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.

Essential Thailand Self-Driving Tips & Traffic Rules

The Complete Thailand Driving and Rental Guide

Hiring a car to drive in Thailand can be very pleasant as highways are well maintained throughout the country. However, when you are driving in the big cities, heavy traffic may make your road trip far more challenging. This brief guide will provide a complete cover-up aiming to help you when planning a trip to Thailand.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

Driving in Thailand is on the left-hand side of the road. Some driving norms in Thailand can somewhat be seen as particular depending where you come from. For instance, tailgating is quite common and accepted by the locales, and people often cut each other off or cut into lines of cars.

Speed Limit

The speed limits for Thailand are 90 km/h on open roads, 50km/h in towns and 120km/h in motorways unless signs say otherwise.

Traffic Signs

There are mainly three types of road signs in Thailand, including regulatory signs, warning signs, and informational signs.

Thailand regulatory signs have different shapes, most of them featuring red border and white background. Note that the Stop Sign is written in Thai language instead of English or by pictogram, but a typical Octagon is applied to imply its meaning like most of the countries.

Stop(Thai Language)

Give Way(Thai Language)

Slow Down(Thai Language)

No Overtaking

Give Way to Oncoming Vehicles Used to Traffic Bottleneck Points

Thailand warning signs mostly feature a yellow background with black pictogram.

Hump

Divided Road Begins

Divided Road Ends

Pedestrian Crossing

Wild Animals Crossing

No Overtake Zone

Thailand information signs are blue with rectangular or square shapes.

Dead End

Clinic

End of Motorway

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

A new law has come into effect from the 5th of April 2017, stating that passengers in the rear seat of a car are now required to wear seatbelts in addition to the driver and front seat passenger. Failure to do so can result in a fine of up to 500 Thai Baht.

Booster Seat Laws

The Thailand law states that children should be restrained in an age-appropriate system. Children under 12 years old should not sit in the front of a vehicle.

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

Because of the heavy traffic, parking in some Thai cities can be difficult to find. Parking rules and rates are usually marked on signs with English translations in tourist areas.

· Permitted Parking

- White rectangle on the road indicates a designated car parking space. Many shops, malls, restaurants, sights and hotels offer to park and if payment is needed, it will not be expensive.

- Yellow and white markings indicate a short-term parking space only, for usually no more than five minutes. These markings also indicate a bus stop. It is therefore not advised to park there.

· No Parking

- Red and white markings indicate a no parking zone, which means cars may not park here.

Thailand Parking Red and White Markings (Image from shutterstock.com)

- Multiple white diagonal lines indicate parking spaces for motorcycles only and no cars can park here.

Thailand Multiple white diagonal lines

Fuel Prices

The average price for Thailand gasoline price between July and November 2017 was 34.36 Thai Baht, and diesel was 26.79 on 4th Dec.2017.

Toll

Only the big Bangkok-area expressways demand electronic payment, while cash can be used in other places. The usual charge is between 40 and 50 Thai baht. If you do not have an electronic sensor (automatic deduction), do not go to the easy pass lane with blue marks on the ground.

Failing to pay the toll in time may lead to the car rental company paying on your behalf by debiting your credit card, charging a total amount of the toll fee and its management fee from your credit card. Please be aware that this management fee can be costly.

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

Drivers who have had their licenses for over five years are allowed to have a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of up to 0.05% when behind the wheel, while divers under 20 years are only allowed to have maximal BAC of 0.02%. A hefty fine of 60,000 THB and/or a 6-month prison sentence will be applied in case of DUI.

Foreigners driving after an excessive consumption of alcohol may also risk being deported, depending on the severity of the case.

Traffic Fines

Speeding fines in Thailand are between 200 THB to 400 THB. Parking in the wrong place or exceeding the time allowed will result in a parking ticket. Finally, parking in a non-parking area may result in a fine of 200 Thai Baht.

Some of the fines can be paid on the spot. In case you have not paid a fine, your car hire company will collect the fine’s charge as well as an added administration fee directly from your credit card.

Should you have questions in terms of traffic fines collection, you are always welcome to contact QEEQ for assistance.

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

As a tourist or visitor driving or renting a car in Thailand, it is necessary to have a valid foreign driving licence with a photograph. Many car hire companies require a full driving licence held for a minimum of 2 years with no major endorsements.

If your domestic driving licence is not in English (Arabic, Japanese, Cyrillic etc), an International Driving Permit (IDP/IDL) or an official translation in English or Thai is required when you drive in Thailand. Please note that an International Driving Permit (often referred to as an International Driving Licence) does not replace the requirement for a regular driving licence. And you must carry your current overseas driver’s licence, IDP or translation with you all the time when driving in Thailand.

Minimum age in Thailand is 21 years(age may vary by car category). If you're 21-25, you are likely to have to pay a young driver fee. If you're 65 or older, you may have to pay a senior driver fee.

Guest reviews

1 /

Anonymous

September 13, 2026

Destination: Chiang Mai

10Excellent

Nice and straightforward.

September 12, 2026

Destination: Phuket

The counter was a bit hard to find, but the car itself was great and it’s actually not far from the airport exit.

September 10, 2026

Destination: Bangkok

Service was great, but the wheel alignment was quite off so I reported it to the store for repair.

September 8, 2026

Super happy with the whole experience, everything went smoothly from start to finish.

September 5, 2026

Really good experience this time—honestly better than any of my previous rentals through Ctrip.

September 3, 2026

Destination: Pattaya

Super happy with the service.

September 2, 2026

Pickup paperwork was super quick and efficient.

The service here is absolutely top‑notch, as you’d expect from Thai staff.

August 31, 2026

Right after you walk out from baggage claim and turn around, it’s right there, and QEEQ’s email instructions were spot on.

August 29, 2026

8Very good

Staff were friendly and handled everything pretty quickly.

August 28, 2026

Really great and super convenient.

They were out of the E Class so they bumped me up to an S Class at no extra hassle—everything went super smoothly.

August 27, 2026

Service was great and everything was handled really efficiently.

August 26, 2026

Honestly, it’s hard to imagine getting around Chiang Mai without a rental car. This company was super efficient, easy to find, the car was in great condition, very clean, and almost brand new.

August 25, 2026

Super fast service, really friendly, and they handled everything one-on-one.

August 24, 2026

Super happy with the rental, the car was really new.

No lines and super easy to find. The car was spotless, and both customer service and the staff were really easy to talk to. Overall, a great experience.

Pretty solid experience overall – everything was quick and smooth, including the return. I went for full coverage, so there were no extra charges.

Pretty smooth experience, all the paperwork and procedures went through without any hassle.

August 23, 2026

Staff were really friendly and helpful.

Really smooth rental experience and the car was basically brand new. Just make sure you ask the staff before you leave how to open the fuel cap and where it is—I spent ages trying to figure it out. Mid-level insurance coverage is enough in my opinion; I paid for full coverage and ended up not needing it.

August 21, 2026

The staff were super friendly and really took the time to explain everything clearly.

August 18, 2026

Absolutely loved this car rental experience.

I've rented from them before and they delivered the car straight to me, super convenient.

August 17, 2026

Super efficient service.

August 16, 2026

Really happy with them.

August 14, 2026

It was okay, nothing special but not bad either.

August 12, 2026

Absolutely fantastic

Super convenient and the car was in great condition. I’d definitely book with them again next time.

August 11, 2026

Once I grabbed my luggage, it only took about a 3‑minute walk inside the airport to find the rental counter.

Super efficient and hassle-free, really great overall.

August 7, 2026

Really good experience overall, everything was totally hassle‑free and communication was smooth.

August 6, 2026

Service was great, they helped translate everything since I don’t speak the language.

August 5, 2026

Super happy with everything, will definitely use them again next time.

August 3, 2026

They were really friendly and welcoming.

August 2, 2026

They had someone waiting at the airport to pick us up, the whole process was super simple and smooth with zero issues—really convenient!

Everything went smoothly the whole trip, no hidden charges at all, so I’m pretty happy with it.

August 1, 2026

Service was great overall, but the car had a really strong rubber/plastic smell. It felt kind of toxic and I started getting dizzy after driving for a while.

Service was really good.

July 31, 2026

Absolutely fantastic!

They let us know about an incident ahead of time, so everything was handled really smoothly.

I’ve rented cars many times all over Phuket through different platforms, and this company is by far one of the best. It’s run by local Thai owners, and you can really feel their values—responsible, trustworthy, and principled. All those great qualities come through in how they operate. This was my first time renting from them and honestly the overall experience deserves a full 100/100.

After you clear immigration and exit the terminal, you’ll need to wait a bit outside. They’ll call you and meet you at the designated pickup spot, which is clearly marked just outside the terminal, so it’s easy to find. They carefully go over the car with you, marking every scratch and dent very responsibly. The deposit was refunded almost instantly when I returned the car.

I’ve had some really bad experiences with another rental company before, especially when booking for a larger group, but with this one I felt completely at ease. You can choose this company with confidence. This is my honest review based on my own firsthand rental experience.

July 29, 2026

Very professional service and the car was in excellent condition.

July 28, 2026

Overall pretty good!

July 27, 2026

Destination: Surat Thani

Paperwork was processed really fast and the pickup spot was very close by.

July 25, 2026

Absolutely perfect

Pretty good overall, no major issues.

July 20, 2026

Absolutely perfect rental experience. It was my second time driving a right-hand-drive car, and I felt much more confident this round. Staff were super friendly and polite, and the counter is right in front of you when you walk out, so it’s really easy to find. The whole pickup process took just a few minutes and I was on my way. Returning the car was just as smooth—ran into a staff member on site, they quickly checked the exterior and the fuel, and that was it. QEEQ has honestly gotten better and better; it makes renting overseas so much easier. I used to have to argue things out with foreign rental companies, but now with the volume they do, the quality and support are solid. Highly recommend!

Super happy with this rental company – their service and attitude were excellent.

July 19, 2026

Everything was excellent, really happy with the whole experience.

Thailand Car Rentals