What is an insurance excess?

The excess is the amount you'll only be liable for in case of damage (under Collision Damage Waiver) or theft (under Theft Protection) of the vehicle. Information about the excess will be clearly stated in the price inclusion when you reserve a car on QEEQ.

How can I add an additional driver?

You are advised to make a request upon your arrival at the rental counter. Additional charge per day will incur unless '1 Additional Driver Included' is stipulated on the rental. Please note that the same licence and age requirement applies to the additional driver. The additional driver is supposed to present the required licence document along with the main driver at pickup.

The United States traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

The Complete United States Driving and Rental Guide

The United States is usually more suitable for automobile compared to public transportations. Travelling by car is thus a good way to get around to see sights of the country, whether you are planning a complete road trip, or just using a leg of your trip by taking a car to visit the cities. Here is a guide we have prepared to help you familiarized yourself with driving in the USA.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

Driving is on the right with the steering wheel on the left-hand side of the car. Since traffic rules differ from state to state, it is better to review the regulations for each individual state in which you are planning to drive. Pedestrians have the legal right of way in all states.

Speed Limit

The speed limit varies from state to state, butis of 65 miles per hour (equals110 km p/h) in the majority of the states. Speed limit is frequently monitored by radar guns.

Traffic Signs

Many US states comply with the same road signs standard, but some of the states and large cities such as New York City have adopted an extent of localization or a supplement.

Although there is a variety of regulatory signs throughout different states, they are usually self-explanatory, with explicit wordings marked on the signs.

Stop

Yield(Give Way)

United_States_of_ America_Traffic_Sign__Yield_to_Pedestrians

Yield to Pedestrians, New York City

Passing Zone Ends

Passing Zone Begins

No Parking

No Parking; Here to corner

No Parking; Except Sundays

Among regulatory signs, there is one category which indicates ‘No Standing’, and may be unfamiliar for foreign visitors or international travellers. ‘No standing’ signs indicate that stopping temporarily to load or unload passengers is allowed, while parking is not allowed. The signs are also usually red on white, but local variations exist.

No Standing Any Time

No Standing Any Time New York State

No Standing Cars Towed Away, Baltimore

Warning signs feature yellow background colour and black pictogram, with a few exceptions.

Road Slippery When Wet

Curve With Speed Advisory

Stop Ahead

Yield Ahead

Railroad Crossing(Crossbuck)

Railroad Crossing Ahead

Information signs provide guidance and feature rectangular shape.

Toll Road Pass Only

Toll Road Pass or HOV 2+

Toll Costs at Intersections or HOV 2+

Hospital Sign

You may refer to this for the unified standard that is used by the states.

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

All drivers and passengers are regulated by law to wear seatbelts. A fine applies if a driver or passenger is caught without a seatbelt on.

Booster Seat Laws

Even though regulations vary by state, almost all states require children to be in a child seat facing backwards in the front of a car, or facing forward in the rear. As a minimum guide, children should use a booster seat until they reach 36kg to 45kg or 145cm high.

For a specific guidance regarding child safety rules, you may click here.

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

You must always park in the direction of the traffic flow on the near side of the road. Often, parking spaces are diagonally aligned and ‘head-in’, which means the front of your car must be facing the pavement (sidewalk).

· Parking Restriction

In some cities, parking restrictions are indicated by the kerb colour; for example, a red kerb indicates no parking at any time, a yellow kerb may signify a limited truck loading zone, a green kerb indicates a limited parking period, a blue kerb for disabled parking only, and a white kerb passenger loading and unloading. No parking areas, for example, at street corners, may be indicated by yellow lines. Therefore, you should always read all pavement markings carefully.

United States Red Kerb No Parking (Image from aarestriping.com)

United States Yellow Lines No Parking (Image from merchantcircle.com)

United States Yellow Kerb Loading Only (Image from timeout.com)

· Paid Parking

Parking in most cities and towns isn’t usually a problem and on-street parking is usually metered, along with permissive parking signs specified with a restricted amount of time. It’s advisable for you to estimate your parking time and reserve a bit more parking fee as a precaution to avoid the fine for overtime parking.

The signs are green and white, and local variations do occur with additional information or slightly different designs.

Parking with Time Restrictions

Parking With Time Restrictions New York City

Fuel Prices

The average price for USA gasoline and diesel during July to October 2017 is US$0.74.

Toll

It has more than 5,000 miles of toll roads in the USA. From bridge and tunnel tolls to express and high occupancy lanes, most states have some sort of toll road system.

Nowadays most tolls are collected electronically via transponders that are typically placed on the windshield of the vehicle. As many toll roads no longer accept cash. It is recommended to check the individual websites of each state's toll system to inform yourself about the payment options along with your route.

If you are hiring a vehicle from Enterprise, National or Alamo in the USA, you can review and pay the tolls online via Highway Toll Administration site; if hiring from Avis or Budget, you can check the e-toll site. For Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty and Advantage, toll charge can be checked on PlatePass.

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

Depending on states, drivers are charged with a fine or a crime with 0.08% or 0.05% BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) limit by volume.

Traffic Fines

Extra care should be applied to abide speed limit when driving in the United States, as speeding fines can be ranging from $36 to $1000 for first-time breaker states by states. A Nation-wide average speeding ticket is US$150.

Failing to understand and follow the parking signs will potentially result in a hefty fine. This is especially the case for big cities like San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. For example, stopping, standing or parking where signs, road markings or traffic control devices do not permit you to do so will incur a fine of US$115 in New York City. In San Francisco, obstructing traffic without a permit in San Francisco will result in a fine as high as US$1000.

Failure to pay traffic infringement fines will likely result in your car rental company collecting the fee from you, with an additional administration charge. These policies are generally illustrated in the terms of the contract on which you signed at the rental desk. For any further questions concerning these matters, you are welcomed to contact QEEQ’ 24/7 customer service team for assistance.

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

To drive in the United State, the driver must have a valid driving licnece that has been held for at least 1 or 2 years(according to different car hire company). The licence must be valid at the time of rental, and remain valid throughout the rental period.

The minimum age to rent a vehicle in most locations in the U.S is 21 years (age may vary by state and car category), and the driver must have a valid driver's license held for at least one year. For certain specialty and larger-sized vehicles, the minimum age of 25 years of age applies. If you're 21-25, you are likely to have to pay a young driver fee which is about $25-per-day to $50-per-day.

Guest reviews

1 /

Anonymous

August 11, 2026

Destination: Hawaii - Hawaii Island

10Excellent

Super satisfied with everything.

August 10, 2026

Destination: Anchorage

Super happy with everything, it was a great experience!

Destination: Cambridge

Just one counter, so it depends how long the line is, but overall it’s never too crowded. Service is great, easy to find, cars are very new and in excellent condition.

Destination: New York

8Very good

We booked an 11:00 pickup and got to the rental place at 10:30, but they wouldn’t start the paperwork until exactly 11:00. Once they did, they were really strict with the checks – they even asked to see our entry stamp, but the US doesn’t stamp passports anymore, so they ended up checking our inbound flight ticket instead. The car they assigned us was the red one on the right, and during the inspection we noticed the rear right tire was damaged. We asked them to change the car, they checked with the manager and agreed, but after about 10 minutes they gave us the smaller car on the left, which was definitely not as spacious as the first one. Overall the process was reasonably efficient, no upselling at any point, and the return was literally done in seconds.

Destination: Los Angeles

The staff were really friendly and helpful, and the car was clean and in great condition. Lots of interior space, easily fits six people. The only downside is the trunk is a bit small. We had five people, and by folding down one of the rear seats we could fit four or five suitcases. The car has a higher chassis and handles rough roads well, so it’s great for driving around places like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.

Destination: Ontario

Really professional service, and they were a bit more efficient than other companies I’ve used.

Destination: Chicago

Service was good and the staff were quite polite, but the Chicago airport location was way too crowded. I waited over half an hour just to get to the counter.

August 9, 2026

Destination: Bellevue

The hybrid Camry they recommended was super fuel‑efficient and in great shape, with under 10k miles on it.

August 8, 2026

Destination: San Francisco

The original car we booked wasn’t available, so they upgraded us for free to an amazing car. It was in great condition, almost brand new, and super easy to drive. It performed perfectly the whole trip and really made our vacation so much better.

Super happy overall: got a nearly new car with just 5000 km on it, plus the plate pass for tolls, which only charges you for actual crossings and no daily fee if you don’t use it. Really convenient and good value. Filled up the tank and returned the car in under a minute.

Avis is a big company. Every time I book a Toyota RAV4 they switch me to another model, but as long as the car is good I don’t mind.

August 7, 2026

Destination: Reno

Super easy to find and really convenient.

Destination: Seattle

Super smooth and hassle‑free.

Destination: Boston

The car was in great shape, almost like new.

Destination: Philadelphia

Super quick and hassle‑free.

Destination: Burbank

Pretty good overall, the staff were really friendly and helpful.

August 6, 2026

Just grab a taxi to the Seattle–Tacoma Airport rental car center—every company is in the same building so it’s super easy to find. The garage is organized by vehicle type, and you can pick any car from your category. Loved that setup!

Destination: Orlando

Super satisfied—the whole process was really efficient.

August 5, 2026

Huge thanks to the rental company for bringing my wallet and phone all the way to the airport—really appreciate it!

Great service, and the location is super easy to find right by the roadside.

Really great experience, the service was top-notch.

August 4, 2026

Super satisfied with the whole experience.

Staff were friendly, everything was straightforward, and pickup was really quick.

Really good, they didn’t try to push any extra insurance on me.

August 2, 2026

Plenty of cars to choose from and the staff were really helpful and friendly.

Everything was excellent.

Destination: Cleveland

The car itself was fine, but the tires seemed off, so it felt a bit bumpy when driving.

Pickup and return were really quick and hassle-free.

Really good overall.

Destination: Buffalo

Super easy and fast to pick up the car, no hard-sell at all and almost no waiting in line.

Destination: Newark

The staff were really friendly, joking around while getting all the paperwork done.

The staff went over everything in detail at pickup, even using diagrams to point out the areas that aren’t very safe and recommending we avoid them.

Really great.

August 1, 2026

Very satisfied

Absolutely fantastic

July 30, 2026

Pickup was super quick, and when my luggage didn’t fit they immediately swapped me into a bigger car. Drop-off took literally a second—really fast and efficient.

Destination: Waikiki Beach

Super convenient from start to finish.

Destination: San Diego

Super satisfied – everything was clear and straightforward.

July 29, 2026

Destination: Salt Lake City

July 28, 2026

Super straightforward process and really efficient.

July 27, 2026

Returning the car in Salt Lake City was absolutely seamless.

Destination: Bozeman

July 26, 2026

Had to wait in a pretty long line at Dollar, probably because it was the Independence Day long weekend.

Pretty decent overall.

July 25, 2026

Absolutely satisfied.

July 24, 2026

Destination: Miami

Really satisfied with the rental company.

Fantastic rental experience overall. The pickup line was a bit long, but to make up for the wait they upgraded us to the exact Sienna we wanted instead of a similar Carnival. The car was almost brand new, with only about 8,000 miles on it.

Everything went smoothly. I booked online, and the staff were super nice throughout pickup and return. The guy at the Los Angeles location helped me right away with the self-service kiosk, and when I dropped the car in Las Vegas, the staff even asked if I needed any help arranging transport afterwards.

July 23, 2026

Booked the rental less than 24 hours before pickup and everything was processed super fast. At the counter they only asked once if we wanted the "return with less than a full tank" option—after we said no, they didn’t push anything else. We reserved a Kia K5 but got a Nissan Altima instead, basically brand new with only 126 miles on it.

United States Car Rentals