5 Things To Know About Gas Stations In Iceland (2023)

FAQs

How do gas stations in Iceland work? ›

Gasoline in Iceland

Some stations are full service with restaurants, store, restrooms and dispensing petrol. However, some gas stations are only pumps with a self-serve credit card payment system. Sometimes there can be large distances between fuel stations, so we recommend topping up your tank frequently.

Selected Olís stations around the country are open 24/7. For more detailed information on opening hours, click here. The larger Olís service stations around Iceland offer car wash facilities. Larger Olís stations offer both self-service and full petrol service in addition to other car services.

Okay, so of course, gas stations are where you get gas…and if you are self-driving, you'll be stopping A LOT! But they are also where you can find food, toilets, and ALL of the things…so let's get into it.

The vast majority of gas stations in Iceland offer some sort of food option and some even offer a full-service sit-down restaurant! The offerings are mainly Icelandic soup, burgers, and hot dogs as well as coffee and a pastry of some sort. Iceland gas stations also double as small grocery and hardware stores.

Many Gas Stations In Iceland Are Self-Serve Where You Pump Your Own Gas. As a Floridian, self-serve gas stations are totally normal to us!

Station owners make most of their profits in their stores, on sales of food and drinks, as well as alcohol where sales are legal. “The idea is to have a very competitive gas price, and when they go in the store, you can make money off that transaction,” Lenard said.

Gas prices in Iceland 2023: price of gasoline in Iceland per liter. Iceland is the second most expensive place in the world for gas currently, topped only by Hong Kong. On the most up-to-date list published by Global Petrol Prices, Iceland's fuel is priced at $2.75 USD per liter.

What is the price of gas in Iceland? ›

For decades now, the Icelandic nation has successfully been using something called a toilet. Some call it a bathroom. But if you want to be really posh, you can say you're going into the water closet.

Cigarettes are only sold in grocery stores, gas stations, and at some bars. They can't be sold in vending machines or displayed in the shops, so you need to ask the cashier for cigarettes if you want them.

Iceland's unique geology allows it to produce renewable energy relatively cheaply, from a variety of sources. Iceland is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which makes it one of the most tectonically active places in the world.

The country produces no fossil fuels and hence imports all of its petroleum products, which are mostly consumed in the transport and fishing sectors. Iceland converted from oil to geothermal district heating during the period 1940 to 1975.

Chain Restaurants for Fast Food Reykjavik

As mentioned earlier, Iceland is one of the few countries in the world without a McDonald's and there is no Starbucks either.

Some automats accept cash but it's not common so remember to bring your credit card and pin number. If you don't have one, you can buy prepaid petrol card in most manned gas stations. When paying for diesel or petrol using a credit card you'll have to select amount.

Gas (Petrol)

That's about $7.50 USD per gallon. As mentioned earlier, the entire Ring Road around the island is only 828 miles in total so you'll only need to fill up a few times.

How can I get gas in Iceland without a PIN? ›

A filling station attendant or gas station attendant (also known as a gas jockey in the US and Canada) is a worker at a full-service filling station who performs services other than accepting payment. Tasks usually include pumping fuel, cleaning windshields, and checking vehicle oil levels.

Must be 21 years old*.

As a gas station cashier, your duties include greeting and assisting customers, maintaining the inventory of products on store shelves, operating the cash register and running credit card transactions, and cleaning the gas station shop and restrooms.

Did you know: A successful gas station owner can make anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000 or more annually? Owners of gas stations that do more than sell gasoline earn more money because the profit margins of the other things they sell are high.

The $100 hold ensures that there are enough funds on your card to pay for gas. When you're finished pumping, the station will charge you for the actual purchase amount, and the $100 gas hold will be released once the transaction is completed, which can take several days.

How much is a Coke in Iceland? ›

Latest data on Wages (ISK/Month)

Average Wages in Iceland increased to 770000 ISK/Month (5428.001 USD/Month) in 2021. The maximum rate of average wage for employees was 695000 ISK/Month and minimum was 380000 ISK/Month.

Iceland is among the most expensive and one of the top countries in jobs and earnings. When it comes to income and wealth, Iceland has an above-average ranking. The minimal living expenses are $1600 per month (including housing, utilities, food, public transportation, and leisure activities).

The gross salary range for people working in Iceland is typically from 351,000 ISK (minimum salary) to 351,000 ISK (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher). This is the total monthly salary including bonuses. Salaries can vary drastically among different job categories.

Natural reasons

This also means a lot of goods and food products are imported a long way to Iceland. The geographical position of Iceland has also meant that a lot of vegetables and almost all fruits need to be imported or grown in greenhouses, which leads to higher prices in stores.

Gas is running Americans around $6.50-$7.50 USD a gallon which is exorbitant and should be factored into your trip cost if you hope to visit Iceland on a budget. Iceland requires a ton of driving to get to all the epic sights and it generally costs a minimum of $70-$80 to fill up a vehicle that is very good on gas.

You have to buy something or pay to use the bathroom. So, in a nutshell, you have to pay to use public toilets in Iceland. Some places are not mandatory to pay, and these places are rest stops along the road. You will find public toilets also near supermarkets, swimming pools, and malls.

: a compartment or room with a toilet. Confronted with the cramped confines of a bathroom in a typical starter home—one of those spaces aptly described by the term water closet—homeowners may well entertain grand plans for expansion.

Loo. Despite being a very British word for toilet, 'loo' is actually derived from the French phrase 'guardez l'eau', which means 'watch out for the water'.

How do Iceland gas stations work? ›

Their normal gas stations are all self-serve with most having indoor snacks and food. Gas stations in Iceland require you to have a pin number attached to your credit card. If you don't have one, you can get a prepaid card at N1 which will have a pin attached to it for you.

When stopping at a full-service petrol station in Iceland, this is a fairly standard procedure. You can either fill up your own car using the pump (usually a green handle for petrol, black for diesel) or someone will fill up for you, and then you will need to enter the kiosk to pay for the petrol you have used.

Nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) are legal in Iceland and the current adult vaping prevalence of 4%. Vapes are regulated as both consumer and medicinal products in Iceland.

In Reykjavik, the annual cost of heating for a 100 square meter apartment (around 1,080 square feet) and an estimated use of 495 tons of oil equivalent/ annually, the cost is EUR 648 ($724), compared to this – residents of Helsinki, the capital of Finland pay nearly five times the amount or EUR 3,243 ($3,623) per year.

Renewable energy provided almost 100% of electricity production, with about 73% coming from hydropower and 27% from geothermal power. Most of the hydropower plants are owned by Landsvirkjun (the National Power Company) which is the main supplier of electricity in Iceland.

Iceland has a mixed economy with high levels of free trade and government intervention. However, government consumption is less than other Nordic countries. Hydro-power is the primary source of home and industrial electrical supply in Iceland.

Payment method at Icelandic gas station

You will need a credit or debit card with a 4-digit PIN to fill up your cars. This is important to note, as some credit cards will only have a postcode to enter. Check with your card company before visiting Iceland to be sure you can pay for the gas with these machines.

In Reykjavik and smaller cities, you can take use of the payment inside the gas station. In this case, you make the payment either in cash or by a standard payment terminal, where a PIN is not required. The second option is to obtain a prepaid gas card from one of the companies that sell gas in Iceland.

Filling (petrol/gas) stations are found in many places in the lowlands but not in the uninhabited highlands where there are no places that sell provisions, so stock up before you go. All filling stations accept credit cards.

Do gas stations in Iceland sell alcohol? ›

Iceland's gas stations also double up as grocery and liquor stores.

Typically, the price difference is somewhere between five and 10 cents. “Amounts for the discount vary, but most retailers offer approximately five cents off per gallon to customers paying by cash,” NACS said on May 19, 2022.

The following items may not be imported: toxic and hazardous substances; narcotics; chewing tobacco and finely powdered snuff; uncooked meat products; certain foodstuffs (meat products may be imported if they have been boiled or canned); weapons; and knives with blades exceeding 12 cm.