Renting a scooter in Pattaya — price, terms, rules

One of the first things you think about when you arrive in Thailand is renting a scooter. Not only is it fairly cheap, but it's also a great way to explore Pattaya on your own. Besides, the choice of scooters and motorcycles available for rent is simply huge.

Where to rent a scooter in Pattaya

To find a motorbike rental in Pattaya, you don't have to go far. Many hotels have their own rental service. Besides that, there are plenty of independent scooter rental places. Just take a walk down the street, and you'll keep running into them.

Scooter rental cost in Pattaya

Scooter rental prices in Pattaya range from 150 to 250 baht a day for simple 100–125 cc scooters, such as the Honda Click, Scoopy, Airblade, and others of the same type and size.

The bigger and more powerful the bike, the higher its rental cost. For example, for maxi scooters such as the Honda PCX, Yamaha T-Max, Honda Forza, with engines of 150–500 cc, you'll have to shell out from 400 baht a day.

If you take a vehicle for a long period, you can get a significant discount. So a scooter that costs 200 baht a day, when rented for a month, may well come to 3000 baht, which is 2 times cheaper than renting by the day.

Seasonality also affects rental prices. In the high tourist season (October through March), they are almost twice as high. In the low season (April through September), you can easily find a bike in good condition for 150 baht/day. Accordingly, in the high season the same scooter will already cost 250–300 baht/day.

If you need a vehicle for more than 3 months, then it's best to consider buying a scooter and selling it afterward. That works out much cheaper than renting. You can find out more about this in the article Buying and selling a scooter in Thailand.

What you need to rent a scooter in Pattaya (rental rules)

All you need to rent a motorbike is:

• Passport
• Contact information (hotel address)
• Money (credit cards are rarely accepted)
• Deposit. As a deposit, they may ask for your passport or a sum of about 3000 baht. If you look around properly, you can find places where no deposit is required, or where at least a copy of your passport is enough.

Do you need a license to rent a scooter in Pattaya?

As for driver's licenses, most rental shops don't ask for them. Although, of course, by law you can't drive a vehicle without a license of the corresponding category. However, not having a license doesn't bother many tourists at all. If you don't have one, just try not to give the police a reason to stop you: always wear a helmet (this applies to both the driver and the passenger), follow the traffic rules, and don't drive drunk. If you do get stopped, you'll be issued a ticket to pay the fine. With this ticket you can ride all day and show it if you're stopped again; that is, they cannot fine you two or more times for the same violation in one day.

Here are the main fines in Thailand (Pattaya):

To ride a scooter in Thailand and stay fully within the law, you need either an international driving permit with category A or a local Thai license. We wrote about how to get a license in Thailand in the relevant article.

What to pay attention to when renting a scooter in Pattaya

When renting a motorbike in Pattaya, be sure to pay attention to the following:

1. Documents. The bike must have a road tax sticker, and it must also come with registration documents and compulsory third-party insurance.
2. Technical condition. Take a test drive. Make sure the scooter runs smoothly, doesn't jerk, and makes no unhealthy noises; check the brakes. Inspect the wheels: the tires must not be worn — that's life-threatening.
3. Photograph the bike from all sides with all its flaws (scuffs, chips, dents), in case the seller tries to blame you for damage you didn't cause.
4. Helmet. Don't forget to ask the rental shop for a helmet. And both the driver and the passenger should have one. If you have a choice, don't take the first one that comes along. It's best if it has a brim, which will protect your forehead and nose from the sun. And ideally, at least the driver's helmet should have a visor (a clear shield); it will protect you from wind and rain.
5. Take a business card with the rental shop's address and contact phone number. If anything happens, call and let the owner know.

Useful information for motorbike riders in Pattaya

• Gasoline 91 in Pattaya costs about 41 baht per liter (as of October 2026). The average fuel consumption of a scooter with a 110–125 cc engine is 2.5 liters per 100 km.
• Remember, traffic in Thailand drives on the left, and you should pass on the right, even if there's room on the left — nobody expects to be passed on the left, and they may unintentionally squeeze you. The exception is traffic jams: there you're free to do whatever your heart desires.
• If you get a flat tire (a puncture), you can find a local repair garage — there are lots of them in Pattaya — just ask the local Thais which way to push your scooter. As a rule, getting the bike to a repair shop will take you no more than 10 minutes. A new inner tube with labor will come to about 200 baht, and if the tire needs replacing, another 800 baht on top.

Useful contacts in case of an emergency:

• Tourist police phone in Pattaya — 1699 or 1155
• Ambulance phone in Pattaya — 1669 or 191
• Unified number for tourist assistance in Thailand — 1111

Have a good trip and a safe ride!

And here's the video that came out of our trip by scooter through the countries of Southeast Asia: