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

September 15, 2026

Destination: New York

10Excellent

Everything was excellent.

September 14, 2026

Destination: Raleigh

Super convenient and fast—you can just take the airport shuttle bus there and returning the car is really easy.

Destination: Columbus - Ohio

Super satisfied with the whole experience!

Destination: Dallas

Pickup was super quick with no pushy upselling, and the car was in great condition.

Destination: Los Angeles

8Very good

I arrived around 9:30 p.m. and there were only two staffed counters open, so the process was pretty slow. By the time I actually got the car it was already past midnight.

Destination: San Francisco

Pretty good overall, just the line was a bit slow.

September 13, 2026

Very satisfied.

The car they gave us was practically brand new.

Super satisfied with the whole experience.

September 12, 2026

Very satisfied, the car was in great condition.

Had to wait in line for almost 40 minutes, which was pretty annoying. The car itself was in good shape, but the remote key was running low on battery, so I had to stand close and fiddle with the angle to get it to start.

September 11, 2026

This was my first time renting a car abroad, and I was surprised by how easy it was in the US. Returning the car was super smooth too. The car itself was in great condition—basically brand new, only about 4,000 miles on it. Couldn’t be happier.

September 10, 2026

Destination: Kaneohe

The guy who helped us was super friendly, the car was in great condition, and the whole self-drive trip was really satisfying.

The car was practically brand-new and super clean.

Destination: Boston

Service was great.

September 9, 2026

Destination: Philadelphia

This place is easy to find, the staff are super friendly, and the cars are all in great condition. I booked a Toyota but picked up a Kia instead, and that worked out really well too.

September 8, 2026

Very professional service.

Destination: Hawaii - Hawaii Island

They offered extra insurance and roadside assistance, I said no and they didn’t push it or try to upsell.

Destination: Seattle

Really good.

Pretty good overall, just wish the tolls weren’t so expensive.

September 7, 2026

Destination: Houston

超级满意

Service was great overall. It was a bit crowded at first, but once they added more staff at the counter, things moved much faster.

Destination: Chicago

September 6, 2026

Destination: Providence

Super efficient service. The first car wasn’t very clean inside, so I asked to swap it on the spot and they changed it right away. The replacement car was new, spotless and I was really happy with it.

Destination: Mountain View

Super happy with everything.

Destination: Las Vegas

Super convenient and the staff were really friendly.

Overall it was decent, nothing amazing but nothing to complain about either.

Destination: King of Prussia

Felt just like home

Pretty good overall.

September 5, 2026

The rental company kept reminding us to buy insurance, but we’d already purchased full coverage in advance.

They kept trying to upsell extra insurance, which was pretty annoying.

Destination: Rochester

Renting the car was super easy and hassle-free.

The rental counter at Dallas Airport is really new and modern, and the staff were super friendly. The shuttle buses run very frequently.

September 4, 2026

Destination: Detroit

Pretty standard company overall, but the lines are really long. The Avis counter at DTW shares the space with Budget, so stay alert while you’re in line.

Destination: El Paso

Destination: Newark

I kept pushing back the return time because I miscalculated it at the start, and the platform helped me modify it for free every time, which was awesome. I guess it’s because I was still within the four‑day booking window.

September 3, 2026

The car was in great condition and the whole process was smooth. Not much paperwork and no pushy upselling at all.

Super happy with this rental experience, everything went really smoothly from start to finish.

September 2, 2026

I don’t speak any English, but picking up and dropping off the car was super easy—almost no talking needed. I just used my phone to translate and the staff were really friendly and helped me sort everything out. Worked great.

No extra paperwork or fuss, just show up on time and you’re good to go. If you arrive too early you might have to wait a bit.

September 1, 2026

Destination: Portland

My English is really basic—just everyday phrases—so it’s hard for me to discuss the details of a rental with staff. Using this rental platform really helped bridge that gap. But in reality, some issues are still hard to handle on the spot. For example, when returning the car, there were only one or two staff members and a ton of vehicles. They were extremely busy, so there was no chance to talk through any questions. If you go back to the counter, you have to queue all over again, and when you’re rushing to catch a flight, you simply don’t have the time to stand in line and ask for help.

The location was super easy to find and the staff were really welcoming and helpful.

Super happy overall – the line was short, no hard selling, and it was pretty convenient to just walk over to the pickup point.

Destination: Nashville

The rental staff were super friendly and even gave us a free upgrade. Picking up and returning the car was really easy.

August 31, 2026

No hidden fees at all.

Destination: Minneapolis

Only downside was the long line at pickup — waited almost an hour, but everything else was great.

August 30, 2026

Destination: Bozeman

Pickup at Bozeman Airport was super smooth, with zero upselling the whole time.

United States Car Rentals