Traveling to Iceland and looking to hiring a car at Keflavik International Airport? Get ready for the ultimate self-guided tour of your life. Follow my guide as we go through every step to ensure a smooth and hassle free car rental delivery in Iceland.

Step 1: Order online

A key to any good holiday is careful planning. So, my first advice is to order your rental car online before arrival. Do not expect you can simply walk into any car rental and hire a car on the spot at Keflavik Airport.

Now you can of course choose the car rental of your liking. There are many car rental companies to choose from when it comes to hiring a car at Keflavik Airport. But personally, I recommend Blue Car Rental. Great car and prices and the service is just outstanding! Blue Car Rental offers online check-in that really speeds up your entire pick-up process. Giving you more time to travel in Iceland.

Step 2: Complete the Self Check-in

As I was saying, by completing check-in for your car hire in Iceland before arrival will save valuable travel time. Not only that, but it makes collecting a rental car so smooth. You don’t have to stand in lines with your luggage or do any other stressful activities. Follow the instructions sent online and collect the car you hired. It doesn’t get any more convenient than that!

Just the comfort of knowing everything is in order alone is worth it. And if you have any questions, the office is still going to be there with staff happy to assist with any of your additional car rental needs.

Step 3: Get to the car rental office

Alright now we got that sorted. But either way, if you hire a car online for Keflavik Airport and finish the pre-check-in or not, you still need to get to the car rental office. Now Keflavik International Airport isn't much different from other airports in terms of car rentals. Like at many other airports, the rental cars are not at the terminal but at a special car rental area. This is of course within the airport area but you’ll have to go outside to get there. While there might be some car rental signs and sales offices, which are typical for airports around the world, you will have to go outside and to the car rental main office to get your rental car.

There are two ways you can get to the car rental office at Kef Airport. Either you take a shuttle bus from the terminal, or you can simply walk.

Taking the airport car rental shuttle at Keflavik International Airport is rather simple. After clearing the costume, you enter a small arrival hall. Keep in mind that Keflavik Airport is a rather small airport so find your way around it should be fairly easy. All you need to do is exit the arrival hall through the main entrance and follow the sign for the airport shuttle. It will lead you to the bus stop outside the terminal. The shuttle arrives every 15 minutes or so and will take a route going to every car rental in the airport area. The shuttle bus can be an absolute lifesaver, especially in winter when everything is covered in snow and the wind is howling.

Note that the shuttle only operates from 06:00 to 18:00, so if you’re collecting your rental car or dropping it off outside this time, you will have to walk.

Walking to the car rental office is also not a big deal at Keflavik International Airport. The offices are only a few minutes walk away. With crosswalks and paths leading you safely from the terminal to the office and back. In some cases, like during summer and other high season travel times, you might be quicker to walk than, waiting for the bus.

If you’re traveling with a group I suggest sending just one driver to collect the car. That way you don’t have to drag your luggage across the area. Just have someone wait at the terminal and pick them up along with the bags afterwards. I highly recommend doing this during winter, so the whole group doesn't have to battle the elements.

Step 4: Collect your rental car

Once you arrive at the office it is time to collect the car you hired. If you’ve followed the previous steps, it will be an easy task. There are several possibilities of how you can go about collecting the hire car at Keflavik Airport at the car rental office.

Key-box delivery: This is another reason why I recommend going with Blue Car Rental. You can choose a contactless car rental pick up by opting for the key-box options. This way you simply go to the office, find the key boxes, scan the code sent by the company and collect the key. After that you just follow the information provided to find the car. A very convenient solution for those in a hurry and when picking up outside opening hours.

Note, that customers will have to finish the online check-in and buy full insurance coverage in order to use the key-box.

Fast service delivery: When entering the office you simply follow signs with instructions tell you exactly where to go for the next step, getting the key to your rental car. If you’ve already gone through the online check-in, you can select the fast-track line. If there is a wait at all it will be over in a matter of a few minutes as you have already signed all documents and gone over the details of your rental. Only thing needed is to pick up the key from the staff which will point you in the right direction to your rental car.

Traditional pick up: The same process applies when collecting the rental car without the online check-in. Except of course it can take a bit more time. With a touch of a screen, you insert your details and once you’re up, the staff will call you up and finish going over the terms of the rental before handing over the key to the rental car.

Keflavik International Airport on site car hire: Although I do not recommend hiring a car on site at Keflavik International Airport it is of course possible. This can be done by using a kiosk type of screen at the office or with assistance of the car rental employee.

However, this is both time consuming and more expensive than finishing the process online before arrival. Also, you could be limited to fewer types of cars due to lack of availability, especially during summer and other high seasons.

Step 5: Enjoy driving in Iceland

The car hire process completed at Keflavik Airport, it is time to enjoy driving in Iceland. The road is now open, and it is up to you how your adventure will be. Iceland’s scenery is unmatched with natural wonders at every corner. From well known attractions such as Geysir and the Blue Lagoon to amazing waterfalls and glaciers. By hiring a car from Keflavik International Airport you get a chance to see them all. Along with going off the beaten track to explore the less unknown but equally beautiful sights. In fact there are plenty of awesome places you cross off the list in the Keflavik Airport area. Such as Gunnuhver mud pools and the Bridge between continents, to name a few.

But wherever you go and whatever you decide to do, just remember to enjoy the ride.  

Top Travel tips for car hire at Keflavik Airport

To sum up, let's rewind and go over some of the top travel tips for a car hire at Keflavik International Airport.

•         Planning is the key to a great holiday. Book online ahead of arriving in Iceland.
•         Find car rental with online check-in and finish it before arrival. Life's too short to wait in a line.
•         When the weather is bad. Get to the car rental by using the Keflavik Airport shuttle bus.
•         When the weather is good. Walk to the car rental office, it’s faster.
•         In a real hurry, use contactless options like key box delivery.
•         Have a carefree vacation. Always get the full coverage insurance from the car rental company.
•         If in need of assistance, talk to the staff. Even though you have already checked in.
•         Start enjoying Iceland from the moment you get the car and until you return it. 

For more interesting and useful knowledge about traveling Iceland, check out our blogs on Practical Info and Driving in Iceland.

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