Honda Civic
★5.0· 79Automatic1.8 L141 hpFront-wheel5 seats
฿1,000per day
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By car to the Secret Buddha Garden
From ฿1,000 per day, our Koh Samui fleet has 24 cars — crossovers, minivans, SUVs and comfort sedans — and we deliver the car to any address on the island or to Samui International Airport (USM), with the address, date and time agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed.
Which car rental in Koh Samui suits the climb to Secret Buddha Garden
Secret Buddha Garden sits in the hills at the centre of the island, 26.7 km and about 32 minutes by road from Samui International Airport. Your choice of vehicle comes down to your group, your luggage and the season.
Why the last stretch decides your choice of car
The run towards Secret Buddha Garden starts on ordinary island asphalt — two lanes, one each way, no divider — and then climbs inland into the hills.
Which classes handle the Secret Buddha Garden road
We keep 24 cars on this page across four classes, and the split is deliberate:
- Comfort: 3 cars from ฿1,000 per day — sedans such as the Honda Civic and Honda Accord, fine for the ring road and the drive inland.
- Minivans: 7 cars from ฿1,200 per day — Toyota Avanza, Toyota Sienta, Honda Mobilio, Honda BR-V, Mitsubishi Xpander, Toyota Innova, Toyota Veloz, all 7 seats.
- Crossovers: 8 cars from ฿1,350 per day — Nissan Juke, Nissan Kicks e-Power, Honda CR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Peugeot 2008, Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross, Honda HR-V.
- SUV & 4x4: 6 cars from ฿1,700 per day — Isuzu MU-X, Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Land Cruiser FJ, Jeep Wrangler.
Car rental in Koh Samui for a trip to Secret Buddha Garden from the ring road
Where you begin that loop decides how much of the day the trip takes.
The route to Secret Buddha Garden by rental car
The ring road connects the lowland and the coast and carries every resort on the island, so you never need a map for the first half — just follow the loop and turn inland. From Samui International Airport the garden is 26.7 km and about 32 minutes by road, measured without traffic.
What the trip costs by class
| Class | Cars | From, per day | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort | 3 | ฿1,000 | cheapest dry-season run |
| Minivans | 7 | ฿1,200 | groups of 7 |
Weekly rates start at ฿6,000 and monthly at ฿21,000, so a longer stay lowers the per-day figure without changing the route.
Classes and models for a Secret Buddha Garden car rental
Four classes cover the climb to the garden, and the cheapest way up is a Comfort car from ฿1,000 per day. The paved 51 km ring road is easy in anything.
Classes and starting prices for car rental in Koh Samui
| Class | Cars | From, per day | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort | 3 | ฿1,000 | cheapest dry-season run |
| Minivans | 7 | ฿1,200 | groups of 7 |
Models we suggest for the garden trip
- Toyota Avanza: 7 seats, Petrol, Automatic, Rear-wheel, 1.5 L, 104 hp, ฿1,200/day — the cheapest seven-seater on this page.
- Honda CR-V: 5 seats, Petrol, Automatic, Front-wheel, 1.5 L, 190 hp, ฿1,650/day — at 190 hp, the strongest engine in the Crossovers class on this page.
Two more crossovers earn a mention for this route: the Toyota Corolla Cross (5 seats, Hybrid, ฿1,700/day) and the Mazda CX-3 (5 seats, 2.0 L, 156 hp, ฿1,800/day). Both are front-wheel drive.
If your group is five or more, the seven-seat minivans do the trip for far less per day than an SUV.
Prices for car rental in Koh Samui on a Secret Buddha Garden trip
Daily rates on this page run from ฿1,000 to ฿4,000, and the class you pick for the garden decides where on that scale you land. Longer bookings drop the per-day cost: weekly from ฿6,000, monthly from ฿21,000. Everything below comes off our own price list, not from a market survey.
What the daily rate includes
- VAT 7%: already inside the prices shown — no separate line at hand-over.
- Compulsory insurance (Por Ror Bor): attached to every registered car and covers injury to third parties.
- First-class (Class 1) insurance: covers damage to the car; its terms and the excess are set out in the rental agreement.
- Clean car, full tank: the car comes to you clean with a full tank.
- Rental from 1 day: a single-day run up to the garden is a normal booking, not a special case.
Weekly and monthly rates for the garden trip
- Monthly: daily x 21 — from ฿21,000, for a car parked at your accommodation for the whole trip.
- Group of seven: a Toyota Avanza at ฿1,200 per day, or a Honda BR-V at ฿1,500, spreads the weekly figure across more people.
The deposit, the insurance excess, any delivery fee and any discount are not quoted here — they are set out in the rental agreement, and the delivery address, date and time are agreed with a manager before the booking is fixed. Ask for the class you want by name and we will confirm what is free on your dates.
Booking car rental in Koh Samui for Secret Buddha Garden with a manager
How the booking conversation goes
- Dates and duration: tell us your arrival and return dates, and the trip length — hire starts from 1 day, and longer bookings are charged weekly at daily x 6 or monthly at daily x 21.
- Delivery point: the car comes to any address on the island, including Samui International Airport (USM); a delivery fee, if any, is agreed when booking.
- Your group: how many seats you need — 4, 5 or 7 — and whether the final climb to the garden is on your list, so we can point you at the right class.
- Driver and documents: passport, home driving licence, International Driving Permit unless you hold an ASEAN licence, and a bank card in the main driver's name for the security hold.
What we need from the main driver
The minimum driver age is 21, and conditions for drivers under 25 and for premium classes are set out in the rental agreement. A bank card in the main driver's name is used for the security hold; the amount is set out in the agreement, and we do not quote it over the phone. If you are planning the garden run in the October–December rains, say so when you book.
Confirming and collecting
Since 30 December 2025 a car rental agreement in Thailand is a contract controlled by the OCPB, written in Thai, with all fees and penalties disclosed inside it, so read it before you drive off. Traffic-camera fines are issued to the car owner and re-invoiced to the renter, which is worth knowing on the ring road.
Documents and insurance for car rental in Koh Samui to Secret Buddha Garden
What you need to drive legally
- International Driving Permit: a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP must sit alongside your national licence under section 42 bis of the Motor Vehicle Act; ASEAN nationals drive on their national licence alone.
- Passport: your identification document, kept with the licence while the car is with you.
- Bank card in the main driver's name: used for the security hold; the amount is set out in the rental agreement.
- Fine for driving without the permit: ฿500–1,000, and an insurer may refuse a claim — the single most expensive shortcut on this island.
Insurance that covers the garden road
Every registered car in Thailand carries compulsory motor insurance, Por Ror Bor, which covers injury to third parties and travels with the vehicle rather than with the driver. Damage to the car itself falls under first-class, or Class 1, insurance, and the excess, together with what the policy actually pays for, is agreed when booking. We hand over a clean car with a full tank; walk round it and photograph any existing marks at hand-over, and read the cover before you drive rather than after. Drivers must be at least 21; the rules for younger drivers and for the premium classes are agreed when booking.
Before you climb to the garden
In October and November, when monthly rainfall climbs to 294.9 mm and 444.6 mm, every hill road is a slower, wetter drive. VAT 7% is already included in the prices shown, and since 30 December 2025 a car rental agreement is a contract controlled by the OCPB, written in Thai, with every charge and penalty spelled out inside it. Camera-issued penalties go to the registered keeper and are re-invoiced to the renter, so keep to the limit on the ring road.
Road rules for your car rental in Koh Samui to Secret Buddha Garden
Below that, the drive to the garden has its own rules — alcohol limits, child seats, speed, and a surface that changes with the rain.
The legal side of the climb
A foreign visitor needs a home driving licence plus an International Driving Permit (1949 Geneva Convention; section 42 bis of the Motor Vehicle Act); the police fine for driving without one is ฿500–1,000 and an insurer may refuse a claim. Citizens of ASEAN countries may drive on their national licence. The drink-drive limit is 50 mg% in blood, and 20 mg% for drivers under 20 or on temporary licences; the sanction runs to a year in prison, a fine of ฿5,000–20,000, or both, plus at least six months without a licence — refusing the test counts as admitting it. Children under 6 travel in a TISI-standard child seat, and below 135 cm they use a seat or a special restraint in cars, pickups and minivans; the fine reaches ฿2,000. Every passenger, including the back row, wears a belt.
What the road itself does
- Surface damage: potholes, sometimes deep, plus flooding after rain and oil patches left by refuse trucks.
- Animals: animals wander onto the asphalt.
- Pulling off the track: the rental agreement prohibits off-road, beach and jungle-track driving, so the car stays on made surfaces.
- Parking at the kerb: red-and-white and yellow-and-white kerbs are no-parking; an operator quotes a ฿500 fine for it.
Rain, and how it changes the plan
October through December is the wettest stretch of the year, and any hill road is slower when wet.
Speed and paperwork on the day
Traffic-camera fines are issued to the car owner and re-invoiced to the renter. The blue tax sticker on the windscreen shows the year in the Buddhist calendar (Gregorian plus 543) and must be current on a hired car — check it before you drive off, along with the belts in the back row.
What to plan before your Secret Buddha Garden car rental
A trip to Secret Buddha Garden rewards a little planning more than most stops on the island.
- Check the weather the night before: the wettest stretch of the year runs from mid-October to early December, and a soaked surface changes the climb completely.
- Fill the tank first: petrol stations on the island stock E20, 91 and 95, but many take cash only, so keep notes on you before you head inland.
- Carry water and cash: most island fuel stations take cash only.
- Agree your delivery slot with a manager: the address, date and time are fixed when booking, so tell us where you are staying and when you want the car.
From Samui International Airport the garden is about 32 minutes by road, which leaves room for the waterfalls and the Lamai viewpoint on the same day.
Pack your home driving licence and an International Driving Permit, since both are needed here, and keep them with you rather than in the boot. Everything else — the security hold, the excess, any delivery fee — is set out in the rental agreement and confirmed when booking.