We drove to Iceland from Rovaniemi — yes, by car, via the Smyril Line ferry from the Faroe Islands — and we made every rookie mistake there is on Iceland’s roads. On our first trip we nearly voided our rental contract on a gravel track we didn’t realise was prohibited. On the second, we knew exactly what to expect. This guide is what we wish someone had handed us before that first trip.

Iceland’s road network is radically different from anything in mainland Scandinavia. Understanding the difference between Iceland gravel roads and paved asphalt is not just about comfort — it has real legal and financial consequences for rental car drivers.

Iceland’s three road types explained

Before you turn the ignition key in Iceland, you need to understand that the country’s roads are officially classified in three distinct tiers — and each tier comes with its own rules for drivers and rental companies.

Tier 1: Paved highways (Route 1 and numbered roads)

The Ring Road (Route 1) circles the entire island and is fully paved. Most numbered roads below 100 — the ones connecting towns, waterfalls, and major tourist sites — are also asphalt. These are fine for any rental vehicle, including small hatchbacks and city cars.

Tier 2: Gravel secondary roads (numbered 200–900)

These are unpaved tracks, usually well-graded but not sealed. They connect farms, smaller villages, and less-visited natural sites. A standard 2WD rental is technically allowed on these roads, but rental contracts vary — always check yours. Loose stones are the main hazard: they chip windscreens and, less commonly, damage tyres.

Tier 3: F-roads (highland interior tracks)

Marked with an F prefix (F26, F35, Kjölur, Sprengisandur). These are mountain tracks through Iceland’s interior highlands — unbridged river crossings, volcanic rubble, deep gravel. Only open in summer (roughly late June to early September, conditions permitting). A genuine 4WD with high clearance is legally required. Taking any other vehicle on an F-road:

• Voids your rental insurance entirely
• Can result in a substantial fine from Icelandic authorities
• Risks serious vehicle damage in extremely remote terrain
• Damages fragile highland moss and volcanic soil that takes centuries to recover

Gravel roads: what to expect behind the wheel

Most visitors to Iceland encounter gravel roads even if they stick to the Ring Road circuit. Side roads to popular sites — Landmannalaugar from the south side, the Westfjords, parts of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula — involve at least some unpaved sections. Here’s what the experience is actually like.

Speed and surface

The posted speed limit on gravel roads is typically 80 km/h but you’ll rarely want to drive faster than 50–60 km/h. The surface is loose; braking distances are longer; stones kick up. Slow down before corners, not during.

Loose stone hazard

Flying stones are the most common cause of windscreen damage in Iceland. Rental companies sell gravel protection (SAAP — Sand and Ash Protection) for this reason. When an oncoming car approaches on gravel, both vehicles should slow to a crawl and move to the edge of the road. This is standard Icelandic road etiquette and it works.

River crossings on gravel roads

Some gravel roads — especially in the Westfjords and East Iceland — cross shallow streams via concrete fords. These are passable in a normal car as long as the water is clearly shallow and slow-moving. Never cross a ford you can’t see the bottom of. Check road.is (Vegagerðin) before driving in remote areas — rivers can rise quickly after rain or snowmelt.

F-roads: the highland tracks most tourists skip

The F-road network covers Iceland’s interior highlands — a vast, almost roadless plateau of lava fields, volcanic sand deserts, and geothermal areas. It’s genuinely spectacular terrain, but it’s not for casual visitors.

The most famous F-roads are:

• F35 / Kjölur route — The most accessible highland road. No major river crossings. A large 4WD can handle it from late June. Popular for seeing the Kerlingarfjöll geothermal area.
• F26 / Sprengisandur — Longer, more remote, with river crossings. Requires experience and a proper expedition-grade 4WD.
• F210 to Landmannalaugar — The most visited F-road in Iceland. Beautiful rhyolite mountains and hot springs. River crossing at the start catches a surprising number of people out every year.
• F88 / Askja route — Deep in the northeast interior. Requires a convoy of vehicles ideally, or significant backcountry experience.

If you’re in a normal rental hatchback or even a small SUV marketed as “4×4” — check the contract. Many SUVs rented in Iceland are AWD city cars without real clearance. The F-road rule is: if the car wasn’t specifically approved for F-roads by your rental company in writing, don’t go.

Rental car rules — and how they catch you out

Iceland’s rental car market is heavily regulated around road type — because the consequences of getting it wrong cost both renters and companies significant money. Here’s a quick-reference breakdown of what each vehicle category typically allows:

• Small car / city car (e.g. Toyota Yaris, Kia Picanto) — Ring Road and paved roads only. No gravel.
• Standard car (e.g. Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30) — Paved + gravel numbered roads. No F-roads.
• Small SUV / Crossover (e.g. Toyota RAV4, Nissan Qashqai) — Usually paved + gravel. Check if F-roads are permitted in writing. Most are not.
• 4WD SUV (e.g. Land Cruiser, Hilux, Dacia Duster with clearance confirmation) — Paved + gravel + F-roads (if specifically stated in contract).
• Campervan — Usually gravel-permitted but not F-roads unless explicitly approved.

The catch: rental companies don’t track your GPS in real time (most of the time), but if you return the car with damage and claim it happened on an F-road — or if road condition photos from the F-road were automatically uploaded to a dashcam — you lose insurance coverage. Some companies now install GPS trackers precisely for this reason. Read your contract.

Practical tips for driving gravel safely

We’ve driven gravel roads all over Scandinavia — Finnish forest tracks, Norwegian mountain passes, Faroese island roads — but Iceland’s gravel has its own character. Here are the things that actually made a difference for us:

• Check road.is every morning. Iceland’s Road Administration updates conditions daily. Some roads open and close within a single day based on river levels and weather.
• Slow down before corners, not during. Gravel behaves like loose sand under braking. Approach every bend at the speed you want to take it, not faster.
• Give oncoming traffic maximum space. On narrow gravel roads, both cars should slow and move right as they pass. Flying stone damage is a shared problem and shared courtesy.
• Buy SAAP (sand and ash protection). It’s typically €10–15/day and covers windscreen chips and sand-blasted paintwork. Worth it.
• Never drive off the road surface. Off-road driving is illegal in Iceland and damages fragile ecosystems. Even pulling over for a photo on the soft verge can kill moss that took 100 years to grow.
• Carry a physical map or downloaded offline maps. Mobile signal disappears entirely in the interior.
• Let someone know your route before driving F-roads. Emergency services in the highlands can take many hours to reach you.
• Fill the tank before leaving towns. Petrol stations in rural Iceland can be 150+ km apart.

Mistakes we made on Iceland’s roads

We’re not going to pretend we drove Iceland perfectly. Here are the actual mistakes we made — so you don’t have to repeat them.

• We assumed all SUVs were F-road approved. We booked a Toyota RAV4 thinking a “4WD” meant F-road access. It didn’t. We discovered this at the turn-off for Landmannalaugar when another driver pointed out the warning sign. We turned back. Check in writing before you book.
• We underestimated gravel road distances. Driving 60 km on gravel takes far longer than 60 km on asphalt — plan for half the speed. We were late to a guesthouse and couldn’t reach them because there was no phone signal.
• We didn’t check road.is on one morning. A road we planned to use had been closed overnight due to a river flood. We found out at the junction. The workaround added 90 km to our day.
• We drove too fast on loose gravel in a hurry to reach a site. A stone cracked our rear windscreen. The SAAP covered it. But it was unnecessary stress and a reminder that Iceland’s roads don’t forgive impatience.
• We didn’t fill up in Vík. We thought there’d be a station sooner. There wasn’t. We made it, barely — but it was a stressful half-hour watching the gauge.

Driving conditions by season

Iceland’s road conditions change dramatically by season, and this directly affects which road types are accessible and how challenging gravel driving is:

• May: Ring Road is clear. Many gravel roads open by mid-month. F-roads mostly still closed — check road.is for exact opening dates. Snow possible at higher elevation. Quieter than peak season.
• June–July: Peak accessibility. Most F-roads open by late June. Long daylight (midnight sun). Busiest season — more traffic on gravel roads means more flying stones. Book accommodation early.
• August: Still full summer conditions. F-roads begin closing from late August in some areas. Weather can turn quickly.
• September: Most F-roads close. Some gravel roads can be icy by late September. Fewer tourists, dramatic light. Northern lights possible from mid-month.
• October–April: Ring Road kept clear with snowploughs. Secondary gravel roads can be impassable. F-roads fully closed. Winter tyres on all rentals by law from November 1.

Frequently asked questions

A final word from Rovaniemi

We live at the top of Finland, drive on snow and ice for six months a year, and we still found Iceland’s roads a step up in intensity. Not because they’re technically difficult — most aren’t — but because the consequences of a wrong turn are so remote and so costly.

The single best piece of advice we can give: read your rental contract before you leave the lot, not after. Know exactly which roads are covered. Download offline maps. Check road.is every morning. And give the roads the respect they deserve — Iceland’s interior is genuinely wild, and that’s exactly what makes it worth driving.

We’ve done the Ring Road and a handful of F-approved routes. We’re going back. The roads are part of the experience.