By car to Khanom beaches

Khanom is 26.5 km and about 30 minutes by road from the Raja ferry pier at Don Sak. The 24 cars on this page start from ฿1,000 per day, and we deliver the car to any address on Koh Samui and to Samui International Airport (USM).

Why travellers book car rental in Koh Samui for a trip to Khanom

Khanom is 26.5 km and 30 minutes from Don Sak pier, so after the crossing a hired car turns the trip into one short drive.

What the trip from Samui to Khanom actually involves

The crossing runs Lipa Noi to Don Sak with Raja Ferry Port, about 1 h 30 min, hourly 05:00–19:00, 15 sailings a day. Raja runs the route with roll-on capacity for cars; the fare is set by the Surat Thani provincial order — ฿640 for a car and ฿200 per passenger — and is paid separately from the rental. Peak windows are 05:00–06:00 and 12:00–16:00, when a full deck triggers an extra sailing; the holiday stretch from 30 December to 30 April adds departures on the same principle. Khanom itself is the quiet side of the crossing — the nearest mainland beaches to the pier. The ferry is the long leg, not the drive, so build the day around the sailing times rather than the road.

What car rental in Koh Samui for a trip to Khanom costs

Four classes, 24 cars, one price ladder from ฿1,000 to ฿4,000 per day. The class you pick changes the daily rate, not the ferry bill — a 7-seater pays the same ฿640 car tariff as a sedan.

Daily rates by class

Weekly and monthly rates

Weekly rentals start from ฿6,000 (daily × 6) and monthly from ฿21,000 (daily × 21); VAT 7% is included in the prices shown. A Khanom crossing rarely needs a month, but a week covers the ferry days, the 26.5 km from Don Sak pier and the island time around them at a lower per-day rate. Our fleet runs automatic throughout, from a Honda Civic at ฿1,000 to a Jeep Wrangler at ฿4,000, so the ladder is the only real decision. A bank card in the main driver's name is used for the security hold, and the amount is set out in the rental agreement.

What the daily rate does not cover

The ferry is paid separately, for the car and for each passenger. Raja Ferry Port charges ฿640 for a four-wheeled car, jeep, van or pickup together, and ฿200 per passenger on the Don Sak–Lipa Noi run. Fuel is on you: island stations sell E20, 91 and 95, and most take cash only. A 7-seater carries the whole group for one car tariff plus ฿200 per passenger, which is where the class maths actually lands. Delivery to any address on Koh Samui and to Samui International Airport (USM) is agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed, and a delivery fee, if any, is agreed when booking.

Picking a car for the Khanom crossing with Koh Samui rental

On the ferry the car tariff is the same for every class, so the class that fits the Khanom run is decided by seats, luggage and fuel — not by the cheapest daily rate.

Which class suits which group

• Comfort: 3 cars from ฿1,000, sedans with 5 seats — the Honda Civic, Honda Accord and Nissan Teana suit a couple with two cabin bags.
• Minivans: 7 cars from ฿1,200, 7 seats — the Toyota Avanza, Toyota Sienta, Honda Mobilio, Honda BR-V, Mitsubishi Xpander, Toyota Innova and Toyota Veloz.
• Crossovers: 8 cars from ฿1,350, mostly 5 seats — the Nissan Juke, Nissan Kicks e-Power, Honda CR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Peugeot 2008, Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross and Honda HR-V.
• Diesel: the Isuzu MU-X, Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner.

Models in the fleet

Our 24 cars run from a Honda Civic at ฿1,000 a day to a Jeep Wrangler at ฿4,000, every one of them automatic. Hire starts from 1 day, and the car arrives clean with a full tank.

Documents and driving rules for car rental in Koh Samui for a trip to Khanom

The rules below apply to the whole run, from the island ring road to the Don Sak turn-off.

What you need to drive legally

• Home driving licence: your national licence, valid for the whole hire.
• International Driving Permit: the 1949 Geneva Convention permit, required alongside the home licence under section 42 bis of the Motor Vehicle Act. Citizens of ASEAN countries drive on their national licence.
• Bank card: in the main driver's name, used for the security hold; the amount is set out in the rental agreement.
• Age: minimum 21. Conditions for drivers under 25 and for premium classes are set out in the rental agreement.
• Tax sticker: the square blue hologram on the windscreen carries the year in the Buddhist calendar (Gregorian + 543) and must be current — check it before you leave the delivery point.

Driving without an International Driving Permit carries a police fine of ฿500–1,000, and an insurer may refuse a claim after an incident.

Speed, alcohol and the rules that catch visitors out

• Alcohol: 50 mg% in blood is the limit; 20 mg% applies to drivers under 20 and to holders of temporary licences. Sanctions run to a year of imprisonment, a fine of ฿5,000–20,000 or both, and a licence suspension of at least six months. Refusing the test is treated as an admission.
• Child seats: children under six must ride in a TISI-standard seat, and anyone below 135 cm needs a seat or a belt. The fine is up to ฿2,000. This comes from the 13th amendment to the Land Traffic Act 1979, published in the Royal Gazette in May 2022 and in force since 17 August 2023.
• Seat belts: every passenger wears one, including the rear row.
• Kerbside parking: red-and-white and yellow-and-white kerbs are no-parking. The ฿500 figure local operators quote is their own, not the text of the law.

Ferries, insurance and the paperwork that covers Khanom

Compulsory motor insurance, Por Ror Bor, covers injury to third parties and is attached to every registered car. Since 30 December 2025 a car rental agreement is a contract controlled by the OCPB — written in Thai, with all fees and penalties disclosed in it.

Taking a car across to the mainland is not automatic in this market. Many operators on the island refuse mainland travel outright, usually because a breakdown or a collision on the other side is expensive to resolve.

The route from Samui to Khanom by rented car

The drive itself is short; the ferry is the long leg of the journey.

The ferry leg: Lipa Noi to Don Sak

Raja Ferry Port runs the crossing from Lipa Noi pier to Don Sak every hour from 05:00 to 19:00 — 15 sailings a day in each direction, about 1 h 30 min on the water. The 05:00–06:00 and 12:00–16:00 departures are the busiest, and when the queue of cars fills a sailing the operator adds an extra one. Seatran Ferry also works the Don Sak route, with ports at Nathon and Bang Rak on the island side, and it offers queue booking for cars and large motorcycles. Confirm Seatran sailings and the car tariff for your date when booking.

The mainland drive from Don Sak to Khanom

• Distance and time: 26.5 km and roughly 30 minutes from the Raja pier at Don Sak — a machine measurement without traffic, so allow more in the afternoon.
• Fuel on the mainland: island pumps sell E20, 91 and 95, and most take cash only; fill up before you board rather than hunting for a station after Don Sak.

Where the route continues

From Don Sak the road also runs to Surat Thani city at 66.1 km and 61 minutes, to Surat Thani International Airport at 94.0 km and 91 minutes, and on to Khao Sok National Park at 191.8 km and 173 minutes.

Insurance and the rental agreement

Two layers of cover sit behind every car we hand over: compulsory motor insurance, attached to the registered vehicle by Thai law, and first-class cover for the car itself.

What each layer of cover does

• Por Ror Bor: the compulsory policy that follows the registration plate, not the driver; it answers for injury caused to other people, and it does not repair the car in your hands.
• Class 1 insurance: the policy that deals with damage to the vehicle itself; its terms and the excess are set out in the rental agreement.
• Excess: the share of a claim that stays with you is not a figure we quote here — it is written into the agreement.
• Security hold: a bank card in the main driver's name carries the hold; the amount is set out in the agreement.

The agreement itself, and what it discloses

Since 30 December 2025 a car rental agreement in Thailand is a contract controlled by the OCPB — it is written in Thai, and all fees and penalties are disclosed in it.

Documents the agreement rests on

• Passport: carried by the main driver.
• Home driving licence: valid, and held alongside the permit below.
• International Driving Permit: 1949 Geneva Convention, required for visitors from outside ASEAN under section 42 bis of the Motor Vehicle Act.
• ASEAN licences: nationals of member states drive on the licence issued at home, with no permit needed.
• Bank card: in the main driver's name, used for the security hold.

The police fine for driving without a permit runs ฿500–1,000, and an insurer may refuse a claim — which is the one line in the agreement worth reading twice before you drive off towards Lipa Noi.

When to book car rental in Koh Samui for a trip to Khanom

Ferry pressure and the dates that fill up

Raja Ferry Port sails Lipa Noi to Don Sak every hour from 05:00 to 19:00, 15 crossings a day, about 1 h 30 min each way, and puts on an extra sailing when the deck fills. The peaks are 05:00–06:00 and 12:00–16:00. Book the car first and pin the sailing to it: a ferry ticket without a confirmed vehicle is the wrong order of events.

Weather windows worth knowing before you fix a date

October to December is the wettest stretch of the island year, and November is the peak at 444.6 mm over 16.5 rain days, against 64.3 mm and 4.3 rain days in February. Mid-October to early December brings flooded road sections and a higher risk on slick asphalt. July and August are not a monsoon here — they are a summer demand season.

• Wettest months: October, November and December — November alone carries 444.6 mm; leave slack in the plan for a slower mainland leg.

How far ahead we advise booking

Our fleet on this page is 24 cars across four classes, from ฿1,000 to ฿4,000 per day, and the 7-seaters suit a group crossing. Weekly rates start at ฿6,000 and monthly at ฿21,000, so a trip that stretches past a few days is worth pricing as a longer booking before you commit to a daily one. If your dates sit in the peak, ask early — a manager can tell you what is still open in the class you want, and the deposit and the excess stay as set out in the rental agreement.

Before you set off on your Koh Samui to Khanom car rental trip

A car that goes onto a ferry needs checking before it leaves the island, not at the pier. The run to Khanom is short on the mainland side — 26.5 km and about 30 minutes from the Don Sak pier — but the crossing itself is 1 h 30 min, and anything you left undone on Koh Samui is much harder to fix once the ferry has sailed.

• Fuel: island pumps sell E20, 91 and 95, and most take cash only — fill up before Lipa Noi pier.
• Ferry timing: Raja Ferry Port runs hourly from 05:00 to 19:00 in both directions, 15 sailings a day, with extra sailings when queues build during the 05:00–06:00 and 12:00–16:00 peaks.
• Ferry ticket: the provincial tariff is ฿640 for a four-wheeled car, jeep, van or pickup, and ฿200 per passenger; the crossing is booked separately from the car.
• Rain: October to December is the wettest stretch of the year — November alone averages 444.6 mm across 16.5 rain days — and flooded sections and slick asphalt are the two things to plan around.
• Documents: carry your passport, home driving licence and, unless you hold an ASEAN licence, an International Driving Permit; the police fine for driving without one is ฿500–1,000 and an insurer may refuse a claim.
• Children: under 6 years they need a TISI-standard child seat, and below 135 cm a belt or a special seat; the fine runs up to ฿2,000.

Two habits save the most trouble on this route. Drive on the left with the steering wheel on the right, and keep the rental agreement to hand: it is written in Thai, all fees and penalties are disclosed in it, and since 30 December 2025 it is a contract controlled by the OCPB. The second habit is timing — leave the island on a morning sailing rather than the midday peak, and you reach Khanom with daylight left for the beach.

We hand the car over clean and with a full tank, and hire starts from one day. Anything about the deposit, the insurance excess or a delivery fee is set out in the rental agreement, and the delivery address, date and time are agreed with a manager when booking.