Scooter rental in Pattaya

Scooter rental in Pattaya starts at ฿200 a day for a Yamaha Fino 125 and goes up to ฿1,200 for a Honda ADV 350, and half of the 28 models here cost ฿315 or less. Below: engine classes, why one model costs different amounts, week and month arithmetic, licence, helmet and deposit rules, Koh Larn and the season.

What ฿200 to ฿1,200 a day buys

Every one of the 28 scooters in this section has a daily starting price, so the whole range can be read on one scale — and most of it sits in a narrow band.

Five groups across 28 models

The 250-baht core of the market

Nine of the 28 models start at exactly ฿250 a day, from the Honda Click 110 and Scoopy 110 to the Yamaha Fazzio 125, GT125 and Grand Filano 125 Hybrid. The Rent-Trip section on this page brings together 17 Honda models, 10 Yamaha models and one GPX, and the middle of their prices is ฿315: fourteen models cost ฿300 or less, seven fall between ฿300 and ฿450, and seven ask more. Only one scooter goes below the core — the Yamaha Fino 125 at ฿200. In practice, scooter rental in Pattaya is a choice between dozens of similar automatics at ฿250–300 and a short list of bigger machines that cost two to almost five times as much. For a first budget, then, ฿300 a day buys almost any 110–160 cc model; the price only climbs steeply once the engine passes 300 cc.

One model, several prices

The figure on a card is a starting price, and the same model can cost noticeably more at another rental shop in town. A Honda ADV 160 is offered at ฿400, ฿500 and ฿600 a day; a Honda Forza 350 at ฿800, about ฿1,030, ฿1,200 and ฿1,500; a Yamaha XMAX 300 at ฿800 and ฿1,200. Smaller scooters spread less — the Honda Giorno 125 runs from ฿330 to ฿400, the PCX 150 from ฿350 to ฿400. Why such gaps for one model? The scooters themselves differ: build year, keyless start and ABS all appear in the descriptions, and they are not the same from one shop to the next. So when two quotes for one model differ by ฿200, ask about the year and the equipment before treating the cheaper one as the better deal.

Options that move the price

• ABS: the Yamaha Grand Filano 125 starts at ฿250, while the ABS version of the same scooter costs ฿330.
• Engine size: within one family the step is clear — Honda Click 110 at ฿250, Click 160 at ฿300, PCX 160 at ฿450.
• Keyless start: a Honda Click 125 with keyless start costs ฿350 at one shop, against ฿250 for a Click 125i.
• Discounted prices: some shops show a reduced rate, such as the GPX Tuscany 150 shown at ฿600 and reduced to about ฿343.
• Special versions: a third wheel or a sidecar lifts the price to ฿1,000, four times the base Scoopy or Fazzio.

Matching the model to the ride

Engine size decides more than the price: it sets how comfortable two people are on board, how far a day trip can reach and what deposit the shop will ask for.

110 and 125 cc automatics for town

Twelve models with engines from 110 to 135 cc cost ฿200–330 a day and cover the short runs between hotels, beaches and the city centre. Moped rental in Pattaya usually means one of them: the Honda Click 110, Scoopy 110 and Zoomer-X 110, or the 125 cc Click 125i, Lead, Giorno, Fino, Fazzio and GT125. One exception is the Honda Wave 110 at ฿250 — a semi-automatic with gears, so a rider used only to twist-and-go scooters should pick something else. The Honda Lead 125 has the fullest specification in this section: 124.92 cc, 11.33 hp, a 6-litre tank, 115 kg dry weight and 37 litres of space under the seat. That under-seat space matters more than it sounds — in my experience, a bag and two helmets that fit under the seat are the difference between leaving the scooter at a beach and carrying everything with you.

The 150–160 cc middle class

Maxi-scooters from 300 to 350 cc

Four big scooters complete the range: the Honda Forza 300 from ฿600 a day, the Yamaha XMAX 300 and Honda Forza 350 from ฿800, and the Honda ADV 350 from ฿1,200. In my view they suit two adults with luggage and longer rides along the coast, where a 125 cc automatic with a passenger on the back has little in reserve. The extra cost is not only the daily rate. Deposits quoted on the market rise from ฿2,000 for scooters up to 160 cc to ฿5,000 for 300–350 cc models, and some shops set the minimum age for bigger scooters at 21 rather than 18. The ADV 350 at ฿1,200 costs as much per day as four Click 160s. Is the step worth it? For a week of town riding, rarely — for a couple planning day trips out of the city, a 300 cc scooter is the more comfortable choice.

Retro, hybrid, three-wheel and sidecar versions

• Retro styling: the Yamaha Fino 125 at ฿200, the Honda Giorno 125 at ฿330 and the GPX Tuscany 150 at about ฿343.
• Hybrid engines: the Yamaha Fazzio 125 and Grand Filano 125 Hybrid both start at ฿250, the same as a plain Click.
• Three wheels: the Yamaha NMAX 155 3-wheel costs ฿1,000 a day and adds stability for riders unsure on two wheels.
• Sidecar or trailer: the Honda Scoopy and Yamaha Fazzio with a side attachment cost ฿1,000, four times the base scooter.
• Longer hire on special versions: three days on any of these three costs ฿2,100, against ฿3,000 at the daily rate.

Weekly and monthly rates

Several shops in town price scooters for three days, a week and a month as well as by the day, and the longer tiers change the cost per day far more than the model does.

Day, three days, week and month for eight models

When a weekly rate starts to pay

A weekly price equals between 3.5 and 7 daily prices, so the point where it pays depends on the shop as much as on the scooter. The Honda Wave 110 costs ฿900 a week against ฿250 a day — the week is cheaper than four separate days. For the Click 150i, Fazzio 125 and ADV 160 the week costs about six daily rates, for the XMAX 300 and Forza 350 about five. At the other end, the Yamaha Fino 125 costs ฿1,400 a week, exactly seven days at ฿200, so the weekly tier saves nothing at all. Three-day prices behave the same way: ฿750 for a Click 150i is simply three days, while ฿2,100 for an XMAX instead of ฿2,400 is a real discount. Before booking six separate days, check the weekly price — on many models it is the same money for an extra day.

What a month really costs

A month costs between 8.5 and 20 daily rates, which makes monthly scooter rental in Pattaya the cheapest way to ride. The Yamaha Fino 125 at ฿2,500 a month works out at about ฿83 a day, the Honda Wave 110 at ฿2,800 at about ฿93, the Scoopy 110 and Fazzio 125 at ฿3,000 at about ฿100. Bigger scooters follow the same pattern: an ADV 160 for ฿5,000 comes to about ฿167 a day, a Forza 350 for ฿10,000 to about ฿333. The outlier is the Honda Click 125i, where one shop asks ฿5,000 a month — twenty daily rates, double the price of a 110 cc Click elsewhere. Even longer terms exist: a Honda Lead 125 for 60 days costs ฿5,500, roughly ฿92 a day. Compare monthly prices between at least two shops, because on this tier the gap between them is larger than the gap between models.

Per-day prices that fall with longer hire

Some shops do not sell a fixed week at all and instead lower the daily price as the rental grows. A Honda Click 110 costs ฿250 for one day, ฿170 a day from three days and ฿150 a day from seven. The Honda PCX 150 drops from ฿350 to ฿240 and then ฿200, and the Forza 300 from ฿600 to ฿400 and ฿350. On a big scooter the saving is larger in baht: the ADV 350 falls from ฿1,200 to ฿800 from three days and ฿690 from a week, so seven days cost ฿4,830 instead of ฿8,400. That is a cut of more than 40% for the same machine. The practical point — a ten-day trip booked as one rental is cheaper than the same days split into two or three separate hires.

Licence, age and helmets

The rental rules in town come down to a few points on documents and safety gear, and they decide whether a rider is covered when something goes wrong.

Motorcycle category and the International Driving Permit

To rent a scooter in Pattaya and ride it legally, Thai law asks for a motorcycle-category licence: either a Thai licence, or a home licence together with an International Driving Permit that carries the motorcycle entitlement. A car licence alone does not count, even for a 110 cc automatic, and the same applies to a permit issued only for cars. Not every shop asks to see it, but police checkpoints do, and the rental's insurance is void when the rider has no valid motorcycle category. That last point is the costly one. An accident without the right licence leaves the rider paying for the scooter and any third-party damage personally — so check the categories on both the home licence and the permit before the trip, not at the rental desk.

Age limits and bigger models

Most rental shops set the minimum age at 18, which covers the 110–160 cc automatics that make up most of this section. For larger scooters some shops raise the bar to 21, and in this section the larger scooters are the four 300–350 cc models — the Forza 300 and 350, the XMAX 300 and the ADV 350, priced from ฿600 to ฿1,200 a day. An 18-year-old with a valid motorcycle category can still choose from the other 24 models, which start from ฿200. Ask about the age rule when choosing the model rather than at pick-up, because it differs from shop to shop. For a group with an 18-year-old rider, the practical limit is therefore a 160 cc scooter such as the PCX 160 or ADV 160; plan the bigger machine for the older rider.

Helmets, checkpoints and on-the-spot fines

Helmets are compulsory for both rider and passenger in Thailand, and the rule is enforced with on-the-spot fines. Rentals usually come with two helmets included in the price — one for the rider, one for the passenger — so there is no reason to ride without them. Some rentals include one helmet and others two, so mention a passenger when booking rather than discovering a missing helmet at the shop. The rule applies on the islands too, where shops are required to enforce it. Check the fit of both helmets at pick-up: a strap that does not close or a visor that will not stay up is a reason to ask for another pair before leaving.

Deposit, cover and the handover

The deposit, the insurance and the inspection at pick-up are where most rental disputes start, and each one can be settled before the scooter leaves the shop.

Cash deposit, passport or photocopy

Deposits on the market run ฿2,000 for scooters and bikes up to 160 cc and ฿5,000 for 300–350 cc models. For a ฿250 scooter the deposit is eight daily rates; for the ADV 350 it is about four. Shops differ on documents: some keep only a copy, others ask for the passport itself. The common advice is to pay the deposit in cash or leave a passport photocopy rather than the original, and at least one shop states outright that it never keeps passports and needs them only to fill in the contract. Why does it matter? A passport left at a shop cannot be shown at a hotel check-in, and it hands the shop all the leverage in any dispute — so ask for a cash deposit option before agreeing to anything else.

What basic cover usually includes

Basic third-party insurance is usually included in the rental price, which covers damage to other people and their property rather than the scooter itself. For the scooter, shops offer additional CDW cover, which limits the rider's risk to the amount of the deposit — ฿2,000 on a 160 cc scooter instead of the full repair bill. None of this works without the right licence: the insurance is void if the rider has no motorcycle category. Ask which damage and which situations the CDW excludes before signing, and get the answer into the contract rather than a verbal promise. The bigger the scooter, the more the extra cover matters: on a ฿1,200-a-day maxi-scooter, CDW caps the rider's risk at a ฿5,000 deposit instead of the full repair bill.

Checks at pick-up and return

• Photos first: photograph every side of the scooter, the seat, the mirrors and the dashboard before riding off.
• Brakes, tyres and lights: test both brakes, look at the tread, and switch on the headlight and indicators at the shop.
• Helmets: count two helmets with working straps if a passenger will ride, and note them in the contract.
• Fuel level: note how full the tank is at pick-up so the same level can be returned without argument.
• Contract copy: keep a copy showing the deposit, the return time and the shop's phone number on the phone.

Where to pick up, Koh Larn and the season

The pick-up point and the month both change the price, and an island day trip has rules of its own that differ from the mainland.

Beach Road stands and hotel delivery

Scooters are rented in three ways around town: from street stands, from rental shops and by delivery to a hotel. The stands along Beach Road returned months after the authorities promised a crackdown on them, so the street market is still there. Rental shops cover Pattaya and Jomtien, and several of the models in this section come with delivery in Jomtien. Delivery terms differ: some shops bring the scooter to the hotel and collect it again for free, while others charge for delivery and quote the cost through their manager. Ask about delivery together with the price, because a free drop-off and pick-up can outweigh a small difference in the daily rate.

Koh Larn: island prices and stricter checks

Koh Larn, the island off the coast that most visitors reach by ferry, has its own scooter market. Bikes are rented from the main village at the pier and at Tawaen beach for ฿200–300, and 24-hour rentals cost ฿300–400, with fuel included in the price. That makes an island day close to a mainland day in cost, but the rules are stricter: the police there have ordered rental shops to check driving licences before renting and to make sure every tourist wears a helmet. For a day on Koh Larn, a scooter rented on the island is simpler than taking one across from the mainland — and the licence should be in the pocket, because this is where shops are required to ask for it.

November to February against May to September

Prices climb from November through February, the busiest months, and drop back from May to September, when demand is quietest. For a basic automatic that means roughly ฿180–220 a day in the low season and about ฿300–400 a day at the peak — up to twice as much for the same scooter. The daily figures in this section are starting prices without dates, so a December quote can come in above them while a June quote may fall below. A month at about ฿100 a day on a 125 cc scooter stays the cheapest option in any season. For trips in the peak months, fix the scooter early and ask for the weekly or monthly price rather than the daily one.

What to put in a rental request

• Dates and length: give the exact start and end dates, so the shop can apply its three-day, weekly or monthly price.
• Model: name the scooter from the cards on this page, and ask whether the quote is for that model or a similar one.
• Riders: state how many people ride and the age of the main rider, especially for 300–350 cc scooters.
• Licence: confirm that the rider holds a motorcycle category or an International Driving Permit with that entitlement.
• Delivery and deposit: ask whether delivery to the hotel is free and how the deposit is taken — cash, passport or copy.

Key points before you choose a scooter

Five figures to keep in mind

• Day rate: the 28 models start between ฿200 and ฿1,200 a day, and the middle of the range is ฿315.
• Same model, different price: an ADV 160 costs ฿400–600 a day and a Forza 350 ฿800–1,500, depending on the shop.
• Week and month: a week equals 3.5 to 7 daily rates, a month 8.5 to 20, so long stays pay off quickly.
• Licence: a motorcycle category, or an International Driving Permit that carries it, is required, and insurance is void without it.
• Deposit: ฿2,000 for scooters up to 160 cc and ฿5,000 for 300–350 cc models, in cash rather than a passport.