Hi All,
I'm wondering if there are differences in renting from a US-based rental car company versus a local (Iceland in my case) rental car company? I had an Avis wizard number for years (no longer), and am renting from Akureyri, one way (drop off at Reykjavik airport), so that would be easy, I imagine. But there are several more local/regional options and not sure it makes any difference in experience.
Thanks!
Melissa
Follow Up question (somewhat related)...Rick Steve's Iceland book (second edition, 4th printing Feb 2023) indicates a week rental in the summer to be around $350. I'm seeing $900 for 9 days (Europcar website, not an aggregator). Is it the one way, or have prices changed that much or is it just that I'm searching on a Saturday as opposed to a Tuesday/Wednesday?!
Don't want to hijack your thread but I am trying to figure out the same thing. Planning on 11 days beginning Sept 2, but rental car companies have reviews all over the place as well as rates and CWD plans. Same company (Europcar) has a different "rates and plans" directly with the company, or through Booking.com, or though whatever... Plus, I don't want to pay ahead of time, which Booking.com seems to want me to do. And a $600 deposit at pickup??? I definitely want a small 4WD and Europcar has a Suzuki Jimny, which would be perfect- I can drive a stick.
Who here has experience with this???
I used Avis on a recent Iceland trip. Note that Akureyri is a relatively remote place; this is not like landing at Frankfurt and waiting for a recent return to be turned-around and issued to you. Apparently, there is WIDE variation in a VAST number of local rental companies in Iceland.
It is also the case that not only is everything very expensive in Iceland, car damage events are frequent, multiple kinds (like "Wind and Stone Coverage") of insurance are generally wise to buy, and driving conditions often difficult for US Interstate and Mall Parking Lot drivers. Your car windows will have a sticker, "Open door with BOTH hands fully gripping the door. Wind can rip off the entire door."
I was glad that Avis gave me a complimentary upgrade to an automatic and a crossover-SUV with 2-wheel drive. (July trip. Manly-AWD completely unecessary for 95% of all visitors then.) We needed the ground clearance, and the driving was, simply ... ENDLESS. Edit: You didn't give your month of travel, but I'll mention that in winter, the Iceland Rescue Societies have an expression, "Death By GPS." We used Waze, which was fine, in good weather. Their phrase refers to blind faith and obedience to ... the computer. Non-fatal example, Waze wanted to cut 1000' off a paved crossroads left turn by using a diagonal that was ... unpaved. Besides, the left turn is safer at a place that has, at least, two Stop signs. (I know, stop signs are for losers.)
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/western-iceland-by-car-summer-2023
ImaFarmer: I try to book hotels and cars and air tickets directly with the actual provider. The improved access and control of the rental is worth any swaggering illusion of bargain-hunting with a consolidator like Booking or Expedia. I don't want to have to deal with a third party if I have a delay or cancellation, and I want to be treated as the actual customer.
I'm quoting my own TR here, but it bears repeating:
"The big roads are barely two lanes wide. Typical speed limits 90 KMH rural, 70 and then 50 approaching towns, 30KMH in town. I hugged the side white line when a bus or truck passed the other way. On the unpaved roads, they were usually so narrow that you had to slow down for opposing traffic."
I observe in northern New Jersey that most Americans have no idea where the perimeter of their Chevy Suburban or Lexus is, and they are not inclined to pull to the right even when they see a parked Amazon van partly blocking the opposing lane of traffic. What Me Worry? Is it any wonder there are so many accidents in Iceland?
I have not rented in Akureyri as we always book with Blue out of either Keflavik or Reykjavik, so I can't help with the companies up there. I will say though that RS saying $350 for a weeks rental is not going to happen anywhere in Iceland. We have been 5 times and always pay anywhere from $200-$300 per day, depending on the vehicle etc. We do opt for full insurance even though we are covered by Amex Platinum. There are so many things in Iceland that can happen, that are totally different than at home, and if anything would happen I would not want to pay out of pocket and then deal with Amex. For us, it is peace of mind and yes that comes at a cost, but that is factored in of course.
Take prices you see in guidebooks with a grain of salt. Not only are guidebooks written months before they are published, but the RS Iceland book is nearly four years old. (It was published as the pandemic was starting.) Of course prices have gone up.
The new Iceland book is scheduled to be published this April.
Frank--I agree. I still think RS was way off base on car rental prices even for when his book was first published, based on our experiences then.
Maybe it was a RS typo! $1,350!
Thanks for the validation and all the inputs on rental cars / insurance!
