How to rent a super jeep in Iceland

If you type into Google “super jeep rent iceland”, one of the top queries is an article suggestively titled “Why renting a super jeep in Iceland is the dumbest thing you can do”. This is a non-sense statement and anyone with only a little knowledge about Iceland has to disagree.

What is a super jeep?

There’s no precise answer to this question. Generally, by a “super jeep” someone means a bigger than usual jeep/car. Is the Toyota Land Cruiser already a super jeep? Probably not really. What I consider to be a super jeep is a 4×4 car/jeep with some (or better all) of the following:

-artificially modified (raised) ground clearance
-35” tires and bigger
-special tires for roads with a bad grip
-snorkel
-strong engine
-systems of low gear clutch, differential lock, and any other support for ascends and descends

F985 Vatnajokull glacier

Someone says it’s not a super jeep unless it has tires smaller than 40”. Well, he may be right because there’s no definition of what super jeep is, so anyone may create his own 🙂

For our highlands trip, we rented a raised Toyota Landcruiser with 33” tires, special Cooper Discoverer tires for highlands roads, snorkel, and obviously 4×4 with the systems of low gear clutch and differential lock. I already consider this car to be kind of a super jeep, thanks to all its features.

Some of the most typical “super jeeps” are Land Rover Defender and Super Defender models and then endless variants of raised Toyota Hiluxes, Land Cruisers, Mitsubishi Pajeros, Ford Excursions, etc., etc. You can also observe raised Suzuki Jimneys, various Mercedes models, and so on. There are many types of vehicles that may be modified to “become super jeeps,” and it’s a pretty costly process.

Do you need a super jeep?

The Google article isn’t entirely wrong. Most of the Icelandic visitors don’t need any super jeep. It’s all about WHERE you plan to go and WHEN you want to go there.

If you plan to drive the ring road only (and places really close to it), renting a super jeep would be a waste of money. More so, if you are in Iceland for 3-4 days going only to the Golden Circle and some well-known touristy places. These are the cases when it doesn’t make sense at all to rent a super jeep.

If you plan to go to Landmannalaugar, and/or Askja, and/or Kerlingarfjoll in summer – all of these are pretty much “accessible” parts of the highlands. Yes, a super jeep may help you get there with more ease, but it would once again be useless most of the time.

On the other hand, if you want to explore remote places without tourists – Icelandic highlands – this is where you really need a super jeep (or an experienced guide). To get there SAFELY and RELIABLY, you will need a super jeep to get to:

–Thorsmork (F249)
–Maelifell, Raudibotn or Strutslaug (F210)
–Markarfljotsgljufur (F261)
-Hekla (Hekla F-road)
-dirt tracks like Hungurfit, Krakatindur, Skaelingar, Gigjokull track, and many more
-all bigger river crossings
-most really steep and narrow slopes full of potholes
-any highlands if the weather worsens or if snow starts to appear

Some may argue – “But I drove F210 in Dacia Duster and it was fine!” – well, good for you man 🙂 It’s surely possible in good weather – but it doesn’t give you any certainty and puts you at huge risk. You may get stuck somewhere in the middle of the river and pay 10 000+ Eur for towing and repairs. Not to mention – there were even cases where tourists died driving F-roads in Dusters. Driving one of the most difficult F-roads in the Duster/Forester/Jimney or whatever the small 4×4 is simply irresponsible.

So, do you need a super jeep in Iceland? For many places no and for many places yes. Choose based on where you want to go!

Where to rent a super jeep?

It actually isn’t so easy to rent a super jeep in Iceland.

Firstly, not many companies will rent you a super jeep. The reason is, it’s very expensive to maintain a super jeep, to insure it, and to let tourists ruin it.

Secondly, it’s pretty expensive to rent a super jeep, due to the reasons mentioned above.

Thirdly, since we’re talking about a lot of money – you need a RELIABLE super jeep car rental. There were some companies in the past which rented cheap super jeeps and both – the customers and the companies – usually ended up badly. Flat tires, broken cars, big repair bills, bankrupt companies – these all can happen with unreliable rental companies. Trust me, you don’t want to experience these!

Thanks to all of the things mentioned above, it’s pretty easy to get together the list of all reliable super jeep rental companies in Iceland.

MyCar

MyCar is a Toyota-licensed car rental company with an exclusive network of all Toyota repair shops all around Iceland. They rent exclusively Toyota cars. The biggest cars in their portfolio include Hilux, Land Cruiser, and raised Land Cruiser.

Exclusive 5% discount on all MyCar rentals with the promo code: EPICICELAND

Our favorite option with MyCar is a raised Toyota Landcruiser with 33” tires, special Cooper Discoverer tires for highlands roads, snorkel, and obviously 4×4 with the systems of low gear clutch and differential lock. I already consider this car to be kind of a super jeep, thanks to all its features. Yes, the tires could be a bit bigger, but otherwise, the car is a beast and it’s very well capable to serve you for almost all parts of Icelandic highlands.

F261 near Markarfljotsgljufur canyon

We rented a raised Land Cruiser with MyCar for our 18-day long highlands trip and were more than just satisfied. We drove more than 5000 kilometers during this trip and didn’t have a single issue with the car! No flat tire, no engine problems, no door problems, never got stuck, always able to drive through all kinds of terrain. This car was a beast. Not to mention – the typical travelers always gave us these envious looks when we were getting out of this beauty :))

Moreover, MyCar is a professional and reliable company with a long history. They give you their Toyota quality guarantee. MyCar has also wonderful reviews all over the internet. For us, this was a hidden gem among Icelandic car rental companies.

MyCar also offers its own insurance packages. However, we would recommend going only for the basic insurance package and buying the full insurance with RentalCover, which ends up being cheaper and with better insurance coverage. Feel free to read more on how car rental insurance works in Iceland and how to choose the best car rental insurance. 

Isak 4×4

Isak car rental is a well-known superjeep car rental company with a 15-year long history. It specializes in renting Land Rover Defenders and Super Defenders. It also offers an older but raised Toyota Land Cruiser with the option of having a rooftop tent.

Exclusive 5% discount on all Isak 4×4 rentals with the promo code: epiciceland

Isak is a great company that I can only recommend. It can have some pretty good price deals, and it also offers some really bigger cars. All of the cars offered by Isak are very much suitable for almost all Icelandic F-roads and dirt tracks.  

Isak flagship super jeep – Land Rover Super Defender

Isak also offers its own insurance packages. However, we would recommend going only for the basic insurance package and buying the full insurance with RentalCover, which ends up being cheaper and with better insurance coverage. Feel free to read more on how car rental insurance works in Iceland and how to choose the best car rental insurance. 

Ice Rovers

Ice-Rovers Land Rover

The third on the list of reliable Icelandic superjeep car rental companies is Ice Rovers. As the name suggests, they specialize exclusively in renting Land Rover Defenders only. Ice-Rovers have a 25-year-long history. Their cars are well maintained and reliable as well as the company itself, but more expensive compared to both MyCar and Isak. All of Ice Rover’s superjeeps are very capable of driving most of the Icelandic F-roads and dirt tracks.

Exclusive 3% discount on all Ice-Rovers rentals: email ask for “3% Epic Iceland discount”.

Ice Rovers also offer their own insurance packages. However, we would recommend going only for the basic insurance package and buying the full insurance with RentalCover, which ends up being cheaper and with better insurance coverage. Feel free to read more on how car rental insurance works in Iceland and how to choose the best car rental insurance. 

Geysir Car Rental

Geysir car rental is an interesting alternative to the three flagship super jeep companies mentioned above. Why? Because Geysir is renting some pretty unique super jeep models no other company in Iceland rents these days. Namely – a 35″ modified Land Cruiser with snorkel (see picture below) and a Jeep Wrangler with a rooftop tent. We are not aware of anyone else renting these pieces.

Unique 5% discount on all Geysir car rental cars with the promo code: EPICICELAND.

Other than the two unique models mentioned above, Geysir also rents two classics. The first of them is Land Rover Super Defender with a snorkel on 33″ tires. The second one is the classical Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. All these cars are very good even for difficult F-roads. That’s why we decided to include Geysir in our list.

The biggest super jeep by Geysir – 35″ Land Cruiser with snorkel

Geysir car rental also offers its own insurance packages. However, we would recommend going only for the basic insurance package and buying the full insurance with RentalCover, which ends up being cheaper and with better insurance coverage. Feel free to read more on how car rental insurance works in Iceland and how to choose the best car rental insurance. 

Lotus

Lotus has only very recently joined the exclusive club of super jeep rental companies in Iceland. They introduced a fresh addition to their fleet with a modified 35″ Toyota Land Cruiser with a snorkel. As we already mentioned several times in this article – a modified Land Cruiser with a snorkel is one of the best jeeps you can possibly rent in Iceland! You will make no mistake with it, and it will take you almost anywhere.

Super Jeep Land Cruiser by Lotus

Now, don’t forget that Lotus is the only car rental company in Iceland that offers car insurance covering absolutely everything! The insurance, as the only one, also covers river crossings and undercarriage, making it a unicorn among all insurance options. To sum it up, with Lotus, you may now get the best jeep available and have it fully insured for all F-roads! 

Exclusive 5% discount on all Lotus cars with the promo code: epicicelandd5

There’s just one caveat. Yes, you suspected it correctly. It’s the price tag. Having the best car with the best insurance on the market unsurprisingly turns out to also be the most expensive option. 

The best price to value super jeep rental

If we had to pick just one “super jeep” rental company, it would be MyCar. Their raised Land Cruiser with a snorkel is our favorite. It’s still not so super expensive as super jeeps from the other companies and yet it is pretty sufficient for almost all F-roads and dirt tracks in Iceland. You can get a 5% discount for MyCar with code: EPICICELAND

MyCar raised Land Cruiser

Very comparable to MyCar is also Isak 4×4 with a wider choice of super jeeps (not just Land Cruiser) and similar pricing. You can get a 5% discount for Isak 4×4 with code: epiciceland. With the other companies, you will get a slightly bigger car but also for a bigger price.

Biggest super jeep

If your goal is the biggest superjeep and you don’t care about money at all – then go for Land Rover Super Defender by Isak. You can have a 5% discount on all cars with the code: epiciceland

Big super jeep + less expensive

If your goal is the biggest superjeep but you do have some money limits (but not too tight), then go for Geysir car rental and their modified 35″ Land Cruiser (5% discount code: EPICICELAND). Or go for modified Land Rovers by Ice Rovers (3% “Epic Iceland” email discount).

Me crossing the bigger Hólmsá river by MyCar’s modified Land Cruiser on F210 near Maelifell

Best super jeep insurance

The only company offering insurance that ultimately covers EVERYTHING, including river crossings and water damage is Lotus car rental (5% discount code: epicicelandd5). Combine this with their newly added 35″ Land Cruiser and you’ll get an unbeatable option! And also a pricy one. 

Best value super jeep

If your goal is the best price to value super jeep for Icelandic roads, then go for MyCar with their raised Land Cruiser. 5% discount code: EPICICELAND

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