Renting a car on the Faroe Islands was a bit old school and quite expensive, but easy enough.
Guide To Renting A Car On The Faroe Islands
First, you need a car on the Faroe Islands. It is a majestic place, but even if you spend all your time in Tórshavn, the capital city and largest in the Faroe Islands, a car is so helpful to get around.
In terms of US car companies, National/Enterprise offer rental cars from Vágar Airport on the Faroe Islands. I reserved the smallest automatic I could get directly on the National website, which was compact in size.
The total per day was USD171.06 (1168.45 Faroese krona) once taxes and fees were factored in. That’s a lot for a small car, but also included tolls (the car had a “toll chip” installed). Fuel was also expensive, though still just under 2USD per liter.
For what it’s worth, I had a free rental day with National and tried to use that, but was unable to apply it.
Moments after reserving the car, my mobile phone range with a Faroese telephone number calling. I answered and it was the rental car agency. I was informed that no one would be present at Vágar Airport when my SAS flight arrived, but was provided with a code from which I could open a lock box to obtain my key.
Walking out of the terminal, the first car I saw was a Tesla Model 3. What a shame we could not drive that one!
As you exit the terminal, turn left and walk through the short-term parking lot. You will come to a building with a “Rental Car Center” on top. This was the former airport terminal.
I found the lock box by the door, entered the code I was given, and a compartment popped open. I grabbed the key and walked out to the parking lot.
We were assigned a Volkswagen T-Cross (with turned out to be a great car). After inspecting it (do take pictures and video, just in case), we were soon our way.
Next up: driving on the Faroe Islands
Thanks for noting the price of the car rental.
Any reason you didn’t want to select a manual car? Or were the manual cars just as expensive as the automatic ones.
I can’t drive one. 😉
But you are GERMAN!!!!
What time of the year were you there?
Autumn. This was last autumn.
Matthew, did you decline the CDW and other coverages – curious. And any issues using credit cards, whether for the car and elsewhere? This a great series – thanks.
I did decline the CDW because it was an extra 40USD/day. Credit cards were widely accepted, though tap and pay did not always work with my Capital One Savor card.
CDW coverage might be an interesting semi-related subject to read about from a pro traveler like you– if you have any stories or strong opinions. I’m on the fence personally. I had a rental car stolen from a hotel parking lot once. I always declined all insurance from the rental company until then, and although my insurance eventually covered it, it was a nightmare with constant intimidating letters from the rental company demanding tens of thousands of dollars immediately. So after that nightmare I’ve been forking over the money out of sheer trauma!
I once backed a rental car into the wall of a Munich hotel parking garage.
I went to a local police station in which the accident report was recorded on three part paper. I got the 3rd copy (canary) which no one could read, but the header had the imprint of the Munich Police Department which was sufficient enough for AMEX to pick up the cost of the physical damage. All the administrative cost posted by the rental agency was on my dime.
Comment on wishing you could rent a Tesla. I did once and promised I will not do it again until we have a decent footprint of chargers available. Maybe it is great to drive an electric car in CA but the rest of the US is not there yet. I rented a Tesla from Hertz in Philadelphia and that was a disaster. I had to drive to suburbs and into NJ and when I needed to charge the car the options were very very slow. Yes, you can find some Tesla Super Charger stations but they were out of my way and the least I want is to sit inside a Tesla at 10pm in a dark place in a Philadelphia suburb waiting to charge my car. No, thanks!!! Back to regular gas cars which are easy to fill up anywhere.
On car rentals…is there anything special needed when renting a car in UK, specifically LTN?…with a US driver’s license
I was not asked for an int’l driving license (and had one just in case).
And laws on 5 yr old needing car seats?
Thank you for this informative article on renting a car on the Faroe Islands. It’s clear that having a car is incredibly beneficial for exploring the majestic landscapes of the islands. While the rental cost may seem high, it’s important to consider the convenience and freedom it provides. The inclusion of tolls and the availability of a lock box system for key pickup are noteworthy aspects that add to the overall ease of renting a car.