hello sorry maybe there should be some sort of into as I am new to this forum.    I am a regular visitor to the land of smiles.   I tend to do things on the cheap but thought I might have a look at car rental for the next visit.  I done a bit of searching and the local independents seem to be a fair bit more expensive than the well know international brands.

Anyone got any ideas or recommendations for renting a small economical car.  I never understood how renting pick up trucks always seem much cheaper than compact cars.   

 

Also has anyone used or purchased standalone CDW insurance policies to deal with those massive insurance excess rates.   Any companies to avoid or dangers to avoid apart from the traffic problems.

Hertz and National are the cheapest I have seen, starting at just 700 baht a day for a compact from Suvarnabhumi airport. (Nissian March 1.2L or similar)

You often get the best rates when you go in via a price comparison site.  I find that https://www.skyscanner.net/uk/en-gb/thb/carhire/ and https://www.rentalcars.com/ have the best prices.  However I always check their main sites too (example, a compact is more expensive on skyscanner than direct on Hertz website, yet is the other way around for National)

 

I agree on rentalcars.com.. I rent always when traveling up country for business.  And you can pick the car you want a the best price..

Another advantage is that the deposits are a lot lower than we you go in through the websites from the various car rental companies...

I would advise the extended CDW insurances as you can get into a lot of issues when not 100% insured...

 

 

Would I need an international drivers license or will my UK drivers license be enough to hire a car at the airport ?

 

as a tourist and staying here not longer than 3 months I believe, they will need both your passport and your UK drivers license

but bringing an international licence wont hurt if it is easy to get...

as a tourist and staying here not longer than 3 months I believe, they will need both your passport and your UK drivers license
but bringing an international licence wont hurt if it is easy to get...

It's actually a pain in the arse to get but thanks for the info.

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I recommend you take the full (no excess) insurance from one of the major rental companies.  That way if there's any damage, it's all their responsibility to sort it, and you can just walk away after dropping off the remains.

 

I've used Avis - no problems but not the cheapest, and they take an age to return the deposit.

 

Small saloon car much cheaper than a pick-up, and rental trucks can have a hard life.  

Thanks. I've booked a Yaris with full insurance.