Getting ready for your trip to Alabama? If you’re planning to rent a car for your visit, you might want to brush up on the statewide driving rules in Alabama.

Read on to find out more about the toll roads, speed limits and other key essentials you need to know before driving in Alabama.

Jump to a section:

• Quick rules of the road
• Speed limits
• Toll roads
• Driving ages
• Essential equipment
• Speed violations
• Driving with children
• Gas prices
• Electric car charging
• Driving between Alabama and other states
• Driving conditions

Quick rules of the road

• Drivers need to give way to vehicles at an intersection. This applies when driving across or within the intersection.
• Headlights are required from 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise.
• Drivers under 18 years of age aren’t allowed to use a cell phone while driving in Alabama. Drivers aged 18 years and above can legally use a cell phone to talk. Texting isn’t allowed under any circumstances.

Speed limits in Alabama

You may find some roads in Alabama have signs to mark the speed limit. But if you’re unsure about the speed limit in a certain area, you can use the following guidance.

Toll roads in Alabama

Alabama has four toll roads and expressways spread throughout the state. 

Montgomery Expressway Bridge

The Montgomery Expressway Bridge connects Montgomery to cities further north across the Alabama river.

From: Boylston

To: Millbrook

Cost for car: $1.50

Cost for truck: $1.75 (three axles) / $2.00 (four axles). Each extra axle is $0.25.

How to pay: Cash, credit card or the Alabama Freedom Pass.

Tuscaloosa Bypass

This toll road is the perfect route from Tuscaloosa to Northpoint if you’re wanting to escape traffic.

From: Tuscaloosa

To: Northpoint

Cost for car: $1.50 

Cost for truck: $1.75 (three axles) / $2.00 (four axles). Each extra axle is $0.25.

How to pay: Cash, credit card or Freedom Pass.

Emerald Mountain Expressway

Highway 231 is famous for its traffic, so this toll road offers an ideal workaround for those who want to avoid the hustle and bustle.

From: Dozier Road

To: East Montgomery

Cost for car: $1.75

Cost for truck:  $2.00 for three axles, $2.25 for four axles and $2.50 for five axles. Each extra axle is $0.25.

How to pay: Cash, credit card or Freedom Pass.

Foley Beach Express Toll Bridge

If you want to avoid the traffic lights and stoplights of Highway 59, this toll road in Foley, AL is the solution.

From: Foley

To: Orange Beach

Cost for car: $2.75

Cost for truck: $2.75 plus $1.00 for each additional axle.

How to pay: Cash, credit card or Freedom Pass. 

Driving ages and license requirements in Alabama

• The minimum driving age in Alabama is 16.
• The minimum age to rent a car in Alabama with Hertz is 20.

Find out more about renting under 25 years of age with Hertz.

Essential equipment to carry in your car in Alabama

In your vehicle, you must have your:

• Driver’s license
• Car registration
• Rental agreement – if applicable.

Alabama speed violations, infractions and penalties

You should expect a fine between $190 and $300 for breaking the speed limit in Alabama. Fines are doubled if a speeding violation occurs within a construction zone.

You’ll also get two to six points added to your driving record, based on the violation and how much over the speed limit you were driving.

Here are some examples of penalties for traffic violations:

• 1-25mph over the limit: 2 points
• 26mph or more over the limit: 5 points
• Driving on the wrong side of the road: 4 points
• Passing a stopped school bus: 5 points
• Not yielding right of way: 5 points
• Reckless driving: 6 points

In cases of reckless driving or speeding under dangerous conditions, you may also get a jail conviction.

Driving with children in Alabama

Below, you’ll find the car seat requirements you should follow when driving in Alabama.

• Rear facing child seats should be used for children up to one years old or weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Forward facing seats should be used until five years of age or 40 pounds in weight.
• Booster seats should then be used up to the age of six. You can then let your child use a seat belt.

There’s a penalty for failing to provide child car seats. A first-time offense has a one point penalty and a second time one equals two points.

Gas prices in Alabama

The average gas price in Alabama is $3.32 per gallon.

Based on manufacturers’ average fuel figures:

• For a small car like a Ford Focus, that’s about $0.09 per mile.
• For a larger family car like a Nissan Pathfinder, it works out at $0.12 per mile.

Gas price figures last updated October 31, 2022.

Electric car charging in Alabama

There are currently more than 200 public charging stations across Alabama, including 183 Level 2 EV charging stations, totaling 336 ports, and around 23 DC Fast Chargers – mainly located along the highways.

With a proposed infrastructure plan in place as part of the Drive Electric Alabama program, you can expect the number of charging points to rise in the coming years.

Driving between Alabama and other states

Fancy driving to a neighboring state? With Hertz, you can pick up your rental car from one of our locations in Alabama and drop it off elsewhere.

Take your pick from some of the nearest destinations, including:

• Georgia
• Florida
• Mississippi.

Driving conditions in Alabama

The average temperature year-round is 64°F. The summers are warm and humid, so it can be useful to choose a car rental with adequate air conditioning in Alabama.

Winters can see the temperature drop to around 48 °F, while rainfall is pretty even all year round with an annual downpour of 56 inches.