One thing to keep in mind if driving over here… PIC 士航 魏
I t is a truth universally acknowledged that corporations try to fuck you over at every possible chance. Iceland is no stranger to such despicable tactics.
Over 60% of folks visiting this fair island of ours do so on their own and skip all those overpriced tours and schmanzy-fancy overhyped shit. That doesn´t mean some shitty company can´t take advantage.
Case in point are the local oil corporations (N1, Olís, Skeljungur, Orkan, ÓB etc…) All of them as horrible as bean farts in a can and some much more. All of the big players here, most of which have already paid huge fines for illegal collaboration; poisoning the land, lying and cheating in general, still own 98% of all petrol stations in the country.
And boy, do they take advantage…
The Ring Road quickie
Most of you doing your own thing over here will likely drive around this island in a rental. It does seem mighty stupid to visit a very expensive country and just take in the city lights and the “famous” Blue lagoon stuff.
Sure, a nite out in Reykjavik city is always nicer than a pub crawl in Blackpool, England or anywhere in New Hampshire and being the seventeenth million visitor to the Blue lagoon is certain to raise goose bumps for shallow folks.
However, thinking folks go their own ways a bit and do the Ring Road, which for the uninitiated is the stretch of road roughly circling this fine island. This brings you close to 60% of the most stunning nature Mother nature has ever designed on this globe of ours.
A ride around the land is pretty expensive. First off is the rental car. Expect these days to fork out 330€ / 360$ for one week use of a small rental like Suzuki Swift or Kia Ceed. Easily double, and in summertime triple this amount for something nice like an SUV.
The Ring Road around Iceland is, give or take, about 1300 kilometers / 810 miles. You will take detours every time you see something special or know something special is nearby, so 1500 km/ 940 miles is closer to reality.
Price of petrol/gas during this Ring Road adventure, if you do not venture anywhere else, will set you back roughly 300€ / 320$ at the best of times and only if you shop gasoline at the very cheapest places. Otherwise, prepare for 400€ / 450$ for the ride.
How to find those cheap places?
Here´s a headache to put things into perspective: driving through the biggest town in East Iceland, Egilsstadir, you´ll find five gas stations. All of those are self-serve stations (meaning you do your own pumping) but two of those are otherwise manned by this thing we call humans.
Paying more for gasoline at “manned” stations is not news even if these folks really do nothing for you for the added price.
But it might come as a surprise that there can be quite hefty price difference between gas or diesel between the unmanned stations. We´re talking 10 to 15 local krona price difference per liter.
Nowhere is this more disgusting than in Egilsstadir. The local oil giant Orkan, part of Shell Iceland and run by one the guys responsible for the “almost” bankruptcy of Iceland back in 2008, has two stations here and only 400 meters apart. But the price difference between those can reach 15 kronas per each liter. You bet your fat ass this makes serious cost difference over long distances and it is not limited to Egilsstadir.
How to avoid being skinned?
A small local website does a remarkable job of keeping tabs on the current prices between most gas stations in the country. The site is aimed at locals but they have now expanded to include English too.
This site is GSMBensin. It updates many times per day and tells you exactly where you´ll find the very cheapest gasoline everywhere. The cheapest ones are on top and if you think 10 to 15 kronas make a difference then you´ll by flabbergasted by 40 or 50 kronas difference difference in some places…
You are welcome 😉
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