Information about the Vadlaheidigong tunnel in North Iceland

Vadlaheidargong tunnel is a brand new 7,5 km tunnel, situated on the ring road close to Akureyri in North Iceland. The new tunnel shortens the ring road by about 16km or about 6 minutes driving time. However, traveling over Vikurskard mountain passage in winter can be difficult due to snow and ice and the new tunnel allows travelers to skip that. 

Photo from a brochure about the tunnel.

There is a toll for driving through the tunnel which can only be paid online. See the 2 different prices on the photo below:
1. If you pay within 3 hours the price is 1.500 ISK.
2. If you pay after 3 hours it is 2.500 ISK.

The price is each way so if you go back and forth, the price doubles. For details, please see the photo below or read all about the pricing on the Vadlaheidargong tunnel website.  

Please note that if you choose to not pay at all, Átak car rental will be notified and will charge your credit card for the 2.500 ISK tunnel fee plus a 5.000 ISK service fee, a total of 7.500 ISK.

A word of advice, skip the tunnel if the weather and road conditions are good. Vikurskarð mountain passage offers beautiful views and only takes about 6 more minutes to drive. However, if road conditions and weather is bad, we absolutely advise taking advantage of the tunnel. 

Please review the Vadlaheidi tunnel FAQ section for more information.

From the Vaðlaheidi tunnel management:

HOW TO PAY ONLINE THE TOLL ROAD:

You have two options to pay the tunnel: before and after passing through

I want to register BEFORE going through the tunnel:
Go to www.tunnel.is and register your car for the period you will be driving through the tunnel. Thereby, you will be charged the regular fee of 1.500kr for each trip you do during your registration.

Be aware of:

-We don’t charge you for registering the car. You will be charged only for the trips you do.

-You must drive through the tunnel during your registration period.

-Don´t register your car later than your rental car period ends or the next user could use your account.

I want to register AFTER going through the tunnel:
Go to www.tunnel.is within the next 3 hours of your trip if you want to pay the regular fee of 1.500 ISK.

Be aware of:

-If you go through the tunnel and you don´t register your car in the next 3 hours, car rentals will be notified and will charge your credit card for the tunnel fee plus their own service fee.

There are free WIFI points on the east entrance of the tunnel and in the gas station N1 in the west, that you can use to register and pay the toll.

The tunnel shortens the Ring Road by 16 km (10 miles), saving drivers up to 12 minutes in good weather conditions. Information about weather and road conditions is found at www.safetravel.is.