HKT
Collected at the airport
Phuket International Airport is a named handover point. Cape Panwa also has four named points, and everywhere else the car is delivered to the address you give.
001
What you get
You can collect at the airport or arrange delivery to your accommodation. If you are renting a car for Khao Lak, your destination is over the Sarasin Bridge, about eighty minutes up the mainland coast from the airport. Wherever you collect, the International Driving Permit you need for Thailand has to be arranged at home before you fly.
Closer in, Patong lies over the hill road from the airport, and Kata and Karon lie further south. The booking is the same in every case; what changes is where the car is handed over.
20
Places to collect the car
The airport, ten west-coast beaches, four points in the south and east, Phuket Town and the pier, plus three points over on the mainland. Delivery away from the airport is priced per car.
86%
Unlimited mileage
Read off a sample of the live airport listings. The rest state their limit on the car itself, alongside the deposit and the cover level, before you pay anything.
002
Eight of today's cheapest at the airport
A selection read live off the airport listings, with the per-day rate in baht. There are 407 cars at HKT today.
.png?1699528861)
EconomyFree cancellation
Toyota Yaris
5 seats · Automatic
฿331per day
StandardFree cancellation
Toyota Ativ
5 seats · Automatic
฿517per day
SUV
Nissan Juke
5 seats · Automatic
฿605per day
.png?1772027076)
Economy
Mitsubishi Attrage
5 seats · Automatic
฿400per day
.jpg?1702214261)
Economy
Suzuki Ciaz
5 seats · Automatic
฿430per day
EconomyFree cancellation
MG 3
5 seats · Automatic
฿445per day
Economy
Toyota Yaris Ativ
5 seats · Automatic
฿466per day
Economy
Suzuki Swift
5 seats · Automatic
฿470per day
003
What the rate does not cover
The deposit is money held as security; the cover is what applies if there is damage.
The deposit
Security against damage, not insurance. Held in cash or against a card, and released when the car comes back as it left. A minority of cars carry none at all.
The cover
Compulsory injury cover is the legal minimum on every car. Above it, the levels differ in how much of the damage to the rental car itself you carry. Standard cover excludes the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen and the interior.
Mileage
Unlimited on some cars and capped on others, and set per vehicle. A return run from the airport to Khao Lak is roughly 166 km.
Cancellation
Free cancellation is offered car by car rather than across the board. Whether a particular car has it is stated on that car before you book it.
All four are set per car and shown on the listing in the search before you pay anything. The same applies to no-deposit rental and insurance cover: whether a car holds a deposit, and at what cover level, is stated on that car.
004
Collection at Phuket airport
The handover at Phuket International Airport happens at a named point rather than at an address you give. Cape Panwa is the only other location with named points; everywhere else the car is delivered to your address.
The pickup point is the airport itself. The precise spot you meet the person with the keys is agreed with the supplier rather than fixed in advance, and the support details for your booking are in the confirmation email, which is where to raise anything that needs changing.
The handover is the same wherever it happens. Somebody meets you, you look the car over together, and you photograph it before you sign. Deposit, mileage limit and cover level are set per car rather than across the board, so each is on the listing before you pay.
Routed drives from the terminal
- Patong
- 37 km / 43 min
- Karon
- 43 km / 48 min
- Kata
- 46 km / 52 min
- Phuket Town
- 31 km / 38 min
- Cape Panwa
- 44 km / 53 min
- Khao Lak
- 83 km / 80 min
Free-flow times, so a minimum. The west coast slows between about 16:00 and 19:00, and the hill sections run slower than their distance suggests.
005
Collect at the terminal, or wherever you are staying
The times here and on the full list of pickup points are routed free-flow drives from the terminal, so treat them as a minimum. The west coast slows between about 16:00 and 19:00, and the hill sections run slower than their distance suggests.
Airport
Phuket Airport (HKT)arrivals
North and west coast
Mai Khao13 min
Nai Yang6 min
Nai Thon9 min
Bang Tao23 min
Surin26 min
Kamala27 min
The busy west
Patong43 min
Karon48 min
Kata52 min
Kata Noi55 min
South and east
Chalong44 min
Cape Panwa53 min
Nai Harn59 min
Rawai55 min
Town and piers
Phuket Town38 min
Rassada Pier44 min
Beyond the island
Natai Beach40 min
Khao Lak Beach80 min
Phang Nga69 min
Collection and return do not have to be the same place: a different drop-off point is set at the search stage, and it works in either direction.
Patong lies on the far side of the hill road from the airport, which is a steep climb. Khao Lak is not on Phuket at all: it lies about eighty minutes north on the mainland, and it books the same way as an island point.
If you are basing yourself in Phuket Town, the terminal is about 31 km and thirty-eight minutes away, and the Old Town grid is one-way in places. A compact car fits its streets.
006
Questions before you rent
Short answers on the documents, the money and the driving.
If you are staying in one resort and not leaving it, no. If you want more than one beach, the Old Town, the southern cape or anything over the bridge, yes. The island is about 50 km top to bottom, and the local songthaews run between the beaches and Phuket Town rather than along the coast.
Yes. You need your passport, your national driving licence, an International Driving Permit and, where the car holds a deposit, the cash or card the listing asks for, and the payment card if the listing requires one. No Thai licence and no residency are needed for the permits Thailand recognises. The minimum is 18, with at least a year since your licence was issued; individual cars ask for more, and each listing states its own requirement.
Yes, and you cannot get one after you arrive. Thai law requires a valid IDP alongside your home licence, roadside checks on Phuket are routine, and driving without one puts your insurance at risk. Arrange it at home before you fly and carry both documents together.
Sometimes. A physical embossed credit card in the main driver's name is the usual requirement, but some suppliers accept a debit card, and where they do it is stated during booking and on your voucher. It must still be physical, personalised, embossed and in the main driver's name. A card in a digital wallet is not accepted.
Traffic keeps left, as in the UK, Ireland and Australia, and the main north to south road is wide. What differs is motorbikes filtering on both sides of you and three steep hill roads on the west coast.
For the November to April high season, book before you fly. Rates vary by season and by supplier, and the search shows the rate for your dates.
The International Driving Permit has to be arranged before you fly: it cannot be bought once you have landed.
See what is available for your dates
Put your flight dates in to see the live list, with the deposit and the mileage terms on every car.
Search cars →