“Should I rent an automatic in Iceland?” is one of the most searched questions about driving here, and most of the answers online are written by companies that only rent one or the other. We rent both – manual Dacia Duster campers and, from April 2027, the automatic 4WD BYD Seal U alongside the electric Leapmotor C10 – so here is the comparison without the sales pitch.
The short answer
If you drive a manual every week at home, rent a manual and save the money. If you have not driven one in years, or ever, rent an automatic. Iceland is a bad place to relearn a clutch, and the price difference is small compared with the cost of a stalled start on a gravel hill or a tired driver on a windy evening.
Why Iceland is harder than home
- Gravel hill starts. Many campsite entrances, viewpoints and side roads are loose gravel on a slope. Pulling away in a manual means feeding the clutch while the wheels hunt for grip. An automatic with 4WD simply goes.
- Single-lane bridges. The Ring Road still has dozens. You stop, wait, and pull away again – twenty times a day in the south-east.
- Wind. On a gusty day you want both hands on the wheel and your attention on the road, not on the gear lever.
- Long days. Ten to twelve hours of driving is normal on a Ring Road trip. The fatigue difference between two pedals and three is real by day five.
- Two drivers. A second driver is free with us, but only useful if both of you can drive the car. In many couples one partner cannot drive a manual.
Where the manual wins
- Price. An automatic camper costs more per day than the equivalent manual in Iceland, as everywhere. In high season the difference is noticeable; in winter and shoulder season it shrinks.
- Choice. Most campers in Iceland are manual, so you have more vehicles and dates to pick from.
- Control on descents. Experienced drivers like choosing their own gear on long gravel descents. Modern automatics do this too if you use the manual mode or low setting – but you have to remember to.
The myth: “automatics can’t do F-roads”
Capability depends on the car, not the gearbox. Most automatic rentals in Iceland are two-wheel-drive city cars, which is where this idea comes from. A 4WD automatic with ground clearance is as capable on an F-road as a 4WD manual – the BYD Seal U is approved for the same open F-roads as our Dusters. What no camper may do, automatic or manual, is cross rivers under insurance or drive off-road.
Fuel and running costs
Twenty years ago an automatic drank noticeably more fuel. Today a modern automatic uses roughly the same as a manual, and an electric automatic like the C10 costs considerably less per kilometre. Over a two-week Ring Road trip the gearbox is not what decides your fuel bill – the size of the vehicle and your speed on gravel are.
Insurance and licences
Insurance is identical: CDW is included in every BlackSheep rental and the same Premium and Platinum covers are available on every camper. Licences: a full licence held for at least 12 months, drivers 20 or older. An automatic-only licence is valid for our automatics and, obviously, not for the Dusters.
Which automatic?
- BYD Seal U (from 1 April 2027): petrol automatic 4WD, bed for two inside plus a rooftop tent for two more, F-road approved. For families and anyone heading to the highlands. Details →
- Leapmotor C10 AWD: electric automatic, bed for two, heats itself all night in Camp Mode. For the Ring Road and gravel roads, not F-roads. Details →
Both are on our automatic camper rental page with live prices for your dates. If you are happy with a gearbox, the manual Dacia Duster remains our best seller and usually the cheapest 4×4 camper on the island.
