Canada traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

Canada traffic rules and self driving car rental tips | QEEQ

The complete Canada driving and rental guide

Like its southern neighbour, Canada is very much dependent on driving. There is no shortage of scenic towns and destinations across the country and driving may be the best way to explore. Here is a brief driving guide aiming at easing your mind while on the road.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs
Driving in Canada is on the right with overtaking on the left. Since winter weather conditions may make driving challenging, we strongly advise you to check the weather conditions before travelling and be well equipped. Do not also forget to save emergency numbers in your cell phone.
- Speed Limit
  Unlike its neighbour, Canada uses metric units. Distance and speed are marked in kilometres and kilometres/hour. There is a speed limit of 50 km/h in town and 80 km/h on highways. A typical speed limit for the freeway in most provinces is 100-110 km/h.
- Traffic Signs
  Notably, for the most parts, Canadian traffic signs employ two languages-- English, French or both, and some incorporate indigenous language such as “Cree”. There are basically 4 types of Canadian traffic signs: regulatory, warning, information and direction.
  Stop Sign (French and English) Stop Sign (Inuktitut and English) Stop sign (Cree)
  Canada has not joined in the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, explaining why the road traffic system looks different to what we usually see in Europe or other countries.
  
  Its regulatory signs mostly feature a circular shape, with some exceptions.
  No Stopping No Left Turn No Overtaking Yield
  You will not see a common maximum speed sign in Canada, contrarily to some other countries. The maximal speed sign is usually rectangular, with a black writing on a white background.
  Maximum Speed Limit
  Most Canadian warning signs are diamond-shaped with black lettering or symbols on a yellow background.
  Stop Ahead Dead End Bump or Uneven pavement on the Road Ahead Be Alert for Animals Railway Crossing Ahead
  In Canada, information signs show where you are, what road you are driving on or how to reach certain places. These signs normally feature a rectangular shape with green or blue background.
  Hospital Nearby Gas Available Ahead Accommodation Ahead
  As for directional signs, they are usually rectangular with a green background, and inform drivers about the direction or distance in kilometres to neighboring towns and cities.
  Directions to Nearby Towns and Cities Distances in Kilometres to Towns and Cities on the Road
  You may refer to this complete manual of standard Canada traffics signs and pavement markings for a better knowledge.
Seatbelt and Child Safety
- Seatbelt Laws
  As for seatbelt law, every Canadian province makes it compulsory for the driver and all passengers to wear seatbelts whilst the car is moving. Failing to do so will result in a fine that varies according to the province.
- Booster Seat Laws
  Children of 8 years old and under must be properly secured in a child seat restraint system until they are at least 145 cm tall or 36 kg. Children who weigh less than 9 kg must be secured in a rear-facing car seat.
  
  Age and other requirements vary by Canadian province or territory. You may use this as a reference or an idea for the child safety laws when travelling with your kids in Canada, but it is advisable for you to check individual provincial rules before you set for the road.
Parking, Fuel and Toll
- Parking
  Parking regulations vary across provinces and territories and are normally the responsibility of municipalities. But you do not need to worry as signage states clearly for the permitted and forbidden parking on all streets.
  
  · Permitted Parking
  
  Street parking is usually only permitted in the direction of traffic. In some smaller roads, parking is only allowed on one side of the road.
  
  Plenty of car parks are available in most of the cities. Prices vary greatly from one city to another and can be very high in cities like Vancouver. Parking can be paid by a ticket machine, a metre at the side of the road, or by a parking attendant at a public parking lot. Failing to pay for parking in these areas may result in a fine.
  (Image from i.cbc.ca)
  (Image from cbc.ca)
  
  · No Parking
  
  Street parking in some residential areas is not allowed in the winter. There are signs indicating when parking is not allowed.
- Fuel Prices
  The average price for Canada gasoline price in January 2018 is 1.36 Canadian dollar, while diesel cost 1.01.
- Toll
  There are several toll roads in Canada such as The Ontario Highway 407 and The Cobequid Pass (Highway 104). All of the toll roads have utilized Electronic Toll Collection system.
  (Image from o.canada.com)
  
  If you are planning to drive on these toll roads, you can choose to opt into the e-toll system with your car hire company. Normally, the terms are stated in the rental contract provided by the car hire company at the rental desk. These terms should let you be aware that your credit card may be debited 4-8 weeks after you return the car. If you use an Alamo, National or Enterprise rental car, it is advisable to go to check with the Highway Toll Administration site to find out the details of the toll collected.
  
  You are always welcomed to reach out to QEEQ' 24/7 customer service team for assistance or clarifications in matter regarding tolling.
Traffic Violation
- DUI Laws
  Canada has very strict laws on drunk driving. The limit is the same as in the UK which is 80mg per 100ml of blood but lowered to 50mg in some provinces. If you already have a drink driving conviction on your licence within the last five years, you will be refused entering at the Canadian point of entry.
  
  Punishment varies by provinces but all are treated very seriously. The minimum punishment for a first offence is a $1000 fine and a year's licence suspension.
- Traffic Fines
  Speeding in Canada can be fined from $100 to over $400 depending on provinces.
  
  For the spot tickets, follow the instructions on the paper to proceed to the payment. It is advisable to pay fines directly when you are still in the city.
  
  For tickets issued from cities of Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal, you can log in the city's website to check the details and pay for them by entering your ticket number( or plus with the licence plate number).
Driving Licence and Age Requirements
To legally rent and drive a car in Canada, you will need a driving licence issued by the government which has been held for at least 2 years. If your domestic driving licence is not in English, an International Driving Permit (IDP/IDL) or an official translation in English is required when you drive in Canada.

The minimum driver age for renting a car at a Canadian rental office is 21 years old. This age may vary according to the state and car category rented.
Read more details

*Please be aware that rules are subject to change. QEEQ.COM will try the best to maintain the accuracy of this information.

Guest reviews

Alamo
9 - "The car was newer than expected, and it seemed the exterior and interior of the car had just been cleaned before the pickup, which was very good and not something to be taken for granted these days. Pickup was a bit long but probably the previous customer had some special issues which might not be the problem of the staff concerned. Some outstanding issue with the charges adjustment which are currently handled under the help of QEEQ Support Staff. "
Routes
3.3 - "Routes did not give us the car we rented, they downgraded us saying the insurance we got doesn't cover the car that we ordered which was a lie. Additionaly, they did not allow for a G2 driver's license holder to drive which is also a scam. We should have been notified in advance about this limitation."
Alamo
10 - "i will work with Alamo again 100%"
AVIS
10 - "Nice upgrade to a large SUV which was a great bonus"
Alamo
10 - "Car was upgraded to hi end SUV. Brand new ready fully fuelled and ready to go. Was fully covered with insurance. "
Thrifty
9.3 - "everything was good "
AVIS
9.7 - "Booking the car out took longer than expected. They tried to sell additional insurance that we didn't want."
Budget
10 - "It was nice to get the Tesla as a mystery car ... "
AVIS
6.7 - "Une fois arrivé à Japser le personnel d'accueil nous a fait comprendre que nous avions réservé un SUV avec des pneus 4 saisons, or leur SUV disponibles était que avec des pneus hiver et donc voulaient nous ajouter 20$/jours en plus ainsi qu'un supplément car nous retournions la voiture à Calgary et non à Jasper, soit un total tout confondu de plus de 290$. Après de longues minutes en nous appuyant sur notre bon de location sur lequel était inscrit le prix et le lieu de retour du véhicule ils acceptent enfin d'enlever le supplément pour le retour de véhicule mais reste encore 140$ de pneus neige que nous ne voulions toujours pas car lors de notre réservation sur votre site nous n'avions pas eu le choix du type de pneus. Il a appeler son manager qui n'a apparement pas voulu retirer cette charge. Mais l'employé à quand même diminué à 100.28$ de reste à charge (donc il a quand même réussi à diviser par 3 la note du début ce que je trouve inadmissible si nous n'avions pas insisté) Nous voilà parti avec ce reste à charge que nous étions obligé de payer sans quoi nous n'aurions pas eu notre véhicule. Nous arrivons sur le parking pour récupérer le véhicule, que nous découvrons avec une grande fissure sur le pare-brise qui est en pleins dans le champs de vision du conducteur (ce qui affecte la bonne visibilité de celui ci) ainsi que de nombreux impact dans le pare brise. Chaque matin entre le gel de la nuit, le chauffage de la voiture et le soleil qui tape. La fissure n'a cessé de grandir jusqu'à doublé au cours du séjour. Nous avons découvert en regardant les pneus qu'il s'agissait de pneus 4 saison homologué hiver (M+S). Au retour du véhicule je signal cela à l'agent en lui montrant que sur internet cette marque et modèle de pneus sont des 4 saisons homologué et non uniquement des pneus hiver, qui lui me contredit en disant que c'est des pneus hiver parce que c'est marqué dans son ordinateur et refuse donc de m'enlever les 100.28$ de frais de pneus hiver."
Thrifty
9 - "We booked a grand Cherokee jeep but you did not have in stock. The car we were offered was smaller without winter tyres. We had to upgrade to a premium car as it was our only choice which cost us double the original quote. Not impressed. "
Dollar
10 - "Friendly and helpful staff"
Thrifty
6.7 - "Thrifty are absolute scam artists. Did not tell us about the extra fees. Ended up paying almost double the amount. Pathetic service "
Hertz
10 - "Fui muito bem atendido, conseguindo inclusive um carro de categoria superior."
Thrifty
6.3 - "Nous avons attendu 2h45 pour récupérer notre réservation à l'aéroport car le véhicule n'était pas prêt."
Thrifty
9.7 - "Excelente, solo un poco sucio de la carroceria"
Thrifty
7 - "La voiture a été impliqué dans je ne sais quoi et apparemment c'est avec le client qui avait loué la voiture avant moi ce qui fait la police est venue me contrôler à mon hôtel et j'ai été obligé de revenir échanger la voiture le lendemain "
ACE
9.3 - "They need a much better system for pickups. You call; they say someone is on their way. You wait. You call; they say someone is on their way. You wait. You call; they say someone is on their way. You wait. It is only a 5-minute drive."
AVIS
8.7 - "spent more time when picked up than expected little problem with the brakes"
CNR
10 - "The car was perfect, excellent condition. Henry in CNR was an absolute delight to have. Can’t recommend highly enough. "
Routes
10 - "GOOD "
Hertz
10 - "UPGRADED OK"
Dollar
10 - "AS EXPECTED"
Dollar
7.7 - "The car broken After one day Slide door not close ,I and my babies freezing with -5 C temperature ,i got exchange as well as the new car i got problem with slide door . It is very tired when you have baby with baby chair and one slide door not open Chrysler grand caravan "
Thrifty
7.7 - "I was truly disappointed that at time of drop off Thrifty refused to provide a local ride to my work (less than 3 km), even though it is indicated they provide pickup and drop off rides to their customers at their website. The staff simply indicated that they are busy and cannot provide rides at time of drop off! I had to hire a taxi for $15.. Also, instead of a pre authorization for a deposit, Thrifty had already charged me $350 for a deposit which I have not yet received back post 4 day."
Hertz
9.3 - "Para arrendar no estaba en linea la opción con neumáticos para nieve (muy importante en Calgary) en invierno).Eso hizo demorar y no conocer el costo con anticipación. Al coche también faltaba la opción calienta volante."
City Car Truck
7.3 - "They don't have early morning hours. I dropped the car off at 7 am (which isn't that early), but they don't apparently open until 9 am on Sunday. So I left the car parked in front of the door and put the keys in their drop box. I then needed to hire an Uber to take me to the airport. Which needless to say is very inconvenient. On Tuesday I get a call asking where the car is as it was supposed to be dropped off on Sunday. They also tried to charged my credit card even though they had the vehicle. Apparently, no one checked their drop box. Nor did they recognize their vehicle. Will not use this outfit again. "
Thrifty
10 - "Thé car i received exceeded my expectations. We were so pleased with the service, the car. We felt safe all the way from pick up to drop off. "
AVIS
8.7 - "Dear Avis company, Everything was good from your side, however I booked Sedan Car or Similar but Avis gave me Hatchback car or similar, In Hatchback car rate are cheaper. Kindly Issue me some refund"
Budget
9 - "All good"
AVIS
8.7 - "친절함에 감사드립니다."
Hertz
10 - "The personal service was excellent and we did get a Grand Cherokee 4WD which ave us the space and safety we needed. However, I was amazed to find a modern (50K+) can with no satellite navigation or parcel shelf/luggage area cover. We couldn't leave anything in the car out of site. For an airport booking we think this was quite poor. "
Dollar
10 - "The car was very clean and the counter staff were very helpful"
Alamo
10 - "Tout c est très bien passé "
ZOOM
8.3 - "Be very careful while boling thru this agency. They advertised on the QEEQ website that they have 3000 km mileage limit but then the fine print says only 200kms per day. It would have been good if they were clear upfront. Also these guys charge cad 1000 deposit which is very high compared to the others. Also they didn't give the car with full fuel so while returning have to do a juggling act to make sure you don't underfill gas "
Dollar
10 - "Everything smooth!"
Thrifty
9.3 - "Counter was not crowded during this time of the year, The car was as expected size & model same as advertised, it could have been better if there was heat in the steering. The staff at the counter was nice, gave me a few helpful tips I think his name was Kegan, Thank you. "
Hertz
10 - "A1"
Thrifty
10 - "The car was a surprise as I was hoping for a Toyota Rav4, what I got was a Kia Sportage. Nevertheless, the car performed perfectly, was very comfortable and did well driving on snow. The availability of snow tyres was only apparent at the point I was picking up the car. I wish there was an ability to choose this beforehand."
Thrifty
10 - "Same great treatment "
Thrifty
9.7 - "We did wait a long time to get our car as there were two customers ahead of us and their process was far lengthier than ours. There was only one customer service person working and this greatly slowed the process, but her handling of each group was excellent. Despite the 5-6 groups waiting for service she remained calm and gave her full attention to each of us. The car was great."
City Car Truck
10 - "As usual City was flawless. Speedy service, great vehicle, very competitive pricing, can't really ask for more in a rental company. That's why I keep coming back! "
Dollar
6.7 - "I rented an SUV but we could not fit all our luggage in the trunk. We had 2 medium suitcases and 2 duffle bags but we could only fit 1 suitcase and 1 duffle bag in the trunk. It felt uncomfortable to leave our other luggage in the back seat when we parked in stops along the way. "
Thrifty
10 - "Great service, excellent location and good car."
AVIS
8.3 - "Got a free upgrade, everything straightforward and easy. Good service."
ACE
4.7 - "The car itself was fine, but the overall experience was poor. Pick up did not go well having to wait 20+ minutes for the airport shuttle, then a further hour or so sorting out all the paperwork. This included being told I had to pay extra for 'their insurance' having already upgraded insurance on the original booking. When I booked the car it was good value for money but with this 'extra insurance' that they insisted I purchased it was comparable with other more reputable brands. To be honest, I was fearing the worst dropping the car back. There were several stressed customers there not happy about the insurance 'extras' and/or the time it was taking (reflecting my own experience). However, drop off was relatively straightforward although I was kept waiting about 20 minutes for the shuttle to return me to the airport. All in all, not a good experience and I will be careful to check reviews / use a more reputable company in the future. "
AVIS
8 - "The service people at the pick up were rude and unfriendly since 2 women were picking up the car! To the men in front of us they were more than friendly including giving free upgrades! Vehicle had to be taken back after 6 days due to technical difficulties! Had to drive to two different cities to accomplish this! Frustrating!!"
Alamo
8.3 - "Nous aurions aimé lors de la restitution du véhicule avoir un écrit pour dire que le véhicule rendu était en parfait état. On a rendu les clefs et au revoir. "
City Car Truck
9.7 - "Quick and efficient rental process online and in person. Wasn't able to change to an awd on the day but ended up not requiring it."
National
10 - "Très bon loueur, tout a été rapide et agréable. Merci"
Thrifty
8.7 - "Au moins 90 mn pour récupérer le Véhicule ! Pas de GPS dans le véhicule ! Contraint de changer de niveau de véhicule d'où une surcharge."

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Frequently asked questions

Q1.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.
Q2. How can I add an addtional 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 applys to the additonal driver. The addtional driver is supposed to present the required licence document along with the main driver at pickup.
Q3.What if I want to pick up or drop off my rental car out of office hours?
QEEQ will show you the car offers available at your chosen time on the search results.
However, pick-up or drop-off out of general opening hours may subject to an extra fee unless self-service pick-up or drop-off is available.
After you reserve a car on QEEQ, we will inform you of specific policy of the car hire company by email.
Q4. Can I take the hired car to another country or cross border?
If you want to pick up your car in one country and drop it in another, your search results will show you cars you can do that with.
If you're planning to cross any borders during your trip, bear in mind:
1. You may have to pay more.
There are often extra fees, taxes or additional cover you'll pay at the car hire counter.
2.It may not be allowed.
Depending on where you're hiring, you may not be able to take your car to another country.
Please email us if you want to take your hire car into a different country during your trip, and we'll talk you through your options.
Q5. Can I pick up my car at one location and return it at different location?
Yes. You can pick up the vehicle in one place and drop it off in another. An ‘one-way fee’ will incur. Whether it is inclued in the rental price or what additional cost may arise will be clearly stated at the time of booking on QEEQ.
Please inform the car hire company of your drop-off location when you pick up the vehicle or contact them directly during your trip. You will find a phone number on the rental agreement you signed at pickup.

Any question? Just visit our Help Page.

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Canada Car Rentals

The complete Canada driving and rental guide

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

Speed Limit

Traffic Signs

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

Booster Seat Laws

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

Fuel Prices

Toll

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

Traffic Fines

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

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Best car rental deals in Canada

Frequently asked questions

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