Car or Scooter in Phuket: Which to Choose?

For two or more people a car is almost always cheaper and safer; a scooter only wins for an experienced rider travelling alone, light and not far. The main differences are in the table.

For one person travelling light, a scooter is cheaper. Two people with bags are cramped on one scooter, and four need at least two. A compact such as the Nissan Almera or Honda Jazz costs from ฿1,180 a day, and that is split between everyone: half the rate each for two, a quarter for four. Add fuel for every scooter, rain ponchos and taxis in a downpour, and the price gap disappears.

From 7 days a 8% term discount applies, and the calculator adds it automatically. What makes up the total is explained in how much car rental costs in Phuket.

For a beginner, a scooter in Phuket is dangerous. In Thailand most road casualties are on motorcycles and scooters, and tourists new to local conditions are especially exposed. Steep descents to Kata and Karon, slippery roads in the rainy season (May to October), left-hand traffic and heavy traffic add up, and a scooter has no body and no seat belts. Phuket is not the place to learn to ride.

In a car the body protects you in a minor collision, seat belts hold you under hard braking, and on hill descents the car is more stable. The trickiest stretches on the island are in Phuket's dangerous roads, and tips for left-hand traffic help you get used to driving on the left.

A car needs category B and a scooter needs the motorcycle category, and one does not replace the other. To collect a car from MonkeyCar your passport and national licence are enough, but at checkpoints the police check the IDP, which is valid only together with your national licence. Without an IDP you risk a fine, and after an accident the missing permit gives the insurer an argument.

Riding a scooter without the motorcycle category counts as riding without a licence. The category has to be obtained at home and added to your IDP in advance; it cannot be done in Phuket. How to get an IDP is covered in the International Driving Permit guide, and whether a Russian licence is enough in Russian licence or IDP.

A car suits couples, families with children, groups, anyone with luggage, and anyone planning to drive a lot around the island or go to Phang Nga or Krabi. A scooter wins only for an experienced rider travelling alone, light and close to where they stay, and in Patong traffic jams. For most visitors to Phuket a car is the sensible choice.

MonkeyCar rents cars only; there are no scooters in the fleet. A couple will manage with the economy class, a family with children is better off in a crossover, and a group of five or more fits a minivan.

Pickup and return at HKT airport cost ฿0, delivery to a hotel or villa follows the district rate, and the price shows in the calculator. There is no prepayment: you pay at pickup in cash (baht, dollars or euros at the exchange-office rate) or by card through a terminal with a 7% bank fee.

Basic insurance is included in the price, and the excess with the basic policy is ฿5,000. The deposit is refundable and depends on the model. Full insurance is available from 7 days, costs 35% of the rental, at least ฿3,000, and removes the excess together with the deposit; see the no-deposit rental page. Your passport is not taken as security.