McRent vs Black Sheep Campers

McRent and Black Sheep Campers sit at opposite ends of Iceland's rental spectrum. McRent is a pan-European, Germany-based operator built around full motorhomes -- larger vehicles with a distinct living area, an indoor kitchen, and typically an onboard bathroom. Black Sheep Campers runs no vans or motorhomes at all: its entire lineup is 4x4 SUVs set up for sleeping either in the back of the vehicle or in a hard-shell roof-top tent. That fleet spans the Suzuki Jimny with a roof tent, the Dacia Duster in both sleep-in-the-back and roof-tent configurations, the automatic Subaru Legacy, and the four-berth Ford Explorer -- its largest vehicle. Every Black Sheep camper is a 4x4, and all except the automatic Subaru Legacy are F-road legal, giving access to highland routes that full motorhomes generally cannot use, since larger motorhomes are typically barred from Iceland's F-roads and are more affected by wind on exposed roads.

The living setup follows directly from the vehicle type. A McRent motorhome lets you cook, eat, and sleep indoors with standing height, an indoor kitchen and water system, and typically an onboard toilet. Black Sheep offers none of that: there is no built-in kitchen, no water tank or sink, no toilet, and no standing height, and cooking is done outside on a portable camp stove. What Black Sheep does bundle in is a genuinely full gear kit at no extra cost -- a mattress, two sleeping bags, two pillows, sheets, and two towels, a complete camp-stove cooking set, and a passive cooling box (not a powered fridge) -- along with unlimited mileage and 24/7 support, all in an all-in EUR price that already includes taxes and standard insurances. It also includes a 220V electric heater, but only from 1 November to 15 April and only when plugged into a campsite hookup -- there is no diesel or parking heater -- so staying warm off-grid in cold weather is limited. McRent, by contrast, lists cookware, bedding, and Wi-Fi as paid add-ons, so its sticker price and its trip-ready price can diverge more; travelers should confirm exactly what each Iceland rate includes.

On logistics, Black Sheep offers two self-service pickup points -- a lockbox lot next to the BSI bus terminal in central Reykjavik and Keflavik Airport, with a free shuttle running from BSI -- plus flexible around-the-clock returns, though the self-service key-box handover is the operator's most common source of confusion in reviews. Its cancellation terms are traveler-friendly: a full refund if you cancel more than 48 hours before pickup and no deposit taken at booking, but no refund for cancellations within 48 hours, no-shows, or early returns. McRent applies a tiered cancellation fee that always leaves some charge in place. On reviews, Black Sheep carries strong, verified scores -- 4.9 on Google across 148 reviews, 4.5 'Excellent' on Trustpilot (39), and 9.1/10 on the Northbound aggregator (103) -- praised for responsive staff, included gear, and capable, economical 4x4s. McRent shows a 4.7 Google rating from around 310 reviews at the brand level, but its Iceland-specific station, fleet, pricing, and insurance details could not be independently verified in our research, so travelers should confirm current local operating specifics directly with McRent before booking.