Driving in Iceland month by month

The year at a glance

Daylight below is the time from sunrise to sunset in Reykjavík, from the first day of each month to its last (in December, to the shortest day), rounded to the half hour. The figures come from the University of Iceland's almanac (Almanak Háskóla Íslands). In winter, twilight adds about an hour of usable light at each end of the day, and around midwinter the north gets about an hour less daylight than Reykjavík. The Met Office lists today's sunrise and sunset for places around Iceland (in Icelandic).

Driving in Iceland in January

• Daylight: about 4½ hours on 1 January and about 7 by the end of the month. In mid-January the sun rises around 10:55 and sets around 16:20.
• Roads: deep winter. Snow, ice, strong wind and drifting snow can make driving hard, and storms can close roads for hours or days, mountain passes most often. Main roads get winter service, but even they can't be kept free of ice.
• Is it safe? On main roads, yes, with care and a flexible plan: drive in daylight, slow down on ice and wait out a storm rather than drive into it.
• Which car: AWD or 4×4, which we strongly recommend from November to March. Comfort is our default winter pick; 4×4 Adventure or Highland 4×4 suit remote routes and deep snow. Every car has winter tires at no extra charge.
• Also: F-roads are closed, and it is northern lights season. We are closed on 1 January, with no pickups or returns that day.

Driving in Iceland in February

• Daylight: about 7 hours on 1 February and about 10 by the end, so the days get longer fast. In mid-February the sun rises around 09:25 and sets around 18:00.
• Roads: still winter: snow, ice and storms are possible on any day.
• Is it safe? On main roads, yes, with care. Check umferdin.is before every drive and keep buffer days in your plan.
• Which car: AWD or 4×4 is strongly recommended, and Comfort suits Route 1 in winter. For the Westfjords or Snæfellsnes in rough weather, a 4×4 is worth it: 4×4 Adventure or Highland 4×4.
• The Ring Road (about 1,310 km): in winter, plan at least 10 days with buffer days; with less than a week, choose the South Coast and the Golden Circle instead. See the Ring Road in winter.
• Also: F-roads are closed, and the northern lights season continues.

Driving in Iceland in March

• Daylight: about 10 hours on 1 March and about 13½ by the end; after the equinox, the days are longer than the nights. In mid-March the sun rises around 07:45 and sets around 19:30.
• Roads: winter conditions continue: snow, ice and storms are still possible on any day.
• Is it safe? On main roads, yes, with care and a flexible plan, and the longer days help.
• Which car: AWD or 4×4 is strongly recommended to the end of March, and every car has winter tires until 14 April at no extra charge.
• Northern lights: activity often peaks around the equinoxes in March and September, and the nights are still dark. See northern lights by car.
• Also: F-roads are closed.

Driving in Iceland in April

• Daylight: about 13½ hours on 1 April and about 17 by the end. In mid-April the sun rises around 05:55 and sets around 21:00.
• Roads: spring, but winter conditions can linger into late April, especially in the north and on mountain passes.
• Is it safe? Yes, with care: check umferdin.is before every drive, and again before mountain passes.
• Tires: every car has winter tires until 14 April. In the second half of April, ask at the desk for a car that still has winter tires: it's free when one is available, but we can't promise one.
• Which car: while winter conditions are possible (roughly October to April), Comfort (AWD) earns its keep. A two-wheel-drive car manages on paved roads in mild weather, mainly in the southwest.
• Also: April is the last month of the northern lights season, and F-roads stay closed.

Driving in Iceland in May

• Daylight: about 17 hours on 1 May and about 20 by the end, and from late May the sky stays light all night. In mid-May the sun rises around 04:15 and sets around 22:35.
• Roads: spring: snow and ice are still possible. From 1 May the road map on umferdin.is is updated 08:00–16:00, instead of 07:00–22:00 in winter.
• Is it safe? Yes, with normal care, but keep checking umferdin.is while spring weather can still turn.
• Which car: from roughly May to September, an Everyday car is enough on paved routes such as the Ring Road, the Golden Circle and the South Coast. Choose Comfort for gravel side roads or more room.
• F-roads: still closed. The first highland roads can open late in May, but most open in June or early July; Vegagerðin's highland map shows which are open.

Driving in Iceland in June

• Daylight: about 20 hours on 1 June and about 21 around the solstice on 21 June. The sun rises around 03:00 and sets around midnight, and the sky stays light all night.
• Roads: summer on the main roads, but the weather still changes fast. Many roads away from the Ring Road are gravel.
• Is it safe? Yes, with normal care: slow down before the pavement turns to gravel, and watch for sheep on or beside the road.
• F-roads: they open one by one, each on its own date as the snow allows: in 2021–2025 the main highland roads opened between late May and mid-July, according to Vegagerðin's figures. Drive one only when it is officially open, and only in a car your booking confirms as F-road approved: Comfort, 4×4 Adventure or Highland 4×4. Some F-roads are excluded for every car we rent: see F-roads.
• Which car: on paved routes, Everyday is enough. Six to nine of you? Family & Space seats nine including the driver, for paved routes only.

Driving in Iceland in July

• Daylight: about 21 hours on 1 July and about 18 by the end; the sky stays light all night until late July. In mid-July the sun rises around 03:40 and sets around 23:25.
• Roads: summer, but strong wind is possible even now: park facing into the wind and hold the door firmly when you open it. See wind and car doors.
• Is it safe? Yes, with normal care. After an overnight flight, rest before a long drive: jet lag and tiredness are real risks on the first day.
• F-roads: most are open by mid-July. In 2021–2025, every highland road in Vegagerðin's table had opened by 15 July. Rivers are entirely at your own risk: no waiver or cover option covers water damage.
• Which car: for permitted F-roads, 4×4 Adventure and Highland 4×4 have more ground clearance, and Comfort can be booked F-road approved too. On paved routes, Everyday is enough.

Driving in Iceland in August

• Daylight: about 18 hours on 1 August and about 14½ by the end, and the nights get darker again. In mid-August the sun rises around 05:15 and sets around 21:45.
• Roads: summer. Many bridges are single-lane (Einbreið brú), on the Ring Road and off it.
• Is it safe? Yes, with normal care: slow down well before a single-lane bridge, where the car that reaches it first crosses first.
• F-roads: open, weather permitting. In the highlands, conditions change quickly and rivers can rise and become impassable: check umferdin.is before every highland drive, and if water covers the road, turn back.
• Which car: Everyday on paved routes; for permitted F-roads, a car your booking confirms as F-road approved.

Driving in Iceland in September

• Daylight: about 14½ hours on 1 September and about 11½ by the end: the days shorten fast. In mid-September the sun rises around 06:50 and sets around 19:55.
• Roads: autumn: winter conditions can occur, especially on mountain passes and in the north.
• Is it safe? Yes, with care: check umferdin.is before every drive as the autumn weather arrives.
• F-roads: usually closed again from mid-September. Check umferdin.is before any highland plan.
• Northern lights: the season starts in September, when the nights are dark again, and activity often peaks around the equinox. See northern lights by car.
• Which car: an Everyday car still suits paved routes; Comfort (AWD) gives you more margin as the autumn weather arrives.

Driving in Iceland in October

• Daylight: about 11½ hours on 1 October and about 8 by the end. In mid-October the sun rises around 08:15 and sets around 18:10.
• Roads: winter conditions can begin in October, especially in the north and on mountain passes. From 1 October the road map on umferdin.is is updated 07:00–22:00 every day.
• Is it safe? Yes, with care: check umferdin.is before every drive, and again before mountain passes.
• Tires: every car has winter tires from 1 November. In October, ask at the desk for a car that already has winter tires: it's free when one is available, but we can't promise one.
• Which car: in winter conditions (roughly October to April), Comfort (AWD) earns its keep.
• Also: it is northern lights season, and F-roads are closed.

Driving in Iceland in November

• Daylight: about 8 hours on 1 November and about 5 by the end. In mid-November the sun rises around 09:55 and sets around 16:30.
• Roads: winter: snow, ice and storms are possible on any day. On service days, Vegagerðin aims to clear the main roads before morning traffic, but a storm can close a road until it passes and the road is cleared.
• Is it safe? On main roads, yes, with care and a flexible plan: drive in daylight and keep buffer days.
• Tires and car: every car has winter tires from 1 November to 14 April at no extra charge. From November to March we strongly recommend AWD or 4×4, and Comfort is our default winter pick. A two-wheel-drive car on winter tires is legal on Route 1 and manages in mild weather, mainly in the southwest.
• The Ring Road: in winter, plan at least 10 days with buffer days. See the Ring Road in winter.
• Also: it is northern lights season, and F-roads are closed.

Driving in Iceland in December

• Daylight: about 5 hours on 1 December and about 4 around the solstice on 21 December, when the sun rises around 11:20 and sets around 15:30. Twilight adds about an hour of light at each end.
• Roads: deep winter, with the shortest days of the year.
• Is it safe? On main roads, yes, with care: plan long drives for the light hours, keep night driving short and keep a buffer day before your flight home.
• Our holiday hours: on 24 and 31 December we are open 04:00–12:00; on 25 December and 1 January we are closed, with no pickups or returns. A pickup or return after 12:00 on 24 or 31 December is possible only on request, agreed in advance, for €150 each. See opening hours.
• Which car: AWD or 4×4 is strongly recommended, with Comfort as our default winter pick, and every car has winter tires at no extra charge.
• Also: it is northern lights season, and F-roads are closed.

Which car for which season

From November to March we strongly recommend AWD or 4×4. A two-wheel-drive car on winter tires, Everyday or Family & Space, is legal on Route 1 and manages in mild weather, mainly in the southwest. Four-wheel drive helps you get going in snow, but it does not shorten braking on ice: speed and distance do.

You may drive an F-road only in a four-wheel-drive car your booking confirms as F-road approved, only when the road is officially open, and never on the F-roads our terms exclude for every car. Rivers are entirely at your own risk. More in which car do I need? and F-roads.

Questions about driving in Iceland by month