Compare 2026 rental, fuel, road-fee and Strætó fares for summer and winter. On our reference trips the bus wins for 1–2 travellers, a compact car often wins for 3–4, and the Golden Circle has no public bus.
Which is cheaper depends mostly on how many of you there are
Renting a car now includes a 6.95 ISK per km road fee (~€0.05 / ~$0.06 per km). Only two roads have tolls. The Golden Circle has no public bus line, and the Westfjords are not connected to the main bus network.
Both start and end at Keflavík Airport (KEF) with the car collected there
| Travellers | Car, summer (per person) | Car, winter (per person) | Bus (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53,500–87,100 ISK | 38,500–69,100 ISK | 20,400 ISK |
| 2 | 26,700–43,500 ISK | 19,200–34,500 ISK | 20,400 ISK |
| 3 | 17,800–29,000 ISK | 12,800–23,000 ISK | 20,400 ISK |
| 4 | 13,400–21,800 ISK | 9,600–17,300 ISK | 20,400 ISK |
| 5 (van) | 24,500–27,200 ISK | 24,100–26,800 ISK | 20,400 ISK |
| Travellers | Car, summer (per person) | Car, winter (per person) | Bus (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 91,000–147,300 ISK | 66,000–117,300 ISK | 31,200 ISK |
| 2 | 45,500–73,700 ISK | 33,000–58,700 ISK | 31,200 ISK |
| 3 | 30,300–49,100 ISK | 22,000–39,100 ISK | 31,200 ISK |
| 4 | 22,800–36,800 ISK | 16,500–29,300 ISK | 31,200 ISK |
| 5 (van) | 41,300–45,900 ISK | 40,700–45,300 ISK | 31,200 ISK |
Car totals are shared by the whole group, so the per-person cost falls as the group grows. Ranges use the low and high figures from the car costs below (rental, insurance estimate, road fee, petrol or diesel). Not included: parking, tolls, food, lodging and tours. A group of 5 or more is priced with an 8-seat van, and only its "from" rate is known, so the van rows are a lower bound. Bus fares are adult single fares. Above roughly 6–8 travellers a shared van becomes cheaper per person than the bus on these trips. Bus is cheaper when the range is above the bus fare, and the car wins when it is below.
Reykjavík–Akureyri takes 6 h 30 min by bus, against about 4.5–5 h by car in summer and 5.5–6.5 h in winter. Reykjavík–Vík is 2 h 42 min by bus and about 2.5 h by car.
Prices checked 2026-09-29. Confirm the total at booking
Check live car rental prices for your dates →
| Cost | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Small 2WD, per day | Summer 11,000–18,000 ISK (~€79–129 / ~$92–150), winter 6,000–12,000 ISK (~€43–86 / ~$50–100) |
| 8-seat van, per day | From 32,749 ISK in summer (~€234 / ~$273) and from 32,146 ISK in winter (~€230 / ~$268) |
| Insurance (collision, gravel, sand and ash) | About 3,600–7,300 ISK per day (~€26–52 / ~$30–61), an estimate from separate per-cover prices |
| Road fee | 6.95 ISK per km since 1 Jan 2026. Some renters charge a flat 1,400–1,550 ISK per day instead |
| Fuel, mid-September 2026 | Petrol about 230–262 ISK/L, diesel about 269–296 ISK/L. A compact petrol car uses roughly 6.0–6.5 L/100 km and an 8-seat diesel van 8.1–9.0 L/100 km (owner-logged averages) |
| Tolls | Vaðlaheiðargöng near Akureyri: 2,216 ISK (~€16 / ~$18). Hornafjörður near Höfn from 1 Sep 2026: 1,500 ISK (~€11 / ~$13). Pay online within 24 hours, or the renter adds a fee |
| Parking | Reykjavík street parking about 630 ISK/h in zone P1 (~€5 / ~$5) and 230 ISK/h in P2 (~€2 / ~$2). Rates and zones are under review, so check p.is |
Sources disagree on some prices, so treat these as ranges. A compact SUV adds roughly 5,000–7,000 ISK per day over a small car. The minimum rental age and extra-driver fees vary by company.
Fares are per adult, one way
| Leg | Fare | Time | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keflavík Airport → Reykjavík (Line 55) | 2,400 ISK (~€17 / ~$20) | 1 h 12 min | Direct |
| Reykjavík → Vík (Line 52) | 7,800 ISK (~€56 / ~$65) | 2 h 42 min | Direct |
| Reykjavík → Akureyri (Line 57) | 13,200 ISK (~€94 / ~$110) | 6 h 30 min | Direct |
| Akureyri → Húsavík (Line 79) | 3,000 ISK (~€21 / ~$25) | 1 h 18 min | Direct |
| Reykjavík → Grundarfjörður (Lines 50, 58 & 82) | 4,800 ISK (~€34 / ~$40) | 11 h | 2 transfers |
Capital-area fares are much lower: a single ride is 690 ISK (~€5 / ~$6) and the adult 30-day pass is 11,600 ISK (~€83 / ~$97). Klapp is not used on regional buses, where you pay on board by card or cash. Regional passes are tied to one region, so they do not help when travelling between regions. See the Klapp guide.
A day trip to Grundarfjörður is not realistic at 11 hours each way. Check days of operation in the Klapp app: some lines do not run every day, and the Kirkjufell guide notes no Saturday service on that trip.
Accessible popular spots, each with a full guide
The Golden Circle has no public bus line, so the option is a tour, roughly 90–160 EUR per person (12,600–22,400 ISK). The Westfjords have a local line that is not connected to the main network, and the furthest the network gets you is Hólmavík.
Line 52 south along the coast from Reykjavík (Mjódd).
Read the guide →Waterfall stop reached from Reykjavík on Line 52.
Read the guide →Waterfall and the Fimmvörðuháls trailhead by public bus.
Read the guide →Budget route to Grundarfjörður with two changes and a long wait.
Read the guide →Line 57 north from Reykjavík (Mjódd).
Read the guide →Direct shuttle versus public transport from Reykjavík or KEF.
Read the guide →What catches people out
Winter conditions change daily. Check SafeTravel.is for alerts, road.is for road conditions, and the Klapp app or operator for service changes.
Go deeper on fares, airport transfers and regional routes
On our reference trips, the bus is cheaper for 1–2 travellers, a compact car often wins for 3–4, and a van only pays off from about 6–8 travellers. The winter rental discount narrows the gap.
It is 6.95 ISK per km since 1 January 2026. Some rental companies collect it as a flat daily fee of about 1,400–1,550 ISK.
Two: the Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel near Akureyri at 2,216 ISK, and a Ring Road section in Hornafjörður from 1 September 2026 at 1,500 ISK. Both are paid online.
No. Klapp is not used on regional buses and regional passes are tied to one region. The 11,600 ISK 30-day pass covers capital-area buses.
Not on public buses. The Golden Circle has no public line, and a tour costs roughly 90–160 EUR per person. The Westfjords have a local line that is not connected to the main network.
