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 /

May 8, 2026

Destination: San Francisco

5Average

However when i got there was informed that we do not have any convertibles and definitely no mustangs. You must have an SUV. I did not want an SUV, if i did i would have booked one. Then the car had 71 miles petrol in it, and then on drop off they queried why i only had half a tank, but there was 1/8 tank on pick up! If i book a car i expect to have that car! Would not use Avis again

M.Almutairi

January 22, 2026

Destination: New York

10Credibility, provision, excellent service

They gave me a better vehicle than I booked and it was done in a few minutes. The desk staff was very helpfull.

January 4, 2026

Destination: Washington

7Good value but poor customer service and average car

Not a great experience as checked in online but had to do it again at counter. Their claim to go straight to the car is misleading after online check in as its an additional paid for service. Staff were confused about how to handle the booking. Car pretty basic ( Nissan sentra) for a full sized one

N.Mackie

Destination: Los Angeles

6I just wouldn’t book any rental in LA as all the other companies said they had the same issues.

Just not great. First time this has ever happened. We had a vehicle reserved for 5pm. Flight was delayed until 8pm. We then got told they didn’t have any vehicles at all and our contract was only a request and we got told to just wait for over 2 hours. When we dropped the vehicle off 3 days later the issues were the same with people being told to wait for up to 4 hours.

D B

December 30, 2025

6I will use QEEQ again - but not AVIS

Car was perfect. Avis made me and others wait hours to collect the car. Avis charged by 111 USD after drop-off, for what? I don't know.

October 27, 2025

Destination: Wilmington

10A very satisfied customer.

Nice car which served our purposes very well. Staff very pleasant and helpful. Would use again.

Simon M

October 26, 2025

Destination: Nashville

10US Roadtrip in a Beast!

The Avis brand was why we choose this booking, it wasn’t the cheapest but it was a brand we have used before. The staff were helpful and well turned out. They weren’t dismissive of any any questions at all and helped when we had the issue.

Adrian

October 24, 2025

Destination: Orlando

8No extra charges or surprises...

very quickly check in , all as prepayed,

W.Eck

Destination: Miami

8Too long for check in.

Wait time to get the car was too long not enough counter agents and very slow.

J.Dwyer

October 22, 2025

10Absolutely Perfect from start to finish

Amir on the front counter was absolutely amazing and absolutely professional and answered all my questions with ease and made the process efficient and smooth

10Perfect

Amazing

Perfect

Destination: Boston

Awesome

K.Grant

9Overall the process was straightforward and easy.

Pick up did take some time due to there only being 1 teller at the counter processing pick up paperwork. It would be helpful if Avis would allow for online authentication and pick up processing.

D.Cunningham

October 15, 2025

2AVOID AVIS

AVOID AVIS AT ALL COSTS, when I arrived to collect a premium SUV as what I had on my booking form was told QEEQ had booked wrong category and I would have to pay a fee to upgrade. I couldn’t have anything smaller due to amount of people we had and after 17 hours travel was exhausted so an additional £200. Currently pursuing with QEEQ and will update when that is sorted. Car that I eventually hired was not remotely “premium”.

D.Rivett

October 13, 2025

Destination: Tampa

10Fantastic.

Absolutely happy, although the seats are not the comfortablist on longer journeys.

R.Kalra

October 11, 2025

Destination: Austin

10Great prices and deal at USD$23/day!

I booked an EV Tesla but they didn't have one available and gave me the option of a hybrid Kio Niro

K.Atai Ahari

October 1, 2025

9Excellent

Avis was the best experience. And fastest

K.Rennie

September 26, 2025

Destination: Las Vegas

10Excellent

Nobody said I had to have a credit card! Not a debit card

M.Allcock

Destination: Santa Rosa

Really good

Stuart Thomas

September 25, 2025

10Nice and easy

Professional

G.Craig

September 19, 2025

Destination: Melbourne

8Super

Car was lovely small queue at the desk dealt with professionally and quickly with no pressure to take any extras but had to wait for half an hour to get the keys as cars were still being valeted whilst you were waiting a little bit frustrated by this as after a long flight we just wanted to get to the hotel

Shaun

September 17, 2025

9Long rental made an absolute breeze at a decent price.

Supplied Kia Telluride, really happy with the car.

I.Boardman

September 2, 2025

Destination: Oakland

10Fantastic experience would use again

Checking could of been quicker

L.Horsfield

10Once again brilliant!

Excellent customer service, car choice was brilliant and can’t knock them at all. Helpful staff on the counter too

J.Feeney

July 16, 2025

Destination: Houston

6Hertz was rude and not helpful what so ever. Qeeq was easy and hassle free

Didn’t have our car we had booked available so we was given a mid size suv which was good but doesn’t quite feel like it was worth the same as a mustang would have which we paid for. Woman at the check in desk to pick up the car was actually quite rude and really uninformative. We showed up she didn’t apologise for not having the car we booked. Then when letting us know they didn’t have it just said go to this bay and your car will be there. No options or choices considering a mustang and mid size suv aren’t comparable at all. Oh and don’t bother ever ringing them if you need anything no matter what store you call nobody ever picks up the phone.

S.Smithson

July 14, 2025

10Good

All ok just awaiting money back on credit card

J.Rooks

July 12, 2025

10Perfect from start to finish.

Really easy to find. Counter staff friendly and helpful. 1st car we were given didn't have satnav but they changed it without question

Aidan

July 3, 2025

10Fantastic service

Brilliant service from Alamo. Easy pick up, car in great condition and drop off was a breeze

June 26, 2025

Destination: Palmdale

Car was very good, exceeded my expectations, service was slow on arrival but this was more to do with customers than staff.

Nuno Baptista

May 22, 2025

Counter and garage staff allow me to choose the car make and model inside the category I booked.

R.Soutter

April 25, 2025

6Terrible pick up, easy drop off.

Plane landed on time at 20:10hrs. Then it took us over two hours to clear immigration! There were 50 immigration stations, but only 7 in use. 4 x American passport holders, 1 x for wheelchair/families with young children, only 1 x for the approx 900 other passengers! Collected our bags and made our way to the Car Rental bus stop. Short journey to the Thrifty/Hetz/Avis office. The Thrifty person (from India) informed me that they had no cars...and to "come back tomorrow"! I informed him that I had pre-booked a rental and expected him to supply me with a car. He argued with me and kept saying he had no cars left. I showed him the rental voucher from QEEQ. I had great difficulty understanding what he was saying because his english was very poor. In the end he 'borrowed' a car from Hertz and transferred it onto the Thrifty rental. Several times he kept on trying to get me to add more insurance to the rental cost, even though I showed him my AXA insurance document. I added my son as an additional driver and the charge came to $231 (£174) for 15 days! He then tried to charge me for an EZpass for toll roads. The whole rental experience with this person at the Thrifty desk at Dulles Airport was terrible. I feel I have been conned and over charged. I went onto the Thrifty website and a few other people have had bad dealings with this person.

R.Rai

April 22, 2025

Destination: Salt Lake City

9Excellent customer by Ember of Alamo

The Toyota RAV4 was the perfect vehicle for us as a couple travelling around Salt Lake City and Moab for 10 days. The mid-size SUV was able to meet our needs with sufficient room and lots of space for luggage. Ember the Customer Services Agent who served us was excellent and was efficient with our pick-up. Ember did not try to sell us any unnecessary cover as we had booked everything in advance. The only minor issue was Ember wanted details of my return flight for the drop-off, which took me a bit of time to find. The drop-off was very easy and seamless with a printed receipt provided on request. I did not purchase a tank of fuel so I filled up the tank before dropping of the vehicle. There are lots of gas stations in the local area.

S.Philpot

April 20, 2025

6Ok.

Expected a newer car but fine and was pleased with luggage space. Avis representative at Orlando gave the impression he didn’t want to be there.

April 9, 2025

Destination: Memphis

10It was car hire with no drama.

A pretty smooth experience in general. But they need to do a much better job of signposting their drop off locations. They seem to be closely guarded secrets!

j.sharp

March 19, 2025

4Very poor service from Budget

Car experience was very poor as mentioned car booked was not available When questioned why ? As had pre booked 3 months in advance I was told nothing they could do ? Did not care at tall attitude Car provided was filthy inside & out Tyre pressure warning light was on Had to stop and re inflated tyres Wash front & back windows to actually see out ! Will not use Budget again Dreadful service

T.Nathan

March 17, 2025

6Car great but I feel cheated

I was duped by the assistant who sold me additional breakdown cover without me knowing about it. I did sign the contract, but did not see that she had added this , despite the fact that I made it clear that I did not want / need any extras

S.Jobson

March 14, 2025

6A bit of a faff to begin with, but we got there in the end!

Even though the counter staff were extremly friendly and helpful initially when we arrived to pick up the car, I am not sure why we were told to go and get the convertible if they knew there wasn't one available.

I would have rather receive the car I booked RAV4 and not the Mazda SUV

A.Townley

March 13, 2025

Destination: New Orleans

7Great service and car… cannot fault

Car was mechanically sound and good car

C.Benbow

March 12, 2025

No issues

T.Rodger

March 4, 2025

10Wonderfully easy.

The collection and drop off of the car was simple with the desk staff being friendly and helpful.

Nathan Hughes

February 28, 2025

10Perfect Again!

Car was great exactly what we needed with great fuel economy.

Paul Soal

February 26, 2025

9Slow pick up

Car not available on arrival long queue for vehicle to be handed over

February 22, 2025

Destination: Sarasota

Everything was excellent apart from long delay at pick up. Just 2 hrs. Unacceptable.

M.Davis

6Great service from QEEQ but let down by Budget car rental!

I did the pre-check and downloaded the Budget app as they said it would save time. When we got to the rental area we had to queue for almost 2 hours. They 'upgraded' the car and then subsequently tried to charge extra. The counter operative was watching baseball on his phone while trying to serve me.

K.Gardner

8Easy communications from Qeeq, and on the whole a very easy process

We asked for a SunPass but the charges werent explained to us and we found the daily admin charge for this quite high.

R.Marshall

February 6, 2025

8Outstanding value and no hassle

There was a bit of a wait to pick up the car. Two staff were serving. They did make us wait outside the portacabin whilst they dealt with other customers - and it was actually cold that day! However, once we were served it went smoothly - no hidden charges or attempted "upselling" so this was much appreciated. The return was done quickly an efficiently.

Destination: San Diego

9San Diego is a very simple straightforward experience

Good modern facilities with little waiting

Tom

February 4, 2025

Destination: Miami Beach

10Perfect.

Smooth, quick and helpful

United States Car Hire