FairCar - www.faircar.is

This is a shady, poorly-run tourist trap. We booked through a third-party (Discover Cars) and didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. When we arrived at the airport, it took several hours and multiple attempted phone calls for the promised “meet-and-greet” pickup to materialize. Once we arrived at the car company, we waited an additional three hours to pick up our car rental, and the other reviews give me the impression this is common. The car itself was clean and in working condition, but they attempted to tack on additional fees wherever possible, including a mileage limit that anyone leaving Reykjavík would hit. The employees seem overworked and I don’t blame them—this is a catastrophically run business, and I would avoid using them again at all costs.

Totally bad experience. Starting from the beginning: before picking up the vehicle we were denied payment by debit card and therefore had to pay for a more expensive package.

Picked up the vehicle was already in very bad condition.

After 5 days we had technical problems: we had a flat tire and, forced to call for help (there was no spare wheel envisaged by the contract), the van was withdrawn from us as the mechanic found a tank leak. In addition to the fact that the mechanic arrived 1 hour and a half later (PAID OUT OF OUR CALL + SERVICE= 300€!!), we had to spend a whole day (about 10 hours) in a service station in nowhere to wait for the new van We had to spend the night in the hotel PAYING OUT OF OUR POCKET (around 140€!).

Around 00.00 the "new" van arrived.

The following day we found that this too had problems (Heating not working).

We still decided to keep this one so as not to waste any more days.

At the end of our vacation we brought the van back to the rent and we exposed our misadventure to several local employees receiving only some excuses. We decided to speak to the manager who was only able to tell us to write to customer support.

Apart from the lack of professionalism I would add that they were rude and rude. HAVING PAID FOR THE PLATINUM INSURANCE (the maximum) I expected at least decent assistance. WE HAD TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING, WE WAS NOT REFUNDED ANYTHING except €50 “for the day lost”. IT WAS BAD IF NOT TOTALLY ABSENT SERVICE!

DO NOT TRUST THIS AGENCY.

If you read only one review of Faircars Iceland, I hope you read this one:

We booked our car rental with Faircars before we read the reviews and honesty, we were PETRIFIED of what we would expect. We even tried to cancel our reservation, but it was too late. After reading 100’s of bad reviews, we decided to prepare ourselves for the worst experience ever. However, we were pleasantly surprised that upon checking in, Carnect (the very helpful representative who helped us) admitted that the company is aware of the bad reviews and are trying to turn things around. What you have to remember is that Faircars is one of the cheapest car rental companies (they charge almost half of other companies like Hertz and Avis) and to keep their costs down, their cars might be a little older and not brand new. However, the car we drove and others we saw looked good to us and not the “rusted tin cans” we were expecting.

Pro Tip 1: The most important tip I cannot stress enough is to get the Platinum Insurance protection. It actually costs more than the car rental itself but is 100% worth it. A lot of the negative reviews are of people who did not get the insurance and then were shocked they had to pay enormous fees for damages. Anyone who lives in Iceland knows that the weather and conditions are BRUTAL and even if you are the most careful driver, the unexpected WILL happen. As careful as we were, we couldn’t control that a passing truck flew a rock at our windshield and put a crack in it. However, we weren’t worried since we had the Platinum protection which covers all those unexpected incidents with no additional deductibles or expense. The only thing it doesn’t cover are doors being blown off by the wind (yes, this IS a thing as several other reviewers have mentioned). Make sure you park your car into the wind and hang onto your doors.

Pro Tip 2: Get the hotspot Wi-Fi. Don’t bother with the navigation option as it’s very difficult to use. Having Wi-Fi allowed us to use Google maps to navigate which was much easier. We loved having Wi-Fi everywhere we went. Make sure to take the hotspot with you and charge it at night in your hotel.

Pro Tip 3: Allow plenty of time to check in. Fortunately, we only had to wait 10-20 minutes when we picked up and dropped off the car. I can imagine during peak season it is much busier so plan accordingly.

Pro Tip 4: Make sure you pay for parking at designated lots and the one tunnel up North along the ring road. If you don’t, don’t be surprised when the bill comes to the rental car company and they add a surcharge. Just be aware and read signs.

Pro Tip 5: Be nice to the Faircars representatives. Being courteous and friendly goes a long way. It was a pleasure dealing with all the people at Faircars because we were nice to them. As a result, not only did we receive excellent customer service, but we also got upgraded to a nicer car and received additional perks like the hotspot at no extra charge. Kindness and courtesy is always rewarded.

Believe me, I was VERY nervous about renting from Faircars, but after my experience, I have to say I was very happy with the whole experience. I think most of it was due to being INFORMED and PREPARED. I knew even before picking up the car, we were going to buy the highest insurance protection because we didn’t want any unexpected expenses and didn’t want the stress of worrying about “what if”. Even if you are on a budget, don’t skip this. It might cost you a lot more later.

Overall, we were very happy with our experience and would definitely recommend renting from Faircars Iceland.

0 Stars - worst company ever.

DONT RENT A CAR HERE!

A new windscreen, which was pre-damaged for 1200 € - and 150 € more for some "Administration Fee".

Damaged trunk and a window, which doesnt work proper. Dont answering calls when they dont waiting for your call.

FairCar is the most worst name for this Company. RipOfDudes would be better.

I had rented a car from this company while traveling to Iceland. The process was to be picked up by one of their employees and taken to their office to get a car. We were forgotten and had to call them after 30 min to 1 hour to be picked up. I had forgiven a lot because they were a good price but when we were signing for the car there was over $100 in additional charges that were no mentioned prior to being at their office.

When I dropped the car off at the end of my trip I requested the employee to look over the car to ensure there were no issues. He refused and said everything was fine. Now one month later I have been charged $90 as a cleaning fee, I checked the car personally and am sure the car was cleaned and there was nothing in the car that would cause issues.

After having spoken with one of the employees I have found multiple similar complaints with regards to this company. Do not rent their vehicles!

I spent 4 super nice days in Iceland thanks to FairCar. The vehicle was in super good condition. They were on time for airport pick up and dropped me off at the airport also right away when I brought back the vehicle.

The vehicle itself is practical to drive anywhere and well organized inside. Bed is comfy.

Perfect service! Very good quality of the car!

I was very pleased with the car we received. It worked well and was great for traveling in Iceland. The Fair Car staff were courteous and helpful as well. I only have one suggestion for improvement. I would prefer if they could go over the car at the time of drop off to verify that there was no damage. But other than that, everything was perfect.

Picked up from the airport terminal on time, The Car was clean and the staff were friendly and helpful. Thanks a lot!

These people are great. I used half the budget I thought I needed thanks to renting a campervan with them. Very fuel efficient, plenty of space, lots of kitchenware, I couldn’t have been more happy with this