May | 2800 EUR (approx. 12,900 PLN) |
4150 EUR (approx. 19,100 PLN) |
| June | 3300 EUR (approx. 15,200 PLN) |
4250 EUR (approx. 19,600 PLN) |
| July | 4950 EUR (approx. 22,800 PLN) |
6850 EUR (approx. 31,500 PLN) |
As you can see from the table, 4×4 campers are rather an expensive option. Although per person (assuming full ‘occupancy’) they are even cheaper than the aforementioned Pajero or Land Cruiser, they are up to twice as expensive ‘per person’ compared to the Duster with a tent on the roof. Of course, they perform much better (than the Duster and other cars in this class) off-road and can simply handle a lot more rivers, in a much wider range of conditions. They also certainly provide greater driving, cooking and sleeping comfort, but still, the price for that comfort is high. As you will see in the next table, for the price of a Dodge Ram, you can even rent a luxury 6-passenger motorhome. You won’t drive such a car down the gravel roads, but the comfort of traveling on Road 1 around the island will be even higher.
Motorhome campers
Modern motorhome camper
It really is a home on wheels and provides the best combination of travel comfort and flexibility – after all, we sleep in campsites that we don’t have to book. A spoonful: every 2-3 days, however, it’s worth plugging in. In spring this is not a problem, but in summer we need to find either a campsite that is not very crowded, or book such a place at least a day in advance. After all, we can always find a parking space at a campsite, but a parking space with an electricity approach – not necessarily anymore. The camper, of course, works great without such a connection, but then all 220-volt outlets do not work, so we can not charge larger devices – those that can not be charged from a USB or cigarette lighter socket.
Remember that the nominal number of passengers provides that some people (usually 2) will sleep in the mess – on berths unfolded in place of the table and daybeds. Every day such bedding has to be unfolded and folded again in the morning, well, and the people sleeping in the mess hall are always the last to go to sleep and the first to get up. This is not a particular problem, but nevertheless reduces the comfort of the trip. On the other hand, however, giving up sleeping in the mess hall and renting, for example, a 6-person camper for 4 people is simply quite expensive.
When renting an RV for the full number of people, you also need to keep in mind that you will noticeably run out of water supply and fill the toilet cassette faster. This is not a problem, because we spend our nights at campsites anyway, so we can take care of refilling the water and emptying the toilet, but simply these technicalities will not let us forget about them. Similarly, we need to remember to refill the gas in the cylinder (or rather: replace the gas cylinders). Not every gas station offers this service, so if you have already exhausted one cylinder and are using another – replace the former with a full one at the first opportunity, as soon as possible. Without gas, not only the stove will not work, but probably also the refrigerator and heating, so the matter is serious. From the side of the driving and driving itself, modern motorhomes drive very well and easily. However, it is necessary to remember to correct for their huge size. When maneuvering in parking lots and campgrounds, let’s pay attention not only to the overlapping rear, but also to make sure we don’t snag the roof on something….
Video: maneuvering a motorhome camper.
Naturally, the camper also smokes a lot and is sensitive to wind gusts. Most rental companies also do not allow (and rightly so) to drive these vehicles off paved roads. As a result, the interior is beyond the reach of such an RV, but for a trip on Road 1 (and side roads) it is perfectly suitable.
The motorhome camper is a very convenient solution, perfectly combining the comfort of the trip with great independence and flexibility in its implementation.
| Motorhome camper rental costs (14 days) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorhome 4 pers. | Motorhome 6 pers. Economy |
Motorhome 6 pers. Luxury |
|
| April | 3000 EUR (approx. 13,800 PLN) |
3200 EUR (approx. 14,700 PLN) |
3900 EUR (approx. 18,000 PLN) |
| June | 4180 EUR (approx. 19,200 PLN) |
4500 EUR (approx. PLN 20,700) |
4700 EUR (approx. 21,600 PLN) |
| July | 5950 EUR (approx. 27,400 PLN) |
6250 EUR (approx. 28,800 PLN) |
6550 EUR (approx. 30,100 PLN) |
As you can see from the above table motorhome campers are not cheap. Interestingly, the price difference between the smaller and cheaper one and the largest and most expensive one is relatively small – in summer it does not even exceed 10%. In addition, on a per-passenger basis, the smallest motorhome here clearly comes out as the most expensive. And while these prices are obviously high, on a per-passenger basis, even the large luxury model is as competitive as possible against many of the options indicated earlier. Of course, even on such a per-passenger basis, the motorhome is as much as twice as expensive as a Dacia Duster with a tent on the roof, but the comfort of travel in it is also incomparably higher.
Campervan rentals in Iceland
Campers – both campervans and motorhomes – are quite popular in Iceland. They allow you to save on the cost of accommodation and give you great elelasticity in planning your route. Not surprisingly, there are many different campervan rental companies with a wide variety of models on offer. However, what may be surprising is that the best rental prices can be found at a completely non-specialized Icelandic campervan. That’s the Motorhome Republic website, originally from New Zealand. It offers RV rentals ranging from the smallest and simplest, two-person models based on a Renault Kangoo or similar, all the way up to the largest and most luxurious motorhome (usually the so-called alcove or semi-tegra). The low prices on this site probably have to be explained by the fact that the site is very popular with customers from the US, a very large and affluent group of tourists. Americans are very fond of traveling in RVs (called RVs there – recreational vehicles) and are eager to take them. And the services operating in the largest markets usually offer the best prices. We checked and compared rental prices for different types and sizes of RVs, and practically always the cheapest was just at Motorhome Republic. And at the same time, this service probably offers the widest range of different types of RVs and they are well described and presented, and the vast majority of options (add-ons and insurance) can be fully self-selected. So we don’t have to match the offer of a single rental company, but can choose exactly the model we are interested in and get just the best deal on it.
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Only when it comes to 4×4 campers, especially the largest ones, a better price is sometimes found on CamperVan Iceland or KuKu Campers (although the latter make their offer available through booking.com).
Other tips on driving in Iceland
A huge influence on the total cost of renting one car or another in Iceland is the extent and cost of its insurance. In Iceland we have several types of insurance not known in other countries, and also the whole structure of insurance sold to tourists is quite different from what we can buy in Poland, for example. Learn about the structure, ranges and prices of car insurance in Iceland in this article: Car Insurance in Iceland. If you’re going to Iceland, it’s definitely worth getting acquainted with the specific conditions of Icelandic roads, the specific regulations in force there and – just in case – about the amount of fines for certain traffic offenses. You will read about all this in this article: Road conditions, regulations and fines in Iceland. If you are wondering how to arrange your trip route and possibly what car to choose for it, read our description of a selection of the most important and interesting roads you may want to drive on. We have collected them here: The most important roads in Iceland. Of course, we always encourage you to look at our Top10 lists to pick the most interesting places to see. It’s probably worth starting with Iceland’s Greatest Attractions [Top 10].
