W
ind in Iceland is a real threat, though often underestimated or unexpected. Strong winds rip the doors off the cars of inattentive tourists. And combined with volcanic ashes (and gravel), it can seriously damage paint and windshields.
Sparse public transportation and attractions scattered throughout the island prompt most tourists to get around Iceland by car. What are the conditions (and customs) on them, what are the most important unusual regulations, and finally how high are the fines for some offenses – you will find all this in the following guide.
Road conditions in Iceland
Iceland is a peaceful and safe country. And so are the roads here. With the exceptions described below, they are well-maintained asphalt roads. Their only negative peculiarity is that they are devoid of shoulders. It is therefore difficult to stop on them outside of designated parking lots and parking spaces.
In the most popular – southwestern – part of the island, gas stations, stores and campgrounds lie really close to each other – usually no more than, say, 20 km one from the other.
In the rest of Iceland as well, as long as you stay close to Highway 1 or on Snaefellsnes, driving conditions for most of the year are easy and gas stations are distributed often enough. Note, however, that in this remaining part of the island, gas stations are quite often self-service points (payment by card only) and completely devoid of adjacent stores. You won’t be able to buy a hotdog there, nor spare windshield wipers or gas for your cylinders. For these things you will have to go to a nearby town.
A definitely separate category of roads are the so-called mountain roads – marked not only by a number, but also by the preceding letter F – for example, F910. These are routes designed for off-road cars, and we write about their specifics later in the article.
Winter conditions
In the off-season, during the broader winter season, i.e. from October to April, the primary danger will be snow. The Icelandic proverb, saying that if you don’t like the weather, then just wait five minutes, obviously exaggerates, but indeed even if the day starts warm and sunny, it can end up cloudy, rainy or snowy.
Icelandic services are well equipped to deal with inclement weather, but it sometimes takes them up to a day or two to clear a road of snow after a particularly heavy snowstorm. Therefore, in winter you should always be prepared for the fact that snow can cut you off from the world.
A specific threat is a phenomenon called Black Ice – black ice. This is a thin layer of fresh ice formed after the snow lying on an asphalt road thaws and refreezes. In such a situation, the ice can be almost perfectly transparent, and thus the road can look dry and clean, although it is not so at all.
Video: Prepare your car for winter in Iceland.
In general, winter in Iceland can be beautiful, but you need to drive much more carefully then and, among other things, much slower than in summer.
Summer conditions
From spring to autumn, the variability of the weather has little effect on road conditions. On the other hand, the most real and serious threat is…. wind!
W
ind in Iceland is a real threat, though often underestimated or unexpected. Strong winds rip the doors off the cars of inattentive tourists. And combined with volcanic ashes (and gravel), it can seriously damage paint and windshields.
Example of road conditions in May
D
amaging your car doors on strong wind is not very common, but it happens nonetheless. And this is not covered by any insurance (they are treated as so-called ‘contributory damage’), so you pay for repairs out of our own pocket. Be sure to watch out for this!
Of course, drivers of large motorhomes and drivers pulling caravans, must always be very careful about side winds. It probably doesn’t happen that a car will be blown over by the wind, but as much as possible it can be shifted – whether to the middle of the road or to the side of the road. If it’s blowing super hard – try to wait it out in the nearest parking lot.
A specific, but nonetheless rare, threat can be local road flooding associated with melting glaciers and pavement cracks from tectonic tremors. If such events can indeed affect driving safety, the Civil Service very efficiently redirects traffic to appropriate detours or, in extreme situations, halts traffic on the relevant stretch of road. On a daily basis, however, you don’t have to worry about this.
If you’re going to be driving down the main roads frequently, and especially if you want to use mountain roads – keep checking the conditions there at road.is.
Conditions on Iceland’s mountain roads
Iceland’s highlands and so-called interior are areas accessible almost exclusively by so-called mountain roads. For the sake of clarity, this is a category marked with an additional letter F – such as F910 or F88. Although compared to alpine roads they seem quite non-mountainous – the altitudes are not at all high, lacking some major serpentines or flyovers over deep chasms, they certainly make additional demands on both cars and drivers.
Road F347 as seen from Hveradalir (Kerlingarfjoll)
Mountain road opening dates. [source: road.is]
Above all, these are roads that are not snow-covered. As a result, they are open and passable only in summer – usually from mid-June to mid-September. This does not apply only to specially adapted vehicles with heavily elevated suspension, snow tires, etc., called “super jeeps” here, which will drive in anytime and anywhere.
A
ctual condition of each road, including whether it is open and passable, can be found live on the official website of the islandziego road authority: https://road.is. There, the level of passability is specified from “easily passable””, through “difficult” and “mountain vehicles only”, to “impassable” and “closed””.
In addition, Icelandic mountain roads are mostly gravel roads. The exception to this would be roads running on relatively fresh lava crust, where we drive on rock rather than gravel (e.g., numerous sections of the F910). They are also usually narrow roads with many twisty and steep sections. This means, among other things, that it is difficult to pass each other on them except by special passing. It is also not uncommon for them to have quite steep climbs. If it so happens that you have to stop on such a steep gravel driveway (because, for example, a 4×4 bus is coming from the opposite direction), then starting uphill again can be a hassle for a car without a 4×4.
T
raditionally, when passing on steep climbs, the car going up has priority, and the vehicle going down should stop and let the “climber” pass. However, if a large bus or 4×4 truck is coming from the opposite direction, try to give way even if you are the one on your way up.
Whenever possible, do not drive up a steep section if you see someone else already driving in the other direction.
‘A trademark’ of mountain roads in Iceland are fords – stream crossings without a bridge or elevated crossing. We describe this in more detail later in this article.
M
ountain roads in Iceland can get snow even in the middle of summer. Take this into account as well when planning your route.
Naturally, due to its location in the interiors, there is virtually no infrastructure along mountain roads. Neither gas stations, nor stores, nor restaurants. Also, parking lots, campgrounds and hostels are rare, and remember that you are not allowed to go off the road to stop, for example. There is also no GSM coverage in much of the interior. There are also far fewer tourists and cars – you usually have the whole road to yourself.
All these factors make driving on mountain roads a great part of exploring Iceland, but one that poses a distinctly higher risk than driving on asphalt around the island.
Some consolation may be the very easy navigation on most of these routes. With minor exceptions, the roads are clearly defined and well marked. Intersections are quite rare and also clearly marked. This makes satellite navigation practically unnecessary, and you can navigate here almost as if you were in a city – using the simplest map and instructions such as “take the second left and then the first right”…. 🙂
Crossing streams in Iceland
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Icelandic mountain roads is that many of them cross local streams without bridges – through fords. Most of these fords are usually shallow – if we were to walk through them on foot the water would rarely reach our knees. Only a few are almost always deep and dangerous – these are primarily those on F88 (the road to Askja) and those crossing the Krossa River on F249 in Thorsmork. The ford at the entrance to the campground in Landmannalaugar is also often quite deep.
Car crossing the stream at Thorsmork – F249
D
on’t ever underestimate ford crossings! The danger here is both the water itself and unstable bottom. On top of that, damage resulting from flooding the vehicle is excluded from all insurance coverage. If an accident does occur, you will pay out of your own pocket for towing, cleanup or the whole car!”
The instantaneous amount of water in a stream strongly depends on recent precipitation and temperatures (high temperatures melt glaciers harder). A ford that was shallow in the morning may already be deep in the afternoon. Tire tracks in front of and behind the stream are not a guarantee that you will also pass.
In addition – especially for smaller cars – the danger of fords is not only the water, but also the precarious bottom. Loose, quicksand at the bottom of the stream can prove to be a trap without a way out. In turn, large stones – although rare – can easily damage undercarriage components. If you’re not sure you’ll get through – get out and cross the ford on foot, checking the depth of the water and the hardness of the bottom. If, even after such reconnaissance, you don’t know if you will cross – well: turn back or wait for someone to possibly get you out of trouble….
However, let’s not go to extremes either. As a rule of thumb, if the bottom is hard, there are no hidden larger stones in it, and you don’t forget the gear reducer and differential lock, crossing water reaching no higher than the top of your wheels should not be a problem. However, if the water reaches higher than the axle of your car, exercise far-reaching caution…. Practice shows that even the most popular off-road car model in Iceland – the Dacia Duster – can handle the vast majority of F roads without trouble. And yet, the Duster is not an off-road car by flesh and blood….
If
you intend to drive on mountain roads in Iceland, and have no off-road driving experience, consider taking at least a 1-day course in such driving before you leave. Take care that the training focuses less on, for example, driving on sands, and certainly shows the basics of crossing water.
Icelandic car rental companies often prohibit non-terrain vehicles from entering gravel roads. E.g., when renting a so-called motorhome, you are probably required to stick to the asphalt. But even if you’re renting an off-road, 4×4 car, insurance may still be excluded on some roads, and if you go there, it’s at your own risk (see details below).
Tolls and fines in Iceland
Iceland is not a very “car-oriented” country, so it’s not surprising that it has the lowest rate of traffic deaths per 1 million inhabitants in Europe: that’s only 12 deaths per year (about 4 in real terms, since Iceland has only 300,000 citizens) (source: https://ec.europa.eu/).
The relevant regulations here are fairly straightforward and standard for Europe.
Most important regulations
In Iceland, we drive cars on the basis of a Polish driver’s license. There is no need to make a special international document.
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Basic speed limits:
- in the city: 50 km/h / 31 mph
- outside the city: 90 km/h / 56 mph
- on gravel roads: 80 km/h / 50 mph
- when driving with a trailer or caravan: 80 km/h / 50 mph
- Using a hand-held phone while driving is prohibited (through a hands-free kit is allowed, of course).
- Wearing a seat belt is mandatory in both the front and rear seats of the vehicle.
- It is mandatory to drive with dipped headlights on 24 hours a day and all year round. Daytime running lights are not sufficient and do not meet this requirement, but they are also usually not installed in Icelandic cars.
- Do not drive off the road. This is especially important in the interiors – even though it is somewhat off-road driving, it is not allowed to deviate from the designated roads there.
In
a two-lane roundabout, a vehicle in the inside lane has priority over a vehicle in the outside lane. Unfortunately, most tourists do not know this, so vehicles behave “variously” at larger roundabouts. Let’s exercise maximum caution there!
- Motorcyclists are required to ride with helmets on.
- Bicyclists are required to ride with helmets if they are under 14 years of age.
Some fees
There are no toll highways in Iceland, but there is one toll tunnel. It’s the Vadlaheidi Tunnel The tunnel is located on the eastern access to Akureyri, and the price of passage for a passenger car is 1500 ISK, or around $10. You can read about how to make the payment and how to easily and attractively bypass this tunnel in the linked article.
Paid parking is valid only in parts of Reykjavik and costs there from 190 to 370 ISK per hour ($1.35 – $2.65). Paid parking zones are designated only in the very center and you can easily explore the city by parking outside of them – see Car around Reykjavik).
Parking in Akureyri, on the other hand, is time-limited. If you park in a restricted parking zone, you must place the appropriate timer (you can get one at gas stations) behind your windshield, set for the allowed time. If we exceed the time or park without such a clock – we are subject to a penalty.
Height of fines for traffic offences in Iceland
In Iceland, like in many countries around the world, there is a point system of fines for traffic offenses. However, earning such points is of little concern to a short-term visitor to the island. Tourists are much more concerned about how high the fines are.
- Parking without proper parking fee (Reykjavik): 2,500 ISK ($20).
- Parking in an unauthorized place: 10,000 ISK ($75).
- Parking in a handicapped spot: 20,000 ISK ($145).
- Speed violation: from 30,000 ISK to 150,000 ISK – $215 – $1100.
- Driving under influence: no less than 100,000 ISK ($715).
P
arking fees increase by 50% if not paid within 14 days and then again so after another 14. So if you don’t pay the fine within 28 days, you have to cover double the amount.
In
2021, the installation of sectional speed measurement systems began in Iceland. Drivers failing to comply with the regulations in this regard are sure to be fined more often now.
Other guides on driving in Iceland
If you already know what time of year you want to go to Iceland and which way to drive, read our guide How to rent a car in Iceland There, we’ve gathered a wealth of information about the pros and cons and costs of renting the different types of cars and RVs available in Iceland.
If you want to get a better idea of Iceland’s most important roads first, then this article The most important roads in Iceland is exactly for you. See these most important roads and what you can find on them. The prudent always prepared! 🙂
Separately, we have also covered the very broad topic of insurance available in Iceland. Insurance can have a huge impact on the cost of your trip, so we highly encourage you to read on. Car Insurance in Iceland is a comprehensive article about the types, features and costs of different types of insurance in Iceland.
Remember that the best descriptions of the most interesting places to see in Iceland can be found in our Top10 lists. Your best bet is definitely to start with this general one: Iceland’s Greatest Attractions [Top 10].
And if you already want to start carefully planning your trip itinerary, it may be best to start here: Best itinerary for Iceland (summer, 4×4, 14 days).
