Useful tips on car rental in Phuket
Documents, prices, choosing a vehicle and routes: everything you need before your trip and behind the wheel on the island.
Driving licence and IDP in Thailand
Whether you need an International Driving Permit with your national licence and what the police check at checkpoints. Short version in the driver guide: Driver documents.
International Driving Permit for Thailand: How to Get One
Where to get an international driving permit for Thailand, which documents to bring, how long an IDP lasts and how to carry it with your national licence.
Read DocumentsCan You Drive in Thailand on a Russian Licence?
Whether a Russian licence is valid in Thailand without an IDP, whether a rental company will hand over a car, and what happens at a police check and with insurance after an accident.
ReadPrices and rental terms
What a car costs for a week, a month or a whole winter, plus the extra charges and risks of renting from a private owner.
How Much Does Car Rental in Phuket Cost? Price Breakdown
What makes up the price of car rental in Phuket: the car's rate, the season, the long-rental discount, delivery, insurance and the deposit. With tables and a market comparison.
Read Worked price exampleHow Much Cheaper Is Car Hire for 1 or 3 Months in Phuket?
One car, one start date and three terms: a Honda City from HKT airport for 7, 30 and 90 days. What a day, the rental and full insurance cost on each term.
Read SeasonCar Hire in Phuket in High Season and over New Year
What a car costs in Phuket in high and peak season, how far ahead to book for New Year, how to save and what the roads are like from November to March.
Read WinteringCar for a Winter Stay in Phuket: Price and Terms
What a car costs for several months, why renting for the season is simpler than buying a car or a scooter, which model suits living and working on the island, and how one contract covers the whole stay.
Read Worked price exampleEstimate: a Car for 90 Days in Rawai with No Deposit
A price-list estimate: a Toyota Yaris Ativ for three months from November, delivery and return in Rawai at the area rate, full insurance with no deposit. The total and the price per day.
Read SafetyCar Rental Pitfalls in Phuket: 5 Schemes and Hidden Fees
A passport held as a deposit, scratches that were there before you, insurance with no policy and a bill after return: five street-rental schemes and the questions to ask before you pay.
Read InsuranceRenting a Car From a Private Owner in Phuket: The Risks
Why renting a car from a private owner in Phuket is risky: owners usually have first class insurance for private use, a rental car needs commercial insurance, and the police check it.
ReadInsurance, accidents and breakdowns
What the insurance covers and what the excess costs, and what to do after an accident or a breakdown. Short version in the driver guide: What to do after an accident.
What Insurance Do You Need to Rent a Car in Phuket
Basic cover and Full Insurance, the excess and the deposit: what is included in the rental price and when you can drive with no deposit (full insurance from 7 days).
Read Insurance and depositRental Car Excess in Thailand: What It Is, What Pays Off
What the excess means in a Thai rental contract, how much it is at MonkeyCar, and when full insurance from 7 days beats basic cover with a deposit.
Read SafetyWhat to Do After an Accident in a Rental Car in Phuket
What to do after a crash in a rental car: who to call, what to photograph, why you need a police report even for a scratch, and what happens to the deposit.
Read EmergenciesWhat to Do If Your Rental Car Breaks Down in Phuket
What to do when a rental car breaks down, who pays for towing and repairs, how MonkeyCar arranges a replacement and how to avoid a breakdown that is your fault.
ReadWhich car to choose
When a car beats a scooter or a taxi, and which class suits a family with children.
Which Car to Rent in Phuket: Picking a Class for Your Trip
Which car to rent in Phuket for a couple, a family or a large group: economy, sedan, crossover, SUV, minivan or pickup. A table of models and seat counts.
Read Choosing transportCar or Scooter in Phuket: Which to Choose as a Tourist
A car and a scooter in Phuket compared: which is cheaper for a group, which is safer in the rain and on hill roads, which licence you need, and what to drive to Phang Nga and Krabi.
Read ComparisonTaxi in Phuket or Car Rental: Which Is Cheaper
How many rides a day it takes for a rental car to cost less than taxis and Grab, and why on a holiday longer than a few days a car almost always wins.
Read For familiesPhuket with Kids by Car: Seats, Which Car, Day Trips
Why your own car is easier with a child on the island, which body type fits child seats and a pushchair, where to go with kids and how to plan a day so the child does not get worn out.
Read Families with childrenChild Seat for a Rental Car in Phuket: Price and Choice
What a child seat and booster cost at MonkeyCar, what Thai law requires, which restraint a child needs by age, and how to check the fitting when you collect the car.
Read Worked price exampleEstimate: a Family for 10 Days in Karon in a Toyota Veloz
A price-list estimate: a seven-seat Toyota Veloz for 10 days in February, two child seats, full insurance with no deposit, pickup at HKT airport and return in Karon.
ReadAirport and pickup
How to get from Phuket airport and how booking and pickup work. Short version in the driver guide: Arriving in Phuket.
How to Rent a Car in Phuket: Step-by-Step Guide
Five steps from choosing a model to handing back the keys: documents, booking with no prepayment, the pickup inspection and getting your deposit back.
Read Getting aroundHow to Get from Phuket Airport: Taxi, Bus or Car
Taxi, Grab, bus or your own car: prices and travel time from HKT terminal to Patong, Karon and Kata, including at night and with children.
ReadDriving in Phuket
Left-hand traffic, parking, petrol prices, dangerous stretches of road and travel times between beaches. Short version in the driver guide: Thai road rules.
Which Side Does Thailand Drive On? Left: How to Adjust
Thailand drives on the left. A plan for your first 30 minutes at the wheel, what is mirrored, the common early mistakes and how to handle roundabouts.
Read Thailand's road rulesParking in Phuket: Kerb Markings and Fines
What red-and-white and yellow-and-white kerbs mean in Phuket, where parking is tight, what a fine and towing cost, and who pays in a rental car.
Read PracticalPetrol Prices in Thailand in 2026: Cost per Litre
The price per litre of Gasohol 91, 95, E20 and diesel, what to put in a rental car, how to fill up at a Thai station with an attendant and what fuel costs for a day on the island.
Read RoadsDangerous Roads in Phuket: Patong Hill, Promthep, Mai Khao
Patong Hill, the road to Promthep Cape, the northern straights near Mai Khao and mountain fog: where to slow down in Phuket and how to drive each stretch.
ReadWhere to go by car
Day routes around the island, trips to Phang Nga and Krabi, and ferries to the islands.
Where to Drive in Phuket: 5 Day Routes by Car
Five day routes around Phuket by car: the south and sunset at Promthep, Big Buddha and Wat Chalong, the Old Town, the northern beaches, Phang Nga.
Read RoutesPhang Nga by Car: How to Get There from Phuket
Driving to Phang Nga in a rental car: how long it takes to the piers from different parts of Phuket, where to park, how to see the bay and what to bring.
Read RoutesPhuket to Krabi Distance by Car: 160–180 km
Phuket to Krabi in a rental car: distance and driving time to Ao Nang from different parts of the island, a day trip or overnight, and what to see on the way.
Read RoutesFerries from Phuket to the Islands with a Car: Parking
Why the car cannot go to the islands, where to leave it at the Rassada and Bang Rong piers, what parking costs and how to plan a day tour.
Read RoutesPhuket to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan by Car: Donsak Ferry
The drive from Phuket to Donsak pier, Raja Ferry and Seatran car ferries, tickets, timetable and fares to Samui and Phangan, and where to leave a rental car.
ReadWhich area of Phuket should we deliver the car to?
Ready to hit the road?
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