Renting a scooter in Phuket — prices, terms, rules

How much does it cost to rent a scooter in Phuket in 2019? Which model is best for getting around the island? What should you pay attention to when renting a motorbike? Where can you rent a scooter, at what price, and how cost-effective and convenient is it to get around Phuket on a motorbike?

A scooter is the best way to get around the island of Phuket — it is fast, cheap, and very pleasant. You don't depend on public transport schedules and can easily get to any place on the island whenever you like.

Scooter rental prices in Phuket

As of 2019, the cost of renting a scooter in Phuket is roughly the same everywhere on the island and starts at 150 baht ($4.3) a day for the most basic low-powered (100–125 cc) scooter, most likely with fairly high mileage. For a price of 200 baht a day and up, you can count on decent, reliable transport with up to 10,000 km on the clock. Typical examples of these simple, popular scooters are the Honda Click, Honda Airblade, Honda Scoopy, Yamaha Fino:

If you want something more powerful and more comfortable, take a look at maxi scooters, such as the Honda PCX, Yamaha T-MAX, or Honda Forza, with engines from 150 to 500 cc and a wide, comfortable seating position. Renting a scooter of this class starts at 400 baht a day:

It should be noted that the cost of renting a scooter in Phuket depends on the tourist season, and at the very peak of the tourist influx (November through February) 150 baht can turn into 250–300.

Above we talked about prices for daily motorbike rental. If you decide to take a scooter for a month, the prices are different and much lower. For example, a scooter that costs 200 baht a day may come to just 3000 baht for a month (30 days), which is 2 times cheaper than renting by the day.

And in some cases, for example, if you need transport for more than 3 months, it is more cost-effective to buy a scooter rather than rent one. How to do it and what you need for it, we described in the article Buying and selling a scooter in Thailand.

Where to rent a scooter in Phuket

Finding a scooter for rent in Phuket is no trouble at all — hotels, cafés, the internet, dedicated rental shops — everywhere you'll be offered a two-wheeled friend to rent. Just ask at your hotel's reception about renting a motorbike, and they will tell you right away where you can do it nearby, or they may even offer this service themselves. But we would like to point out one place to rent a scooter that is especially convenient for some kinds of travelers — near Phuket Airport.

Renting a scooter near Phuket Airport

It can be very convenient to pick up and return a scooter right at the airport or in its immediate vicinity. This option is perfect for independent backpackers who aren't weighed down by big suitcases. It saves you the airport taxi there and back, and it is a great way to find and choose suitable accommodation right away, riding from hotel to hotel at your own pace and comparing.

To rent a scooter near Phuket Airport, you need to walk about 15 minutes to the nearest small resort village of Nai Yang and choose a motorbike there, then go wherever your heart desires and come back here on the day of your flight.

The Nai Yang area is here:

What to pay attention to when renting a scooter in Phuket (rental rules)

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

On the technical side:

• Take photos (on your mobile phone) of all the bike's flaws (scuffs, chips, damage, etc.), and of the wheels as well — this will protect you from possible financial claims by the owner when you return the bike. As everyone knows, a large share of the profit of motorbike rental owners comes precisely from accusing people of damaging their property and scamming them out of money. If you really are to blame for the damage, find out the real cost of the damage (from mechanics at repair shops) and go by that, and if you are asked to pay much larger sums, threaten to call the police — and call them.
• Take a test drive. The scooter should run smoothly, without jerking. There should be no shaking or unhealthy noises. Look at the wheels — the tires should be in good condition, not worn — worn tires are a danger to your life. With your hands off the handlebars, the motorbike should go straight ahead without pulling to either side.
• Choose a comfortable helmet; don't settle for the first one you're handed if it isn't comfortable for you. Keep in mind that a helmet with a brim protects your forehead and nose from the sun and prevents sunburn. Also choose a helmet with a visor (a clear glass face shield) that will protect your face from the wind; at night it is a must, since you can't wear sunglasses at night.

Other things:

• Check that there is a road tax sticker on the bike (or inside, under the seat) showing the year up to which the tax has been paid. The traffic police may ask, and if this document is missing, you will have to pay a fine.
• When you rent, you are sometimes asked for a driver's license. About driver's licenses for a scooter in Thailand, we have a separate detailed article.
• Often, when renting a scooter in Phuket, you may be asked to leave a deposit. As a rule, the deposit they require is a passport or a sum of about 3000 baht. But you can find places where neither a passport nor a deposit will be required of you.
• Take a business card with the rental shop's address and contact numbers. If anything happens, call and let the owner know.

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

By law, every conscientious renter of scooters/motorbikes in Phuket, as in all of Thailand, must rent out vehicles only to people who hold a license for the corresponding type of vehicle. But, as you have already understood, tourists with category A in an international driving permit, or with a local Thai license, can be counted on the fingers, so in Phuket it is no trouble to rent a motorbike or scooter without any license at all. Yes, there are some staunch law-abiding renters who refuse to rent without a license, but there are so few of them that after walking 100 meters to the nearest competitor you will still become the owner of a two-wheeled friend.

All the information above describes what you need to have according to the law to be fully legal on Thailand's roads and to feel completely calm and confident that if you are stopped by the traffic police or, God forbid, have an accident, you won't be fined or billed for driving without a license.

The main fines in Thailand as of 2019:

The reality, though, is that most tourists don't have the required license, and that doesn't stop them from riding around the country in huge numbers. And your charisma, positive attitude, and people skills may let you avoid fines when you are stopped or caught in a police sweep.

How to avoid a fine for not having a license:

Useful information on getting around Phuket by scooter

• Gasoline 91 in Phuket costs 28 baht per liter (as of January 2019)
• Phuket's roads are in excellent condition.
• Average fuel consumption for a scooter with a 100–125 cc engine is 2.5 liters per 100 km.
• Traffic on Thailand's roads keeps to the left.
• It is best to overtake on the right, even if there is room on the left — nobody expects to be overtaken on the left, and they may squeeze you unintentionally. The exception is traffic jams — there you are free to do whatever your heart desires.
• If you get a flat tire (a puncture), you need to find a local repair garage, of which there are quite a lot on the island — ask local Thais which way to push your scooter; as a rule, getting the bike to a repair place will take you no more than 10 minutes. A new inner tube with labor will cost about 200 baht, and if the tire needs replacing, that is another 800 baht.

Miscellaneous

We hope you never need these contacts, but it is still better to know where to call if anything happens:

• Phuket tourist police phone number — 1155
• Ambulance phone number in Phuket — 1669 or 191
• The single helpline number for tourists in Thailand — 1111

We wish you pleasant and trouble-free travels by scooter around Phuket!

And here is the video we made from our scooter trip around the countries of Southeast Asia: