Driving in Iceland in Winter: Roads, Daylight and Daily Checks

Two things to know from the start. A 4x4 helps in some conditions but does not stop you skidding on ice, and navigation apps may not show that a road is closed or impassable. A Google Maps arrival time is an estimate, not permission to drive.

Should you self-drive this winter?

Ask one question: what happens if tomorrow’s drive can’t go ahead? If you can stay another night, skip a side trip or move the next booking, a self-drive trip can work. If the only option is to push on to reach a non-refundable room, the plan is too tight for winter.

• Used to snow and ice, flexible dates: self-drive, with fewer long days than a summer plan and a spare day for weather.
• New to winter driving: don’t learn on a tight Iceland itinerary. Base yourself in one or two places, or take tours for the long stretches.
• Fixed bookings you can’t change: cover less ground. Don’t plan to make up time later.

Tours and buses can be called off in bad weather too, so ask what happens if a trip can’t run. If conditions become too much while you’re driving, SafeTravel’s advice is to stop somewhere safe and wait.

Winter conditions also turn up in spring and autumn, so keep these checks for a trip in October or April as well.

What makes winter roads dangerous

Snow and ice make braking distances longer, and conditions can change quickly. Strong wind, snow, rain and drifting snow can make driving difficult and sometimes dangerous even when the road looks clear. Ice also forms where you might not expect it: Vegagerðin, Iceland’s road authority, names bridges, low-lying stretches and roads shaded by trees, and says rain on an already icy road can keep it icy even when the air is above freezing.

Before you set off, clear snow and ice from the windows, mirrors, lights and roof. Headlights and rear lights must be on at all times, all year, and SafeTravel warns that the AUTO setting might not be enough, so switch them on yourself.

Check the roads you will actually drive

Look up each road between tonight’s stop and tomorrow’s, including any detour, for the time you expect to be on it. Check the evening before and again in the morning, and again if your timing changes. SafeTravel points drivers to three places: its own alerts, Vegagerðin’s road map at umferdin.is and the Icelandic Meteorological Office forecast.

Road conditions on umferdin.is are recorded by Vegagerðin staff and contractors and updated 07:00–22:00 daily from 1 October to 30 April, and 08:00–16:00 from 1 May to 30 September. Automatic measurements on the map may contain errors.

Snow clearing follows priorities, and Vegagerðin says it can’t keep every serviced road free of ice. Its rules let crews postpone clearing when bad weather is happening or forecast, and pick it up the next day the weather allows. The rules are guidelines, and Vegagerðin accepts no liability for cost or damage if it can’t carry them out. So don’t plan around a road reopening at a set time.

Mountain passes are where many plans change. On 14 October 2026, for example, Vegagerðin warned that Hellisheiði, Holtavörðuheiði, Öxnadalsheiði and Fjarðarheiði might close under that day’s forecast. That was one warning, not a list of today’s closures, but if your route crosses one of them, search for it by name on umferdin.is. Highland roads (the F-roads) are a different matter: they close in winter and are not part of a winter road trip.

For matching a forecast to each stretch of a route, see our weather along a driving route guide.

Daylight: use a date and a town

Winter days are short, and they get shorter the further north you go. These are Reykjavík examples for the 15th of each month, not monthly averages; times are local, and day length is sunrise to sunset.

Location matters. On 21 December 2026, the sun is up in Reykjavík from 11:22 to 15:29, about 4 hr 7 min; in Akureyri, in the north, it is up from 11:38 to 14:42, about 3 hr 3 min. There is usable twilight on either side, but daylight is not a weather forecast, and a December drive of five hours will be partly in the dark. Plan long drives for the middle of the day and keep the rest short.

Routes to rethink in winter

We checked these in Google Maps on a computer, signed out, on 5 November 2026. Times and distances are one way and assume clear roads; winter conditions will add to them.

Öxi (road 939) is the shortcut Google Maps picked between Höfn and Egilsstaðir when we checked. Vegagerðin describes the existing road as narrow, winding, steep gravel, and has said it is closed through the snowiest months, for many months at a time. Plan on Route 1 through the fjords instead, and add a stop such as Fáskrúðsfjörður so Google Maps stays on it. Our Ring Road drive-times guide has the full comparison, and the multiple stops guide shows how to add stops.

Roads 987 and 988 follow the old route around the new toll section near Höfn. Spölur, which runs the toll, says they get winter maintenance five days a week but not on Tuesdays or Saturdays. Google Maps offered road 987 as a toll-free alternative when we checked; our avoid tolls guide explains what the setting changes.

The Jökulsárlón time is from the selected route card; the same screen showed 4 hr 58 min on the driving tab. Road 93 to Seyðisfjörður was 27 minutes in Google Maps, but a short route over a pass still needs checking, and you have to drive back the same way.

Check your rental car

Tell the rental company your route and dates and ask:

• Is this car suitable for that route in winter?
• What tyres does it have: studded, studless winter tyres or something else?
• Are the lights set so both front and rear are on?
• Who do I call for a breakdown, and what does the insurance exclude?

SafeTravel recommends a car suited to the journey with appropriate winter tyres; a 4x4 can help but does not remove the risk of skidding on ice.

Studded tyres may not be used from 15 April to 31 October unless driving conditions require them, so the usual stud season is 1 November to 14 April. That doesn’t mean every rental car has them; ask.

Rules visitors get wrong

These come from SafeTravel’s driving advice:

• Speed limits: 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on gravel and 90 km/h on paved roads outside towns, unless signs say otherwise. Drive slower than that when it’s icy.
• Gravel: slow down before the asphalt turns to gravel.
• Single-lane bridges: the limit on them is 50 km/h, so slow down in time.
• Seatbelts for everyone, and the alcohol limit is 0.2‰: in practice, don’t drink at all if you’re driving.
• Stopping for a view: pull completely off the road, never stop on it.
• Be well rested before you drive, especially straight off a long flight.

Before you drive each day

• Check umferdin.is, SafeTravel and the forecast for the times you’ll be on each road, including the drive back.
• Check sunrise and sunset for your date and town, and drop optional stops if the day is too long.
• Confirm tonight’s accommodation and where you’ll get fuel or charge.
• Clear the car of snow and ice and check the lights.
• Pack warm clothes, a charged phone and your rental company’s breakdown number.
• Decide in advance what you’ll do if the road is closed or the answer is unclear: wait, or change the plan.

Download offline maps before you leave; our Google Maps offline guide covers how. Printed directions are a backup too, but neither will show a new closure.

Road information and emergencies

1777 (+354 1777) is for road, weather and travel information, 06:30–22:00 every day of the year. Don’t call 112 with a routine road question.

112 is Iceland’s national emergency number, answered 24 hours a day, all year. Call it in an emergency and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. For a breakdown, call your rental company first.

Plan the wider trip

Once you’ve settled on a winter route you can change, build it with our road trip planning guide, and use the Ring Road guide for leg-by-leg times and the 2026 tolls. Then check the roads again each morning.