KuKu Campers vs Lava Car Rental

KuKu Campers fields one of the wider campervan selections among Icelandic rental operators, with categories ranging from A through I plus dedicated 4x4 vehicles. This lineup spans compact economy vans suited for solo travelers or couples on a budget, through standard and premium configurations for those wanting more living space, up to four-wheel-drive campervans built for highland F-roads. Travelers who want to compare multiple vehicle sizes and capabilities within a single vendor will find that breadth here. Lava Car Rental takes the opposite approach: its campervan fleet currently consists of a single model, the Renault Kangoo (2024-2025 model year, automatic transmission, two-wheel drive). This narrow focus means there is no fleet decision to make -- couples or solo travelers get a modern, recent-model vehicle without sorting through tiers or add-on packages.

The two vendors diverge on insurance structure. KuKu Campers includes CDW in every rental but is notable for its unusually explicit a la carte insurance menu, letting renters pick and pay for exactly the coverage tiers they want. Lava Car Rental bundles a broader insurance package into its base rate -- TPL, CDW, SCDW, and gravel protection are all included from the start, reducing the number of decisions at checkout. On cancellation, KuKu Campers charges a flat EUR 100 fee, while Lava Car Rental offers free cancellation with 24 hours notice, which may matter to travelers whose plans are still flexible.

Both vendors operate from the Keflavik Airport area, so airport pickup logistics are comparable. KuKu Campers has been operating since 2012 and positions itself as a budget-friendly local operator with deep knowledge of highland driving conditions, providing detailed F-road permission information per vehicle class. Lava Car Rental, founded in 2016, is a family-owned car rental company that added campervans to its fleet, emphasizing simplicity and airport convenience with 24/7 summer availability. Lava Car Rental carries a larger volume of online reviews (over 4,700 on Google and over 3,700 on Trustpilot), while KuKu Campers holds a higher Google rating at 4.8 out of 5 from roughly 1,800 reviews.