Car rental age requirements in Iceland

Minimum age by car category

The minimum age depends on the car category, and it applies to the renter and to every additional driver (rental terms 2):

No category has a maximum age, and there is no senior-driver fee. Every car's page on Our cars shows its minimum age too.

Renting under 25: the young driver fee

From 20, you can rent the Everyday cars with no young driver fee. For SUVs, 4×4s and vans (Comfort, 4×4 Adventure, Highland 4×4 and Family & Space) the minimum age is 25, but we may, at our discretion, let drivers aged 20–24 rent them for the young driver fee (rental terms 2).

• “At our discretion” means the decision is ours: we confirm it with your booking.
• The fee is €15 per day for each driver aged 20–24, charged for every rental day without a cap: €105 per young driver for a 7-day rental (rental terms 40(d)).
• The Everyday cars (Toyota Aygo X and Kia Ceed wagon) carry no young driver fee and have our lowest day rates: from €34 a day in winter and €72 in summer, BASIC + SCDW cover included, plus the road-use charge of €12 per day (€10.50 in 2026). See Prices.
• Need an automatic? Every automatic we rent is in a category with a minimum age of 25 (Comfort, 4×4 Adventure and Highland 4×4), so for drivers aged 20–24 it is at our discretion, with the young driver fee; the Everyday cars are manual. See Automatic car rental in Iceland.
• Winter: from November to March we strongly recommend an AWD or 4×4 car, and all of ours are in categories with a minimum age of 25. Every car has winter tires from 1 November to 14 April at no extra charge (rental terms 1).

Older drivers: no upper age limit

We set no maximum age and charge no senior-driver fee. In the booking form, “Lead driver's age” offers 20–24, 25–69 or 70+: only 20–24 can add a fee, and only for SUVs, 4×4s and vans.

Every driver's license must be valid for driving in Iceland for the whole rental. Iceland's driving-license regulation (No. 830/2011, article 29) recognizes licenses from other EEA countries for their period of validity, but not beyond the holder's 70th birthday. If you are 70 or older, check with the Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa) that your license is valid in Iceland before you travel.

A few things that make Iceland's roads easier, at any age:

• Automatics: every car in Comfort and Highland 4×4 is automatic. In 4×4 Adventure, the Suzuki Vitara 4x4 is automatic. See Automatic car rental in Iceland.
• Daylight: winter days are short, so plan the longer drives for daylight; Driving in Iceland month by month shows the daylight in each month.
• Breaks: SafeTravel suggests a stop at least every 100 km or so, and taking turns at the wheel if you can: an additional driver costs €10 per day. Driving times and distances from Keflavík Airport helps you plan the stops.

Every driver must qualify

• Every driver, not just the renter, must meet the minimum age for the car and show their own driving license and a valid passport or national identity card at pickup (rental terms 2–4).
• Only drivers named on the rental agreement may drive (rental terms 15). An additional driver costs €10 per day per driver (rental terms 40(c)).
• An additional driver aged 20–24 may drive an SUV, 4×4 or van only with our agreement, and the young driver fee of €15 per day applies to them too, on top of the additional driver fee.

When you book, fill in “Lead driver's age”: for a lead driver aged 20–24 in an SUV, 4×4 or van, the young driver fee is included in your estimate. If an additional driver is aged 20–24, tell us in the “Anything else?” box or by email to info@ringroadcars.is.

Your driving license, at any age

• A physical license for the type of vehicle, with your photo, valid for the whole rental (rental terms 3).
• Held for at least one year, without major endorsements or penalty points.
• No digital licenses, screenshots or scans, except an Icelandic digital license checked live through Ísland.is.
• Not in the Latin alphabet? Bring an International Driving Permit with the original license; the other options are in What you need to rent a car in Iceland.
• Automatic-only license? On EU and EEA licenses that is code 78, “restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission” (Directive 2006/126/EC, Annex I). A foreign license lets you drive the same vehicles in Iceland as in the country that issued it (Regulation No. 830/2011, article 29), so book an automatic: Automatic car rental in Iceland.

Iceland issues car (category B) licenses from the age of 17 (Regulation No. 830/2011, article 6). Renting is a separate matter: with us, every driver must be at least 20 and have held their license for at least one year.

Questions about car rental age in Iceland