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.

Germany traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

The Complete Germany Driving and Rental Guide

Whether for leisure or daily use, driving is very popular in Germany, which is said to feature the most well-established and fast Autobahns. However, not all motorways in Germany have unlimited speed restrictions. You are allowed to drive as fast as the circumstances allows on 50% of the motorways, while for the other half are limited from 80 to 130 km/h, which are enforced.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

Driving in Germany is on the right side of the road. On Autobahns, one must take the right lane and overtake from the left.

Speed Limit

There is a speed limit of 50 km/h in rural areas and 100 km/h in built-up areas. Recommended maximum speed on motorways is 130 km/h.

Traffic Signs

German traffic signs can be classified into 4 types: regulatory, warning, information and direction signs.

Warning Signs

Warning signs are in red triangle shape with a few exceptions.

Bumpy Road

Level Crossing

Pedestrians

Children Crossing

Wild Animals Crossing

Regulatory Signs

German regulatory signs mostly feature circular shape with a red border, with some exceptions.

Give Way

Stop and Give Way

No U-Turn

No Overtaking

No Passenger Car

Information Signs

Information signs normally feature a square shape as well as blue background, with some other exceptions.

First Aid or Hospital

Car Park, Parking Garage

Toll Road

Stop-Customs

Direction Signs

German direction signs mostly feature a blue or yellow background and markings with location signs, route number information and distance.

Motorway Junction Sign to Service Area

Signpost at Junction Leading Onto a Minor Road

Diversion Sign

End of Diversion

Take a further step to read more useful information regarding Germany traffic signs here.

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

The driver and all passengers are required by law to wear seatbelts if the car is underway. Failing to do so will incur an on-the-spot fine of €30.

Booster Seat Laws

Children over 150cm tall can sit in the front of the car. Younger ones will require appropriate restraints in the rear. Note that a baby must be seated in a baby seat facing backwards in the front passenger seat, and the front airbag must be disabled. If the child seat is not set properly, a fine of €60 will be imposed.

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

· Permitted Parking

Drivers are allowed to park when a “Parkschein” can be found, and can pay the related parking fee to a parking machine. Insert coins to pay for the amount of time you wish to keep your parking spot. then place your ticket on the car’s dashboard in plain sight.

Germany Parking Machine Sign (Image from hiveminer.com)

· Permitted Parking

In Germany, you are considered "parked" if you leave your vehicle or if you stop/stand for longer than 3 minutes, unless you are actively boarding or discharging passengers or loading/unloading cargo.

You may not park in the following spots:

- Within 5 metres on either side of an intersection

- In front of driveway entrances or exits, or on the opposite side of the street

- If the roadway is too narrow to allow vehicles to enter or exit the driveway

- If parking will obstruct the use of marked parking places

- Within 15 metres on either side of a bus or streetcar stop marked with a green H-sign with yellow background

Germany_Traffic_Sign_Bus_or_Tram_Stop_15m_Parking_Prohibition_Prior_to_And_Behind_This_Sign_30m_Altogether

- Within 50 metres on either side of a white X-sign with red poles when outside of urban areas or within 5 metres when inside an urban area

Germany_Traffic_Sign_X_Sign_Give_Priority_to_Rail_Transport

- On a priority road outside of urban areas

- In front of a curb-cut or wheelchair ramp

- Adjacent to a traffic island or median

- On the street side of another parked vehicle ("double parked")

- On a marked bike lane - Anywhere there is a “No Parking” sign on the same side of the street

Germany_Traffic_Sign_No_Parking

Parking in forbidden areas will result in a parking fine that generally ranges from €5 to €25.

Fuel Prices

The average value for Germany gasoline price is €1.39 in January 2018 while diesel is €1.16.

Toll

Unlike trucks, passenger car can drive the Autobahn without toll fee.

However, cross a border into neighbouring countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Czech Republic will require purchasing a vignette that should be stuck on the car’s windshield. Make sure you let the car hire company know if you are planning to drive your vehicle outside Germany, and double-check at the counter whether the rented vehicle features the relevant vignette.

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

Drivers with more than 2 years' experience are charged with a fine if found driving with 0.05% BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) or with 0.03% in conjunction with any other traffic offences or accidents.

Traffic Fines

There are traffic signs indicating a speed limit at many street sections. Drivers who are speeding in Germany may be caught by a speed trap and the fine ranges from €15 to €680 in town and €10 to €600 outside towns.

Germany Speed Trap （Image from ksta.de)

Travellers renting a car in Germany may receive billing details from their credit cards indicating that a certain amount has been debited, mainly because they have been found guilty of speed driving or prohibited parking. You can always contact QEEQ' 24/7 customer service team for clarifications on such cases.

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

Foreigners on short-term visit may rent a car and drive with a valid foreign driving licence for up to 6 months in Germany. All licences issued by the European Union are accepted. To drive in Germany, the driver must present a valid national driving licence that has been held for at least 1 or 2 years (according to different car hire companies).

You must be at least 18 years old to hire a car in Germany, and age may vary by car category.

Guest reviews

1 /

Anonymous

March 19, 2026

Destination: Frankfurt

8Very good

The wait in line to pick up the car was pretty long.

March 18, 2026

Destination: gottingen

10Excellent

Second time renting here and I’m just as happy as the first. It wasn’t crowded, the car was ready to go in advance and the staff were really friendly.

March 17, 2026

Pretty good overall.

March 8, 2026

Service was decent, nothing to complain about.

March 7, 2026

Destination: Stuttgart

Very professional and efficient.

March 6, 2026

Pretty professional overall.

March 4, 2026

Destination: Munich

Super satisfied with everything.

February 24, 2026

Destination: Berlin

Super happy with the whole experience.

Staff were really friendly and I got exactly the car I’d booked.

February 22, 2026

Consistently excellent, as always.

February 14, 2026

Absolutely excellent

February 13, 2026

They didn’t have the VW I booked, so they upgraded me to a Nissan SUV instead. The car was brand new and drove really well. Honestly, an amazing rental experience!!

February 11, 2026

February 10, 2026

Really happy with the whole experience.

February 9, 2026

Everything was great! As soon as I landed, it was super easy to find them, and picking up and returning the car was really convenient.

Really great experience overall.

February 4, 2026

The original car wasn’t available, so they switched me to an Audi A6.

February 2, 2026

The car was practically brand-new and drove even better than a Mercedes. Plenty of power, and the seats could be easily adjusted back and forth for a really comfortable drive.

January 28, 2026

Staff at the pickup counter were super nice, the whole process was really quick, and there were no hidden steps or pushy upselling. Big thumbs up.

January 7, 2026

Super convenient.

January 1, 2026

Super satisfied with the whole experience.

December 25, 2025

December 20, 2025

December 19, 2025

The car was really new and way more high-tech than I expected. Super easy to connect CarPlay and everything, plus it had a full 360° parking camera, which was great.

December 1, 2025

Destination: Dusseldorf

Really great service, the staff have a good attitude, are capable problem solvers, and don't cause any trouble.

November 26, 2025

The trip was very satisfying.

Overall, the service was quite satisfactory, but the €58 late fee after 10 PM felt a bit steep.

November 23, 2025

The front desk staff were warm and welcoming.

It's located on the first floor of the airport, so it's fairly convenient.

November 22, 2025

The German guy gave me a free upgrade to a Tiguan.

Absolutely great.

November 17, 2025

Very friendly.

November 15, 2025

Destination: Bremen

The explanation was clear, but they gave me a lower grade car, which was noticeably smaller.

Highly satisfied.

November 11, 2025

This is a rental company under Sixt, sharing the same pickup location as Sixt. The service is great and the place is easy to find.

November 9, 2025

The car was in great condition, performed well, and the service from the rental company was excellent.

November 4, 2025

I'm quite satisfied with everything, it's really convenient.

October 31, 2025

The line at the airport rental desk was quite long, but picking up the car was easy. I grabbed the keys and walked to the parking lot myself. Returning the car was pretty smooth too—just followed the signs to the designated return area, left the keys inside, and the staff simply let me go. Super convenient! I booked a Ford Focus but ended up with a Renault ARKANA. The car was in great condition, just 18,000km on it, and drove really smoothly. However, the in-car navigation was terrible—either the network was bad or the system itself had issues. The GPS stuck on one spot the whole time but still somehow kept prompting me to make random turns. In the end, I had to rely on my phone’s navigation app.

The car was in great condition and very easy to drive. The staff were friendly and patient, making it an awesome experience.

Zebulon Lena

October 28, 2025

Good service attitude, and the pickup location is easy to find.

Ben Emily

Originally rented an economy SUV but was given a Volkswagen Golf hatchback instead; couldn't fit the luggage and had to upgrade to a Tiguan. The latest model Tiguan is really great. Drove 2600 kilometers with it, very stable, which is surely related to the car being new. No unnecessary or deceptive fees. However, car options in Munich were limited, and rental prices were relatively high; I recommend renting in Hamburg instead. Additionally, the return process was efficient, and the deposit refund was quick. Great service.

Wayne Raymond

October 27, 2025

Very good.

Ogden Bill

October 26, 2025

There was a one-hour delay during car pickup, but fortunately, it didn't affect much. The car was in good condition, and the procedures were simple. On the last day, the tire had a slow leak. QEEQ customer service was very proactive in providing assistance, but the road assistance service in Germany was disappointing and very slow to respond. Both pickup and drop-off were at Frankfurt International Airport Terminal 2.

Zebulon Abraham

October 24, 2025

Morning flights at Terminal 2 are limited, so there's not much waiting time. When picking up the car, they might try to sell you insurance. Just inform them that you've already purchased comprehensive coverage in your home country.

Neil Margaret

Destination: Erding

Not bad.

drobbs_f

Mr. Ali at the pick up, and Ms. Jolina at the drop of where super helpful and friendly. It is of the modern times that they had to claim for a good review. I don`t like this necessary part.

Amanda Veblen

October 21, 2025

When we went, there weren't many people, so the process was quite smooth. The customer service staff followed the standard procedure.

Hermosa Charlotte

October 20, 2025

I have rented with QEEQ before. Their customer service is excellent, very responsive, the rental location is easy to find, and the process is smooth.

Augus Toby

Destination: Cologne

There was a promotion for towing insurance and similar services.

Len Carter

October 19, 2025

The process was relatively quick. There was a bit of upselling, but after I politely declined, they didn't persist.

Germany Car Rentals