from ฿750
per day
Car rental in Thailand
Kenan AlkanCity and intercity driver
Published Updated
If you need car rental in Thailand, we deliver the car to you — 322 vehicles across Phuket, Bangkok, Koh Samui and Pattaya, from ฿690 per day, with weekly rates from ฿4,140 and monthly from ฿14,490. You choose the class and the dates, and a manager agrees the delivery address, the date and the time with you before the booking is fixed.
What car rental in Thailand with Rent-Trip includes
How self-drive hire works at Rent-Trip
We deliver the car to your address, and the delivery address, the date and the time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed. You choose the class and the dates, a manager confirms the delivery point with you, and the car arrives there — you drive it yourself for the whole booking, from the first kilometre to the last. Conditions for drivers under 25 and for premium classes are set out in the agreement. A bank card in the main driver's name is used for the security hold; the amount is set out in the agreement. Since 30 December 2025 a car hire agreement in Thailand is a contract controlled by the OCPB, written in Thai, with all fees and penalties disclosed in it.
Where we deliver
- Phuket: delivery across the island and to Phuket International Airport is free, and mileage here is unlimited.
- Bangkok: we deliver the car to any address in the city and to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Don Mueang Airport (DMK).
- Pattaya: we deliver to any address in the city and to U-Tapao Airport (UTP), Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Don Mueang Airport (DMK).
- Koh Samui: we deliver to any address on the island and to Samui International Airport (USM).
- Elsewhere: delivery is arranged case by case and is not promised on the site.
What is included in the price
- VAT 7%: already included in every price shown, so ฿690 is the figure you pay per day, not a figure plus tax.
- A clean car with a full tank: the car is handed over washed and fuelled, so your first stop is the road, not a petrol station.
- Hire from 1 day: no weekly minimum, which suits a short stay as well as a long one.
- Compulsory motor insurance (Por Ror Bor): attached to every registered car and covering injury to third parties.
Choosing a car for car rental in Thailand
Our fleet on this page is 322 cars across 12 classes, from 2 to 12 seats, with prices from ฿690 to ฿150,000 a day. What follows is how the classes differ, which models sit in each, and which one fits a given trip.
Classes of car rental in Thailand by price and seats
| Class | Cars | From, per day |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 55 | ฿690 |
| Electric | 55 | ฿850 |
| Crossovers | 41 | ฿1,050 |
| Minivans | 39 | ฿1,200 |
| SUV & 4x4 | 34 | ฿1,590 |
| Comfort | 28 | ฿1,000 |
| Premium | 25 | ฿3,500 |
| Pickup trucks | 23 | ฿1,250 |
| Luxury | 8 | ฿16,000 |
| Convertibles | 7 | ฿8,500 |
| Exotic | 4 | ฿35,000 |
| Sports | 3 | ฿15,000 |
Economy and electric car rental in Thailand
The MG MG3 is the cheapest car on this page at ฿690 a day, and the BYD Dolphin is the cheapest electric at ฿850. Electric also gives 55 cars: alongside the BYD Dolphin sit the GWM Ora Good Cat at ฿900 and the Nissan Leaf at ฿950. On an electric car, charging stops have to be planned into the route.
Family and group car rental in Thailand
- Minivans: 39 cars from ฿1,200 a day, the default choice for seven or eight people travelling with luggage.
- Seat counts: the fleet runs 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11 and 12 seats, so an eleven- or twelve-seat minivan covers a large group.
- Trip length: weekly rates start at ฿4,140 and monthly at ฿14,490, so a longer booking lowers the cost per day.
Premium and luxury car rental in Thailand
- Premium: 25 cars from ฿3,500 a day, the step above Comfort at ฿1,000.
- Luxury: 8 cars from ฿16,000.
- Sports: 3 cars from ฿15,000, with the lowest availability on the page.
- Convertibles: 7 cars from ฿8,500, the open-top option for coastal roads.
- Exotic: 4 cars in Bangkok, each at ฿35,000 a day; the ฿150,000 top of the range is the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in Luxury.
Conditions for premium classes are set out in the rental agreement — check them before you choose.
How much does car rental in Thailand cost
Daily rates on this page run from ฿690 to ฿150,000, and the class you pick decides where you land in that band. Rent-Trip publishes one price per car per day, with VAT 7% already inside it, so the figure you see is the figure you pay for the day itself.
How the daily rate turns into a weekly or monthly price
- Weekly rate: daily rate multiplied by 6 — a car at ฿690 a day comes to ฿4,140 for the week.
- Monthly rate: daily rate multiplied by 21 — the same car comes to ฿14,490 for the month.
- Hire from 1 day: shorter bookings are charged at the plain daily rate, with no minimum beyond the first day.
The multiplier is fixed and applies across the fleet, from the cheapest Economy hatchback to the Exotic tier. That makes the arithmetic easy to run yourself before you book: take the daily rate of the car you want and multiply by 6 for a week or by 21 for a month.
What sits inside the price and what is agreed separately
- VAT 7%: included in every price shown on this page, at every class level.
- Clean car, full tank: the car is handed over washed and fuelled.
- Unlimited mileage on Phuket: a condition of the Phuket market, useful if your route loops the island more than once.
- Security hold: taken on a bank card in the main driver's name; the amount is set out in the rental agreement.
- Delivery fee, if any: agreed when booking, so the total is settled before the car moves.
- Insurance excess and premium-class conditions: set out in the rental agreement, not quoted here.
Petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric models are all in the fleet, and on a 44.9 kWh or 63.1 kWh battery the recharge bill depends entirely on where you plug in — worth checking before you commit to a long electric loop.
Where the money goes across the classes
Economy holds the entry point at 55 cars from ฿690, and Electric sits right beside it at 55 cars from ฿850. Crossovers start at ฿1,050, Comfort at ฿1,000, Minivans at ฿1,200 and Pickup trucks at ฿1,250, while SUV & 4x4 begins at ฿1,590.
The spread between the cheapest and the dearest car on this page is wide enough that the class matters more than the length of the booking. A month in an Economy hatchback at ฿14,490 costs less than three days in an Exotic, so if the trip is long and the car is transport rather than the point of the holiday, the lower tiers carry the value. Decide what the car is for first, then let the weekly or monthly multiplier do the rest.
Documents and licence rules for car rental in Thailand
A foreign visitor driving here needs two documents to stay legal: a home driving licence plus an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Section 42 bis of the Motor Vehicle Act makes the permit a requirement, and the police fine for driving without one runs ฿500–1,000.
Who can drive a Rent-Trip car
The minimum driver age is 21. Conditions for drivers under 25 and for premium classes are set out in the agreement, so if you are booking a Luxury or Exotic vehicle, read those clauses before the booking is fixed. Citizens of ASEAN countries drive on their national licence and do not need an International Driving Permit. Everyone else carries both documents — the home licence and the permit — and keeps them in the car for the whole hire. A bank card in the main driver's name is used for the security hold, and the amount is set out in the agreement.
Documents to bring to the hand-over
- International Driving Permit: the 1949 Geneva Convention booklet, carried alongside the home licence.
- Bank card: a card in the main driver's name; it is used for the security hold.
Insurance and the paperwork behind it
Compulsory motor insurance, Por Ror Bor, covers injury to third parties and is attached to every registered car here. First-class (Class 1) insurance covers damage to the vehicle itself; its terms and the excess are set out in the agreement rather than quoted as a figure here. Since 30 December 2025 a rental agreement is a contract controlled by the OCPB: it is written in Thai, and all fees and penalties are disclosed inside it. That matters on the road — traffic-camera fines are issued to the car owner and re-invoiced to the renter, so a camera on the Motorway 7 does not stop at the company. If a charge is not written in the agreement, ask the manager to point to the clause before you sign anything.
Insurance and driving rules that apply to car rental in Thailand
Thai traffic keeps to the left and every car is right-hand drive — the first thing to internalise before you leave the delivery point. Our cars are registered locally, so compulsory motor insurance (Por Ror Bor) is attached to each one and covers injury to third parties. First-class (Class 1) insurance covers damage to the car itself; its terms and the excess sit in the agreement, not on this page.
What you need to drive legally
- International Driving Permit: a foreign visitor needs the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP alongside the home licence — section 42 bis of the Motor Vehicle Act is what the police check against.
- ASEAN citizens: drivers from ASEAN countries may drive on their national licence, with no permit required.
- Passport: carried as identification, together with the licence and permit.
- Age: the minimum driver age is 21; conditions for drivers under 25 are set out in the agreement.
On top of that, a rental agreement here has been a contract controlled by the OCPB since 30 December 2025: it is written in Thai, and every fee and penalty is disclosed inside it. Read that document before you sign, because it — not a website summary — is what both sides are held to.
Speed, alcohol and cameras
| Rule | Limit or penalty |
|---|---|
| Built-up areas | 80 km/h |
| Outside built-up areas | 90 km/h |
| Motorways (M7, M9) | 120 km/h |
| Expressways | 110 km/h |
| Alcohol, drivers under 20 and provisional licences | 20 mg/dl |
| Drink-driving sanction | Up to 1 year in prison, ฿5,000–20,000 fine, or both |
| Licence suspension | At least 6 months |
| Refusing a breath test | Treated as an admission |
| Child seats, children under 6 | TISI-standard seat required, fine up to ฿2,000 |
| Seat belts | All passengers, including the rear row |
Speed cameras on Motorway 7 enforce the 120 km/h limit, and how a fine is handled is set out in the rental agreement.
Picking up and returning a car rental in Thailand
The hand-over is where hiring a car either goes smoothly or eats an afternoon of your trip.
How the hand-over works
The car arrives clean and with a full tank; rental is available from 1 day. Have your passport, your home driving licence, an International Driving Permit unless you hold an ASEAN licence, and a bank card in the main driver's name ready for the security hold — the amount is set out in the rental agreement. The minimum age to get behind the wheel is 21; if you are under 25 or booking a Luxury or Exotic vehicle, read those clauses in the agreement first. Since 30 December 2025 the paperwork you receive is a contract overseen by the OCPB: it is written in Thai, and every charge and penalty appears inside it.
Where we bring the car
- Phuket: delivery across the island and to Phuket International Airport is free, and mileage on Phuket is unlimited.
- Bangkok: any address in the city, plus Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Don Mueang Airport (DMK).
- Pattaya: any address in the city, plus U-Tapao Airport (UTP), Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Don Mueang Airport (DMK).
- Koh Samui: any address on the island, plus Samui International Airport (USM).
- Elsewhere in Thailand: arranged case by case and not promised on the site.
Returning the car
Bring the car back in the condition you took it in. A fixed camera on the motorway can reach you after you have flown home, because the fine goes to the registered owner and is passed on to whoever was driving — settle any you know about before the return. Taking the car on a ferry or outside Thailand is agreed when booking.
Driving in Thailand beyond the rental desk
Thai roads run by their own logic, and the first thing to absorb is that traffic keeps to the left and every car on this page is right-hand drive.
Speed limits and how they are enforced
- Built-up areas: 80 km/h is the posted ceiling in towns and cities, including Pattaya City, which the law names directly as a built-up area.
- Outside built-up areas: 90 km/h on ordinary roads, rising to 120 km/h on motorways such as Motorway 7 and Motorway 9.
- Expressways: 110 km/h, and 100 km/h on elevated sections.
- Cameras: the 120 km/h limit on Motorway 7 is enforced primarily by speed cameras, and a camera fine is issued to the car owner — that is, to the company — then re-invoiced to the driver.
- Fines: up to ฿1,000 for a speed offence, though the receipt is usually written at ฿500.
Signs can lower any of these limits, and the sign wins.
Alcohol, seat belts and children
The drink-driving rules here are tiered rather than uniform. The sanction for a breach runs to up to a year of imprisonment, a fine of ฿5,000–20,000, or both, plus a licence suspension of at least six months — and refusing the test is treated as an admission. Seat belts are compulsory for every passenger, including the rear row. Children under six must travel in a child seat built to the TISI standard, and anyone shorter than 135 cm needs a belt or a dedicated seat; the fine reaches ฿2,000. Parking against a red-and-white or yellow-and-white kerb is prohibited, and companies quote ฿500 for it.
Fuel, ferries and the paperwork behind the wheel
Petrol stations sell gasohol 91, gasohol 95 and E20, alongside diesel in B20 and Hi Diesel S grades. Taking the car on a ferry or outside Thailand is agreed when booking. A foreign visitor drives on a home licence plus an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, as section 42 bis of the Motor Vehicle Act requires; ASEAN nationals drive on their national licence. The police fine for driving without the permit is ฿500–1,000, and an insurer may refuse a claim. If a document or a condition is not clear to you, ask the manager who arranged the booking — a two-minute question before you pull away beats an argument at the roadside.