Driving Iceland’s Ring Road in an electric car

With EVs all the rage in Iceland, we asked our local friend Asbjorn Bjorgvinsson to drive a Tesla around the country’s Ring Road to test how practical an electric self-drive really is. Over seven days, Abi followed an anti-clockwise route around the island visiting places of interest along the way including the West Fjords and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

Read his day by day journey below.

Day 1 South Coast: Volcanoes and Waterfalls

We decided to start our trip from Kopavogur just south of Reykjavik by heading along the south coast. First stop was at Hvolsvollur where there are a few Tesla charging points located next to the Lava Centre. This exciting interactive exhibition shows you the history of Iceland’s volcanic eruptions right up to the one in Reykjanes earlier this year. It only took 20 minutes to recharge the Tesla, so we had plenty of time to explore some of the stunning waterfalls nearby, such as Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. Driving through the black desert sands near Vik, we made a short stop at the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon before driving on to the fishing town of Höfn where we stayed overnight. We found the Tesla charging station by the harbour and it only took about 30 minutes to fill her up.

Day 2 East Fjords: Off-the-Beaten-Track

Today, we took our time slowly driving through the beautiful East Fjords, stopping at Djupivogur to admire the scenery and explore the local culture. Our destination for the night was Faskrudsfjordur where the Fosshotel has two charging stations.

Day 3 North East: Birds and Whales

In the morning, we drove to Eskifjordur and watched harbour porpoises in the fjord. Then we headed to Egilsstadir and made a short stop to make use of one of the town’s several charging stations. After crossing the remote uplands in the north east, we reached Lake Myvatn and continued to Husavik, my old hometown, for the night. At the Fosshotel you can recharge your EV at one of four charging points in front of the hotel. There are a number of excellent restaurants in town and the local GeoSea baths are also worth a visit.

Day 4 North Coast: Mountains and Valleys

We set off early in the morning as it was a long drive all the way to Holmavik on the northwest coast of Iceland. We decided to top up the Tesla at the Bonus shop on the outskirts of Akureryi before heading west. After crossing the majestic mountain pass on our way to Skagafjordur, we reached Stadarskali in Hrutafjordur where you can find 14 charging stations at this popular petrol station, shop and restaurant. Our guesthouse at Holmavik also had a charging station, while opposite you’ll find the Caffe Ritz.

Day 5 West Fjords: Bird Cliffs

Another early start this morning as we drove towards Isafjordur in the Westfjords. Driving through this spectacular corner of Iceland gives you opportunities to see everything from waterfalls running down the steep mountains to whales and seals in the fjords. You can find charging points in Isafjordur, as well as the many small villages in the Westfjords. We stayed overnight in the friendly village of Flateyri.

Day 6 Snaefellsnes: Fishing Villages and Scenery

Driving south, we decided to recharge at Holmavik before heading to Stykkisholmur, a town on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula with a number of fantastic restaurants and the excellent Fosshotel Stykkisholmur where we stayed the night. The hotel has two charging points.

Day 7 South to home

The last day of our electric road trip around Iceland. We drove around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, enjoying spectacular views of the mountains, glacier and coast before heading home to Kopavogur.

The trip had been a total success as we managed to visit a host of interesting places and towns around Iceland easily finding charging points for our electric car. There are now so many supercharging points and normal charging stations at various locations in Iceland that you should not have any problem choosing to ‘go electric’.