Iceland car rental frequently asked questions

To make your travel preparation easier Thrifty Car Rental Iceland has collected Iceland car rental frequently asked questions from our thousands of customers and made the answers available here at our website. Check below.

Before making a booking

Minimum driver age is 21 years old. Drivers aged 19-20 years old can rent cars in the small car and family car categories for an extra young renter fee which you can look up at the extras page. See further information about car classes on our cars page.

Minimum rental period is 24 hours and maximum rental period is 100 days.

No. We don't apply or take any deposit upon pick up.

We don't take any deposit upon pick up.

A valid credit card in the renters’ name, valid for at least 6 months after return, and a valid drivers’ license are mandatory at pick up. You can see further information on the terms and conditions page.

Click here for detailed information

Yes you can but click here for more information.

A valid national drivers’ license with Latin letters is sufficient. If your driver’s license does not have Latin letters please bring an International driver’s license. Please note that International driver’s licenses must always be presented at pick up with the national driver’s license. Please see further information under drivers license policy.

Thrifty car rental rates are all-inclusive and there are no hidden charges. Unlimited mileage, vehicle theft protection and taxes are included. An optional CDW protection package is available to the renter free of charge.

4x4/AWD driving in Iceland

Yes we do, please click here for more details.

No you cannot, please click here for more details.

Yes you can but only with AWD/4x4 and on certain conditions which you can find by clicking here.

Car Rental Payment

The preferred way of payment is by a non-prepaid credit card in the renters’ name, valid for at least 6 months after the return of the rental car. We accept prepaid credit cards and debit cards if the renter purchases the Premium protection package. Cash is not accepted. See further information under the credit card policy.

Yes. We accept debit cards and prepaid credit cards if you purchase the Premium protection package. See further information under the credit card policy.

Yes. We accept prepaid credit cards and debit cards if you purchase the Premium protection package. See further information under the credit card policy.

Yes, you can. You receive a 5% discount off the rental price if you prepay your booking online. We have a 100% FREE cancellation. Please note that you still have to bring the same credit card upon arrival that was used to pay for the rental online. We accept prepaid credit cards if you purchase the Premium protection package.

Yes. A credit card is required upon pick up even though you have a voucher or have prepaid your rental. The credit card has to be a non-prepaid credit card and be valid for at least 6 months after the return of the rental car. See further information under the credit card policy.

We accept debit cards and prepaid credit cards if you purchase the Premium protection package. See further information under the credit card policy.

Yes you need to bring the physical credit card when you pick up the car.

No. The credit card must be in the name of the main renter and the credit card holder must ALWAYS be present at the time of the pick-up of the rental vehicle. See further information under the credit card policy.

No. The credit card has to be in the name of the main renter and the credit card holder must ALWAYS be present at the time of the pick-up of the rental vehicle. See further information under the credit card policy.

For those customers who do not meet the requirements of our terms and conditions, we offer to purchase the Premium Protection package and, in that way, they can use prepaid cards or credit cards that are valid for less than 6 months after the return date. See further information under the credit card policy.

Car Rental Damage Protection Packages

Included in the rental rate are all statutory motor vehicle insurances according to Icelandic law, including third-party liability insurance (TPL) and personal accident insurance for the driver and the Owner (PAI/PI) together with a theft protection (TP).

An optional CDW protection is available to the Renter free of charge. Please see more information under the protection package page.

The renter is responsible for knowing the terms and conditions of his third party coverage. In case of damage, the renter pays the damage amount to Thrifty and then claims the damage amount from the third party.

Purchasing protection from Thrifty will give you peace of mind during your trip in Iceland as well as making the process easier in case of damage. If damage occurs and you are protected by Thrifty protection you pay either nothing or the excess amount according to your protection level directly to Thrifty and do not have to spend time claiming the amount from the third party (note: in some cases, not all damage is covered by third party insurance). Our Premium Protection package is available for your peace of mind and is a full coverage protection package with 0 excess. Please see more information and terms and conditions of our protection packages here.

Yes. Our Premium Protection package has 0 excess and has very extensive damage protection. Please see further information about the coverage on the protection packages page.

Car Rental Extra Services and Equipment

We offer a variety of rental car options. You can find information about luggage space in each car type under our cars page.

Yes. All our rental cars have studded winter tyres during wintertime (1. November – 15th April).

No we do not provide snow chains. Snow chains are only used by large vehicles on mountain roads and are not to be used on the main roads. We provide quality studded winter tyres during the winter period 1st November - 15th April.

Rental locations and Free shuttle service

We are located in 4 places in Iceland. Please see more on our locations page.

Please see our opening hours page.

Thrifty Car Rental offers a FREE VIP shuttle service from Keflavík International Airport to our Thrifty rent a car Keflavik airport office. Any time you arrive during opening hours or make arrangements for out of hours service. You can see more information here.

To order a free shuttle service to the Reykjavík City office or Akureyri downtown office please order a shuttle service here.

Tickets and fees

The only road tolls collected in Iceland are through road tunnels in the north called Vaðlaheiðargöng. You have to pay online and can register any time before your trip through the tunnel but you have to register no later than 3 hours after your trip. See directions about how to pay the tunnel fee here.

If you don’t pay yourself the tunnel fee will be charged by Thrifty to your credit card + an administration fee.

There are many places in Iceland where you will have to pay for parking. Be attentive of signs when entering parking lots or spaces with information about how to pay. The main places are in downtown Reykjavík and in most cases, you pay for parking in parking meters.

In Akureyri there are no parking meters. Parking spaces are simply marked by how long you can park there each time. You go to a gas station and ask for a parking clock. Once you park you simply set the clock to the time you parked.

The following places use www.myparking.is where you pay for parking online:

·         Skaftafell – Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður National park (South Iceland)

·         Þingvellir national park (Golden Circle, South West Iceland)

See more information here.

All parking fines are paid by Thrifty car rental. If you have received a parking ticket we will charge the amount to your credit card along with an administration fee. More information about administration fees can be found here.

All speeding fines will be paid by the renter. Thrifty is obliged by law to inform the police who was the renter of the car during the time the speeding was recorded and for this Thrifty charges the customer an administration fee. The police will consequently contact you to finalize payment of the speeding ticket.

General questions

A confirmation email should arrive to customers no later than 1 hour after the booking was made. If you have not received a confirmation email please check the following:
- Did you finalize the booking process?
- Did the confirmation e-mail go to your junk mail folder?
If you have checked the above please contact us with your name, pick-up and return dates and type of vehicle.

In case the selected vehicle is unavailable upon pick-up we provide you with a similar vehicle. We always guarantee a vehicle from the same or higher category than what you booked. We do not guarantee brand nor model.

Yes. We have a friendly modification policy. Extensions depend on availability.

Yes. We offer roadside assistance during opening hours if your rental car breaks down. If you are having problems please call our emergency line +354 515 7110 and we will arrange assistance from one of our many service providers around Iceland.
Cost of assistance depends on location, the severity of the problem and other factors.

In case of incidents outside of opening hours or serious emergency, please call the Icelandic emergency service 112.

See opening hours for all our locations here.

Fuel policy

Our fuel policy is full to full. You receive the car with a full tank and you return it full.

Yes. Our fuel policy is full to full. The fuel tank is full when you pick up the car and you return it full.

No. The distance between Reykjavik and Keflavik is approximately 50 km. If you fill up the tank in Reykjavik it will not be full when you return the car. There is an Olis station very close to our office in Keflavik that is perfect to fill up the car. Remember to use the discount tag on your keychain to get a fuel discount at Olis stations.

If you do not return the car with a full tank of fuel we will fill up the tank and charge your credit card the amount for the missing fuel + an administration fee.

Deliveries/Returns

Reservations will be held for 2 hours past the reserved pick-up time, except if you contact Thrifty to change your arrival time. Two hours after the reserved pick-up time the reserved vehicle will be made available for other customers. If the location closes within that 2 hour period and you fail to pick up the vehicle, the reservation will expire at closing time and is not eligible for a refund.

If you arrive at the location later than 2 hours after the reserved pick-up time, we will try to provide a vehicle for you, however, availability cannot be guaranteed.

In case of a flight delay, provided that the correct flight number is present in the reservation, the reservation will be kept until 2 hours after the updated arrival time. If the new arrival time is outside of pick-up locations opening hours, the location will remain open if the carrier has been notified of the delay and the new arrival time.

Please see further information in late arrival policy.

If you arrive early to pick up your rental car we will try to provide a vehicle for you at the time. However if the requested vehicle is not available at the time of your arrival you might need to wait until your booked pick up time.

Please take a look at our early return policy.

Yes, you can return your rental car outside of opening hours. See more information here.

If you want to return the vehicle at another location than where you picked it up we have several options. You can return the vehicle at any of our 4 offices around Iceland and for this we charge a one way fee. See more information here.

You can also leave the rental vehicle at your accommodation as long as there is a reception where you can leave the car key for one of our agents to pick up. You will need to contact us with information about where the car is parked and where the key is located. We charge a drop off fee for this service.