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

December 2, 2025

Destination: Phuket

10Excellent

I always rent a car from them when I travel.

November 29, 2025

Destination: Bangkok

The car rental service was excellent, with very short waiting times in line and for the car.

November 25, 2025

It's great.

November 24, 2025

8Very good

No forced insurance upsell, and they even provided a free upgrade to a Honda City.

November 20, 2025

Used it for the second time, and it's great.

It's okay, you can rent a car right after landing, super convenient.

November 18, 2025

Destination: Chiang Mai

Satisfied

November 17, 2025

Absolutely pleased! No waiting in line, staff had already informed us via WhatsApp and were waiting for us at the pickup point.

November 14, 2025

The car was in excellent condition, the pickup process was super smooth, and communication was hassle-free.

November 10, 2025

Absolutely amazing!

November 5, 2025

It was a great experience.

November 4, 2025

This car rental was cheap, but there was a long queue to get the car. I've been renting cars in Thailand for 10 years, and this is the first time I got a brand-new one with only 78km on it. But I suspect it's a refurbished car because the license plate wasn't red. It had Bluetooth, but I couldn't connect it. The car maxed out at 100km/h and struggled to reach 120km/h. The performance was lacking, but hey, for just 130 baht a day, you can't expect perfection!

October 30, 2025

When I returned the car, I rushed into the shop and simply said 'Return car please.' The staff immediately realized I was in a hurry to catch a flight. Without any hesitation, they told me not to unload my luggage and directly hopped in the car to drive me to the airport. The car return inspection took less than 10 seconds—fantastic service!

Dana Frank

October 28, 2025

When renting the car, they provided a receipt with a QR code that gives the Google location for the return address, which is very convenient. The car was also cleaned very well. Pretty good.

Mignon Archibald

Good service attitude, straightforward process.

Kama Boswell

Although the staff's English wasn't very fluent, they had prepared translation photos in advance, which were clear and easy to understand.

Kimberley Howell(s)

October 26, 2025

No hidden charges, the whole process was very quick, took about half an hour.

Michelle

October 25, 2025

The car is old and makes strange noises, but everything else is acceptable.

Shinsuke Kuwabara

October 24, 2025

BKK airport staff always nice

Eli Buck

October 22, 2025

Everything is very convenient except for the lack of a counter.

Abel Pulitzer

Very satisfied

Gary Tom

October 21, 2025

Excellent!

Matthew Horatio

October 20, 2025

It's acceptable.

Allen Bertram

Roxanne Bacon

October 17, 2025

The service was attentive and friendly.

Ogden Gard(i)ner

October 16, 2025

I've rented from Hertz several times, and it's always been great. They provide sedan cars equipped with collision warnings and lane reminders, which are quite useful.

Ford Middleton

They upgraded my vehicle, and I believe this is one of the best cars in Thailand.

Cecilia Arnold

October 15, 2025

Very good, no need to wait in line. The entire process takes 5-10 minutes, and returning the car only takes 5 minutes.

Jeffrey Carnegie

October 13, 2025

The pickup and drop-off are convenient, the service is great, and I will rent here again next time.

Beatrice Juliet

Destination: Krabi

Very professional.

Sharon Walker

Oscar Evelina

Overall, very good and quite efficient. Definitely a good choice.

Baird Andrew

Destination: Haad Yai

Very good. The Thai girl at the counter spoke English without any issues and answered all my questions clearly.

Eleanore Ferguson

October 12, 2025

Pretty good.

Steven Bush

The car was brand new. Pick-up was at the DRIVE signage store, and return was at the parking lot's furthest spot.

Abner Thodore

The car rental service was excellent.

Isabel Jim

Easy to locate, great service, provided the car an hour early, and even offered water!

Lisa Betty

Very satisfied with the experience.

Herman Milne

October 11, 2025

The process was simple and efficient. The part about insurance was only briefly mentioned without any upselling. The counter location was easy to find, and the instructions were very clear. A special mention for the car: when I saw it had 200,000 kilometers on the odometer, I was initially worried, but the exterior was almost flawless, and the car's condition was excellent. Driving was smooth, and the whole experience was perfect.

Marina Pitman

October 10, 2025

ASAP doesn't have a counter, but the car was in excellent condition, only over 20,000 kilometers, super fuel-efficient. The staff were very nice. However, I would suggest having a basic level of English if you're renting a car. This time, I traveled to Krabi and Phuket, and having a car was incredibly convenient.

Les Strong

The process for picking up and returning the car was very simple and smooth. The vehicle was in great condition, and the inspection for return wasn't overly strict—it was approved after a quick check.

Joanna Shakespeare

The service was excellent.

Hulda Hutt

The service is great.

Victor Chong

10Nice, easy and simple

Great car and easily manage.

Claude Peter

October 9, 2025

Great service.

Lena Saxton

The vehicle is fuel-efficient and runs well. I will continue using this platform to rent cars for future trips abroad. Suvarnabhumi Airport, Level 1, Pillar No. 7.

Lou Benjamin

Very good experience! The staff were excellent! Although there wasn't a dedicated counter, the staff would wait in advance! Perfect score!

Renata Tate

The overall condition of the car was excellent, very new and clean.

Truda Jones

October 8, 2025

Our flight was delayed, but we informed QEEQ customer service in advance. The store patiently waited for us. The car rental desk was very easy to find by following the signs. The staff were very efficient.

Ivan Keppel

Great service and relatively new vehicles.

Thailand Car Rentals