Safe To Rent Cars?

[gurnani]

I was planning to rent a car for weekends. Though, a friend of mine from India told me that its not safe to rent cars in Thailand, for e.g. if I go to Hua Hin from Bangkok on a rent car, he says that a lot and lot of cases happen where the rental car gets stolen. He had rented a motorbike in Hua hin and the rear view of his bike were stolen. What do u guys suggest? Is it totally safe to rent a car here? Thanks G

[MikeyIdea]

Of course it is safe to rent cars here. There is also normally an option of taking additional insurance, don't know what is included but it's not expensive so take it. Perfectly safe

[gurnani]

insurance..alright!!!

Thanks. Anyways, Do u or anyone recommend any famous company to rent the car. Sukhumvit area is preferred by me.

Thanks

[Wallaby]

I too am interested in the answers.

I'll be in Thailand on xmas eve with the teelak but after dropping off 3 tons of her luggage at the village near Korat I want to hire a car and see a bit of Laos and Cambodia. Just wondering if that is also possible.

Sorry to sort of hijack this thread but thought I'd join it rather than doing a seperate one.

[brucestatham]

insurance..alright!!!

Thanks. Anyways, Do u or anyone recommend any famous company to rent the car. Sukhumvit area is preferred by me.

Thanks

I usually use 'hoilday rent a car' located opposite royal garden on 2nd road, and another office the northern end of 3rd road.rented about 10 times various durations,never had a problem,always got the deposit back.i always ask for a discount and usually get one.

rented from avis before,no comment without deformation though.

also q cars near na jomtien cheap,pickups from 600 b a day up.

good luck.....

[brucestatham]

I too am interested in the answers.

I'll be in Thailand on xmas eve with the teelak but after dropping off 3 tons of her luggage at the village near Korat I want to hire a car and see a bit of Laos and Cambodia. Just wondering if that is also possible.

Sorry to sort of hijack this thread but thought I'd join it rather than doing a seperate one.

not a good idea to take a rental car over the border to either place,get a car hired for thailand,the other 2 countries hire a car that comes with driver,or just use the bus and local transport as and when required.

[gurnani]

insurance..alright!!!

Thanks. Anyways, Do u or anyone recommend any famous company to rent the car. Sukhumvit area is preferred by me.

Thanks

I usually use 'hoilday rent a car' located opposite royal garden on 2nd road, and another office the northern end of 3rd road.rented about 10 times various durations,never had a problem,always got the deposit back.i always ask for a discount and usually get one.

rented from avis before,no comment without deformation though.

also q cars near na jomtien cheap,pickups from 600 b a day up.

good luck.....

Thanks. U take it combined with the insurance of the vehicle? what deposit do u pay for renting a honda civic/city?

[ilyelol]

i just rented a honda city for 15k a month for 2months in august, no deposit. It was the old model so i was ripped off but of course i made it as dirty and smelly as possible and ran over the speedbumps and potholes really fast to make sure evil somchai doesnt get to buy his teerak a new gold necklace after screwing me out of 5k extra a month :jap:

just look around, some places are really fair, ive had new honda jazz's for 750 a day in perfect condition, no deposit

Edited October 28, 2010 by ilyelol

[MoonRiverOasis]

The biggest 'safety' issue when renting cars is whether or not they're truly insured - a lot of the smaller operators simply don't have insurance policies that actually cover rental situations, and under Thai law if you break it, you're responsible, simple as that.

Rent from one of the big international brands and you'll be safe though - out of them, AVIS seem to have the biggest network/fleet and most competitive prices.

[aussiebebe]

The biggest 'safety' issue when renting cars is whether or not they're truly insured - a lot of the smaller operators simply don't have insurance policies that actually cover rental situations, and under Thai law if you break it, you're responsible, simple as that.

Rent from one of the big international brands and you'll be safe though - out of them, AVIS seem to have the biggest network/fleet and most competitive prices.

That's top advice - I think the guy who started the thread is confusing car with bike rental. Cars can be dodgy from smaller places whereas bikes on the other hand I think are actually uninsurable and will have only the basic compulsory insurance, whatever the vendor tells you. I'd second the suggestion of AVIS as it's the only company I've personally used (so I can't comment on others). I rented a Honda Jazz from them in 2007 and I thought the price, condition of car and service were fair; they just took the deposit on my credit card.

If the guy is coming on holiday he can probably find a better rental deal in his home country before he arrives vs go direct to AVIS Thailand (or similar). You can get rental deals through travel agents, credit card companies, banks and online probably for less if you try.

[gurnani]

I am not confusing car with the bike rental. I gave an example of a friend who rented a bike and he told me that his local friends told him that its not safe to rent any vehicles (bike or car) here as they get stolen easily. I just wanted to know the ground reality of the statement.

I would try AVIS Thailand for sure. I just hope its around Sukhumvit.

That's top advice - I think the guy who started the thread is confusing car with bike rental. Cars can be dodgy from smaller places whereas bikes on the other hand I think are actually uninsurable and will have only the basic compulsory insurance, whatever the vendor tells you. I'd second the suggestion of AVIS as it's the only company I've personally used (so I can't comment on others). I rented a Honda Jazz from them in 2007 and I thought the price, condition of car and service were fair; they just took the deposit on my credit card.

If the guy is coming on holiday he can probably find a better rental deal in his home country before he arrives vs go direct to AVIS Thailand (or similar). You can get rental deals through travel agents, credit card companies, banks and online probably for less if you try.

[floridaguy]

Rent from a big company. I have rented a dozen or so cars in Thailand over the last couple of years for both personal and company reasons. Never a problem. I have rented from Avis, Budget, and many local companies. For the peace of mind, rent from Budget or Avis. Budget will even pick you up and pick up the car for free when you are done as long as you are close to a Budget office. This was great, as they would drop the car off to my office, and pick it up at the office as well. Deposit is normally 20,000 baht, they put a hold on your credit card and remove it after you return the car. Just a few tips:

1. When picking up the car, point out every nick, dent, scratch, or mark on the car during your inspection with them. I don't care how small or where. I have had them try to charge me for damage that was there when I picked up the car. If you are really concerned, take photos, although I would not go that far.

2. Get insurance, it only costs I think 100 baht a day, but you will only regret it if you don't get it and need it.

3. Gas it up before returning it, they do charge alot for any gas they have to put it to fill it up. They could tell if it had been driven any more than say 20-30 kilometers since the last fill up.

4. If you have to drop off or pick up very early/late, take it to Suvarnabhumi, they rent/accept cars 24 hours a day. I have dropped off any time from midnight to 4AM there, and was able to avoid paying for a partial additional day.

5. You can reserve online, I like Budget and Avis equally for that, but only Budget drops off an picks up. Print the price when you reserve, I have had EVERY company try to switch the car/price when I picked up the car.

Other than that, who cars if the car is stolen if you have insurance. If you get in an accident, take a photo of the other guys license plate and then call the insurance company 24 hours a day. Don't pay the other driver a single baht. Let the insurance work it out.

[gurnani]

thanks for the reply floridaguy. A lot of my questions were answered by your post. Budget seems to be a good service...though I would keep in mind everything you said.

Thumbs UP!!!

G