RRoad Clarity
A straight road crossing a treeless volcanic plain of black lava and green moss in Iceland, with a glacier and snow-covered mountains on the horizon beneath heavy cloud.

Iceland

Drives on the right · ISK · Emergency 112
LAST VERIFIED 2026-09-13

Driving in Iceland

Iceland is not a difficult place to drive so much as an exposed one. Weather and road conditions change quickly, and the gap between a straightforward drive and a genuinely dangerous one can be an hour — so checking official conditions before a longer trip matters more here than almost anywhere else on this site. Two rules catch visitors out specifically. The first is F-roads: the unpaved highland routes require a 4x4, open only in summer, and standard rental agreements usually prohibit them outright. Taking a 2WD hire car onto one typically voids your cover rather than merely risking a fine. The second is the tunnel toll. Almost every road is free, but the Vaðlaheiði tunnel near Akureyri has no barrier and no booth. You pay online within a narrow window — from 24 hours before your trip to 24 hours after — and if you miss it the rental company settles it and rebills you with a service fee on top. Winter tyres are effectively necessary for much of the year, studs permitted seasonally. Headlights are required day and night, year-round, and the alcohol limit is 0.2‰. Iceland sits outside the EU but inside Schengen, and the currency is the króna.

Speed limits

Urban
50 km/h
Rural / outside built-up areas
90 km/h
Motorway
No general limit

Alcohol limits

General limit
0.2‰
Novice drivers
Same as general limit

Mandatory equipment

  • •Warning triangle

Winter tires & snow chains

Winter tires (studded tires permitted seasonally) are effectively required for much of the year given conditions. Driving on unpaved F-roads (mountain/highland routes) generally requires a 4x4 and is only accessible in summer — standard rental cars are often prohibited from F-roads by the rental agreement.

Tolls

System
Mixed tolls

Most roads are toll-free; a small number of tunnels (e.g. Vaðlaheiðargöng in the north) charge a toll, usually paid online within a set window rather than at a barrier.

Full tolls guide →

More things to know before you drive

Seatbelts
Mandatory front and rear for all occupants.
Mobile phone use
Hands-free only; holding a phone while driving is prohibited.
Child seats
Children must generally use an appropriate child restraint until around 135 cm tall.
Headlights
Dipped headlights are required at all times, day and night, year-round.
Low-emission & restricted zones
No low-emission zone network; central Reykjavík has some pedestrianized/restricted streets.
Right of way & roundabouts
Priority to the right at unmarked intersections. Single-lane bridges are common on the Ring Road — the first vehicle to reach the bridge generally has priority.
Parking
Paid parking is common in central Reykjavík via meter or app; free in most towns and rural areas.
Speed cameras
Fixed and some mobile cameras are used, mainly on the Ring Road and near Reykjavík.

Good to know

Not in the EU but in the Schengen area. Currency is the Icelandic króna (ISK). Weather and road conditions can change very quickly — check official conditions before longer drives, especially outside summer.