Roadside Assistance
in Iceland

We provide roadside support to our customers during our normal opening hours. During those times, you can call us directly for immediate help and we will coordinate assistance.

Outside of office hours, we do not have a physical emergency hotline – however, Gói our smart assistant is available 24/7. Gói can guide you through many situations any time of night. 

If you encounter a serious emergency when our office is closed (for example, an accident with injuries or you’re stranded in a dangerous place), you should call Iceland’s emergency number 112 for immediate assistance.

For less dire situations after hours, you can also consider calling the road information line 1777 (open until late evening, depending on season) for advice, or contacting a local tow service. Rest assured, even though our own staff may not be on call 24/7, help is always available one way or another – and our team will follow up as soon as possible to make sure everything is resolved.

For issues specifically with your rental car during Saga’s office hours, call us at +354 551 1115 (our Keflavik office line). We will assist or direct you on what to do next.

The most important emergency number in Iceland is 112 – this is a free 24/7 number that reaches police, ambulance, fire, and search & rescue. You should call 112 if you are in an accident with injuries, feel in danger, or require urgent help on the road.

After hours, if it’s not a critical emergency, you can use our 24/7 Gói webchat for guidance rather than a phone call. 

In summary: 112 for life-threatening emergencies, and Saga Car Rental’s number for vehicle problems during the day. (It’s a good idea to save both numbers in your phone contacts. Also save any breakdown assistance number provided by your travel insurance, if you have one.)

Slow down gradually and pull over to a safe spot as soon as you notice a tire issue (avoid hard braking or sharp turns, as a blown tire can affect handling). Once stopped, turn on your hazards and place the emergency triangle. If you’re comfortable changing the tire and it’s safe to do so, retrieve the spare tire and tire tools from the trunk of the car. 

Most Saga rental cars come with a jack and lug wrench and either a spare tire (usually a smaller “donut” spare) or a tire repair kit.

Follow the instructions in the car’s manual or on the repair kit. Key steps for changing a tire:

1. loosen the lug nuts,
2. jack up the car,
3. swap the wheel,
4. tighten lug nuts,
5. and lower the car.

If you’re not confident or lack a proper spare, it’s perfectly okay to call for help. During office hours, call us and we’ll send assistance or direct you to a service. After hours, you might call a tow service or 112 if you’re in a very remote area. 

Note: Damage to tires (punctures, blowouts) is usually considered the renter’s responsibility unless you have specific tire coverage. If you did not purchase insurance that covers tires or our Roadside Assistance Waiver, you may need to pay for the cost of a new tire or repair.

With our Roadside Assistance Waiver, however, flat tire assistance is covered at no cost. Either way, we’ll help you get a functional tire back on your car so you can continue your journey. 

Driving on Iceland’s gravel roads can occasionally lead to flats, so always drive carefully and inspect tires periodically during your trip.

If the car is completely dead (no engine sound, and no lights on the dashboard or headlights), the most likely culprit is a dead battery.

This can happen if, for example, lights were left on or in very cold weather. In this case, you’ll probably need a jump-start. You can call Saga Car Rental for assistance; we might send a service vehicle to jump-start you or guide you if you have jumper cables. If nobody is around (after hours or in a remote spot), calling a local garage or roadside service for a jump-start is an option, or even a friendly passerby might help give you a boost. On the other hand, if electrical systems are working (dashboard lights come on) but the engine cranks and won’t start, or you hear clicking, the issue could be something else. 

One common mistake is using the wrong fuel type – for instance, if a petrol car was accidentally filled with diesel or vice versa, the engine may refuse to start.

• Check the fuel type label and recall your last fuel stop (diesel pumps usually have black handles in Iceland, gasoline handles are green).
• Misfueling requires draining the tank – do not attempt to start the car if you suspect this; call us or a mechanic for help. 

Other possible causes for no-start can include a faulty starter, but those are rare in rentals. No matter the cause, if your car won’t start, contact us for guidance. We’ll help diagnose over the phone (our staff might ask about any warning lights or sounds). 

• During the day, we can dispatch help or a replacement vehicle if needed. 
• If after hours, use the Gói our Smart assistant for tips (like how to check if perhaps the gear is in Park or the clutch is fully depressed – sometimes the fix is as simple as that!). 

If it still won’t start and you’re stuck somewhere unsafe (like on a narrow mountain road at night), consider calling 112 for assistance so you’re not left stranded indefinitely. They can often send a patrol or rescue unit to help move the car or get you to a safe place.

Running out of fuel can sneak up on you, especially in Iceland where fuel stations can be far apart. If the engine sputters off and you realize you’re out of gas, try to coast the car to a safe spot on the side of the road. In this situation, you have a few options:

• If you have a fuel canister (some rental cars include an emergency fuel jug), you or someone can hitch a ride to the nearest gas station to get fuel.
• Otherwise, you’ll need someone to bring fuel to you.

You can call Saga Car Rental during office hours – if you’re not too far from civilization, we might send a service or guide you to local help.

After hours or in a remote area, you might reach out to a towing service; many tow trucks can bring a few liters of fuel to get you going. Keep in mind, fuel depletion is considered a renter’s responsibility, so such assistance may incur a charge. If you have our Roadside Assistance Waiver, the delivery of fuel or towing to a fuel station would  be covered.

On your own, calling 112 for an empty tank is not usually necessary unless you truly have no other way to get help. (Rescue teams can and have assisted stranded drivers with fuel, but it’s not an emergency service they prefer to do unless you’re in danger.) To avoid this scenario, always refuel when your tank is getting low – don’t push it to the last drop, especially in rural areas. Plan your fuel stops using apps or maps, and note that many rural stations are automated and open 24/7 even if no staff is present.

If you lose the car key, retrace your steps if possible (often keys are dropped at popular stops or left in shops). Unfortunately, modern car keys can’t be easily duplicated on the spot. In most cases, a lost key means we’ll have to supply you with a spare key or a replacement vehicle, which can be logistically challenging if you’re far from our office. 

Contact Saga Car Rental immediately to report a lost key. We will work on a solution – typically, we might send a staff member with a spare key to you, or arrange a tow for the car and get you a new vehicle. Be aware, if the key is truly lost and not recoverable, the cost of a replacement key is usually charged to the renter (these can be quite expensive, as electronic car keys can cost hundreds of dollars).

If you have our Roadside Assistance Waiver, however, lost key assistance (including replacement) is covered at no cost to you.

If you lock the keys inside the car, the situation is a bit easier: a roadside assistance professional or locksmith can often open the car for you, though success is not guaranteed with newer cars’ anti-theft systems.

Do not try to improvise by, say, breaking a window – that damage will be far more costly than a service call to unlock the door. Instead, call us; we might dispatch someone or advise a local service. If it’s going to take time to get help, and you are in a safe area, you might wait for a locksmith or tow service. 

In some cases, if no locksmith is available and it’s urgent (like a baby or pet is locked inside or the car is running), you might have no choice but to call 112 or break a window – but that’s a last resort for true emergencies.

Generally, for a simple lockout, help can be found. Always keep the key on you to avoid lockouts. 

One tip: when opening the trunk or rear hatch, don’t leave the key inside and then close it – some cars lock the whole car when the trunk shuts. If it happens, though, we’ll do our best to assist.

It depends on the cause of the problem:

If the breakdown is due to a mechanical failure or issue with the car that wasn’t your fault, Saga Car Rental will cover the towing and repair costs. For example, if the engine blows or the battery dies through no misuse, that’s on us – we’ll tow or replace the vehicle at our expense and apologize for the inconvenience. 

However, if the situation is due to driver error or an incident that is the renter’s responsibility, then typically the renter covers the cost. This includes things like getting a flat tire (and not having tire insurance), running out of fuel, losing keys, draining the battery by leaving lights on, getting stuck in sand, or putting the wrong fuel in the car. In those cases, you will likely need to pay the service provider directly for the assistance.

For instance, if a tow truck comes out to pull your 4x4 out of a ditch, you’d pay that towing bill on the spot. The good news is that if you opted for our Roadside Assistance Waiver, it reduces these costs to zero for you.

That means we foot the bill for those services. Always check your rental agreement or insurance to see what is covered. To avoid surprises, ask us if you’re unsure about what you’re responsible for. We’re transparent about any charges. And remember, no matter who ends up paying, we will still help arrange the service – money issues can be settled afterward. Your safety comes first, financials second.

This is a slightly different topic, but it’s related to roadside emergencies because extreme weather can strand travelers. If you encounter snowstorms, high winds, or see that roads are closing, the first rule is don’t push on if it’s unsafe. Heed weather warnings and road closure signs – they are there for a reason. 

If you get stuck due to weather (for example, snowed in on a mountain pass), call 112 if you need rescue or advice; Icelandic Search and Rescue teams can assist in genuine weather emergencies. You can also call 1777 for road condition information or visit road.is – they can tell you if a road is passable or if there’s assistance available.

We recommend using the SafeTravel.is website and even their app, which provides up-to-date weather and hazard alerts. If you simply cannot continue your journey due to weather, find a safe place to stop (a town, a gas station, a guesthouse).

Saga Car Rental is flexible in such events – just let us know if you’ll be delayed returning the car because you’re waiting out a storm. Never risk driving in conditions that feel dangerous. High winds and icy roads can cause accidents quickly. It’s far better to arrive late than not at all.

If you follow local advisories, you hopefully won’t need roadside assistance due to weather, but know that help is available if you do. And of course, feel free to contact us (or Gói our Smart assistant) for travel advice if a sudden weather issue arises – we’re happy to help guide you to safety.