A Car for a Winter Stay in Phuket: What Does It Cost and How to Arrange It?

The term discount lowers the daily price. The calculator applies it by itself to the total number of days, no promo code needed, and the longer the stay, the higher the tier.

A seasonal surcharge applies on top by date: middle season April 1 to May 15 and October 1 to December 14 (+25%), high season January 11 to March 31 and December 15 to December 24 (+60%), peak season December 25 to January 10 (+85%). So a December to March stay costs more than the same term in summer. A full 90-day estimate is worked through in a Yaris Ativ in Rawai with no deposit.

• Compact (Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz): the lowest rate and fuel use, enough for a couple or one person.
• Sedan or crossover for a family: boot space for a pushchair and shopping, steadier on the highway.
• The Hyundai H1 minivan costs ฿2,950 a day at the base rate, for a large family or group.

For one season, renting a car is simpler than buying. Buying takes a large sum upfront and paperwork as a foreigner: a registered address, documents, visits to the transport department. Servicing, insurance and tax fall on the owner, and before you leave the car has to be sold, which in the last weeks often means a discount.

Buying a scooter is often suggested as the cheap option. A foreigner can buy one, but selling it at a good price before the flight does not always work out, and insurance, servicing and gear come on top. Safety weighs most against it: in Thailand most road casualties are on motorcycles and scooters, and months of daily riding on wet roads only build up that risk. MonkeyCar rents cars only; there are no scooters in the fleet.

For short daily trips (home, coworking, shops, the gym) a compact hatchback such as the Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris is enough. It is economical and easy to park at coworking spaces in Old Town and Chalong, where space is tight. A crossover is worth it if you regularly drive further at weekends, for example to Phang Nga.

A family wintering together needs boot space for a pushchair and a week's shopping, which means a sedan or a crossover, and two families will want a minivan. The classes are compared in which car to take in Phuket. Meetings are often in new places: the phone holder at MonkeyCar is free, and an offline Google Maps area downloaded in advance helps if mobile data drops out on the road.

A booking for several months works like a weekly one: online with no prepayment, and if the car is free we confirm the booking straight away. Give an approximate term straight away, because the discount is based on the total number of days. There is one contract for the whole term, and you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before handover.

Demand peaks from December to February and cars for long terms go first, so book a winter stay early. Prices by model for a month or more are on the monthly rental page, and for three months or more on the long-term rental page.

• Documents: your passport and national driving licence. An IDP is not required for handover but is recommended: without one you can be fined at a checkpoint, and after an accident the missing IDP gives the insurer an argument. How to get one is covered in the International Driving Permit guide.
• A second driver is added to the contract and should get an IDP too: over a winter both adults usually drive.
• Your passport is not taken as security.

Basic insurance is included in the rental price, and the cars are insured for commercial use. With the basic policy the excess is ฿5,000: up to that amount you are liable for damage to the car. The deposit is refundable, and its amount is shown on the car's page.

Full Insurance costs 35% of the rental, at least ฿3,000, is available from 7 days and removes the excess together with the deposit. Over a winter this is handy, since you do not tie up a large sum for months. The terms are on the no-deposit rental page, and the policies are compared in which insurance you need.