Do you know what type of car you want for the trip in Iceland?

It’s an important question because people may be booking their car hire during different stages of their planning.

• Best Cars for the Icelandic F-Roads

If the sights around the ring road or the Golden Circle are not enough to sate your adventurous spirit, then you might be interested in the untamed highlands of Iceland.

But, to get to the highlands, you’ll need a car with enough ground clearance to easily clear the rocky roads and potential rivers that need to be crossed.

Important! F-roads are only open during summer, so if you’re coming during early spring, fall or winter then you can save yourself some money and go with a smaller car.

F-roads can vary a lot. Some are fairly easy like F35 and some can be quite a rollercoaster ride and may even require river crossing, like the F26. Make sure you do your research on F-roads and which ones you will need to drive through, and then pick your car based on that.

If you’re only headed for the smaller, easy ones, then a Dacia Duster or Suzuki Jimny will do you well, and won’t cost an arm and a leg.

If you’re planning on driving to Landmannalaugar or Sprengisandur then you might consider something bigger like a Land Cruiser or Ford Expedition.

• Best Cars for Luggage Space

Out of the most popular hatchback rental cars in Iceland, the winner is the Hyundai i30 with a boot space of 395 liters. It does sacrifice a bit of the passenger space in the back, but all that boot space is great for those planning on bringing lots of luggage with them around Iceland.

The Kia Cee’d and Renault Clio seem to be the next best choices while the Toyota Aygo, Volkswagen UP! and Hyundai i10 are the cars you want to avoid if you’re carrying more than a couple of medium-sized bags.

In the 4x4 category, the Land Cruiser, Mitsubishi Pajero or Ford Expedition would probably make for the best carriers of luggage and people.

It’s important to note, however, that cars like Land Cruisers can come in 5-seater or 7-seater versions. If you go with a 7-seater, you need to be aware that the 2 extra seats come at the cost of some of the luggage space and are normally only really suited for small children.

For minivans, MPVs or smaller people carriers, the top options are the Renault Trafic (1500 liters) or the Ford Tourneo (1180 liters). Another popular choice in the MPV category is the Mercedes Benz V-Class, and while it’s an extraordinary car that places comfort above all else, the boot space falls a bit short.

• Campervans and Motorhomes

If you’d like to avoid booking hotels and having to stick to specific schedules to fit each hotel’s check-in times, then perhaps you might want to consider a campervan.

Imagine being able to drive wherever the road takes you and simply pulling up to the nearest campsite to whip out the BBQ and then rest for the night.

The weather in Iceland can be incredibly random at times, which makes it important to be able to change plans and “follow the sun” as we Icelanders sometimes call it.

Renting a campervan allows you to change course and follow the sun, flee the storm or just have a change of heart about what you’d like to see.

Compared to having a regular rental car and hotel reservations, you’re essentially unlimited in your travels, except perhaps for the fact that you can’t go on F-roads, but that’s easily resolved by renting a 4x4 campervan.

What to Consider when Choosing a Campervan

The first thing you need to consider is obviously the sleeping arrangement.

Are you a couple? A throuple? A group of friends? Do you mind sleeping huddled up with the rest of the gang or do you need your space?

There are all manner of campers and RVs available to suit whatever your needs might be, within reasonable terms.

There are the small mini campers, perfect for couples or lone-wolves. These usually come in 2-person arrangements, but there are 3-person variations out there.

The mini camper is affordable, easy to drive and usually comes with everything you’d need if you don’t mind the tight space.

The next size up is the larger campervans that can hold up to 5 people. These are perfect for a group of friends, families or just a couple who prefers more space around them.

They normally come equipped with bedding, utensils, a gas stove and most other things you might need. The exact inclusions are normally described very well on the booking page for each car.

If you’d like to take it a step further, then you might like to hire a motorhome for your journey around Iceland.

Motorhomes come in different variations and sizes from 4-person budget to 6-person luxury and are usually incredibly well equipped with comfortable beds.

Another thing to consider is heating.

As the name implies, Iceland can get cold. You might get away with renting a campervan without any sort of cabin heater during the summer, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it as the weather can quickly turn on you.

In winter, it’s absolutely necessary to have a cabin heater in the van. It’ll be worth the bit of extra cost when the chilling winter air hits you.

A common mistake that people make is assuming that their campervan has a cabin heater in it without actually confirming it. Go over the details of the booking page carefully and make sure that the van you’re choosing includes a cabin heater, often labeled Webasto.

• 4x4 Campers & Roof Tents

If you want the freedom to roam that a campervan offers without being limited to regular roads like some regular person, then you might want to consider a 4x4 camper.

There are normally two variations in this category.

The first is the fully equipped campervan that has the same amenities as any other camper; gas stove, bedding, utensils, a warm bed and so on. These can sometimes be modified 4x4s, pickup trucks with houses on the back, or even a raised van.

Those are the more luxurious variations but are normally the most expensive rental cars you can find.

The other option is considerably cheaper, at the cost of some luxury.

Roof tent 4x4s can be a fantastic, budget-friendly alternative to the campervan if you'd like to have the option to venture on to Iceland's many highland F-roads.

These roof tents normally come equipped only with the bare minimum like the tent itself, a foam mattress and a pillow. Some might include sleeping bags, but normally you would need to rent those extra.