Hiring and Driving a car in Thailand. Good idea or bad?

[jgd1004]

Hi everyone

Im thinking of hiring a car in BKK this april to explore and maybe drive down to hua hin to visit my friends family. I know bkk is crazy for traffic but i probably wouldn't go out until evening time when it calms a bit.

My main question is... is it a good idea for me to drive to hua hin or just get a bus?

I want to explore isaan also and was thinking i could use the car for that also.

I hired a motorbike last year and even though i didn't go very far it was still much better having the freedom to explore and go where i wanted to.

Also what are the traffic regulations like? Fines points etc anything to worry about?

Thanks

[thaibeachlovers]

i probably wouldn't go out until evening time when it calms a bit.

That wouldn't be till about 8pm. Hua Hin is as bad as any Thai town when it comes to parking, so make sure you have somewhere to park it before driving down.

You could take the bus/ train to Hua Hin and still hire a car for Issan.

M'bikes. I had been riding in Thailand for about 2 years and it was fine till it wasn't. Hospital, operation, 70,000 baht, permanent damage to my hand, lucky not to be in jail or bankrupt ( he walked away ). OTY.

Traffic regulations, . They have the laws, but not the enforcement.

Edited February 16, 2015 by thaibeachlovers

[Baa_Mango]

go hard - just bring 200b incase you get pulled over. That is standard for not having a license

[daveAustin]

Do it. Driven (and ridden) the length of the country numerous times, never an issue. In fact, I find the hiring of cars here easier than UK. The Bangkok Budget office is near an expressway, so not so bad for getting out. Thai Rent A Car is also one stop from the Sirat Expressway. You an also do a drop-off at a different office, from Hua Hin to Khon Kaen, for example. When driving here, avoid going to close to the hard shoulder and too close to the central res and always keep your wits about you. Spacial awareness and fast reactions are the key.

[Rooo]

Moved to Motoring Forum.

[IMHO]

It's a great idea! - just don't come back here if you couldn't adapt

[Aussieroaming]

Driving in Bangkok isn't any harder than driving anywhere else and if you are worried about driving there in daylight then you should reconsider driving anywhere.. Just drive with patience and be aware.

Bring an international drivers permit and your home country licence to rent the vehicle.

[bkkjames]

Hire a private car and driver to take you there and back. You don't need the extra stress on a holiday.

[A1Str8]

It's a good idea but not in bkk. Only people with mental issues drive a car in bkk.

[Gonsalviz]

It's a good idea but not in bkk. Only people with mental issues drive a car in bkk.

You have a problem with BKK drivers? Better not try Manila. Or Jakarta. Or KL or..............

[StasD]

Excellent idea!. only hire car with navigator and Bkk is at your feet

[craigt3365]

It's a bit daunting at first, but drive slow, only during the day, and don't drink. You should be OK. Not sure where you are from, but the highway accident rates here are very high. Some of the highest in the world. Laws are poorly enforced and road signs and surfaces can be very dodgy. With that being said, many of us drive cars here with no issues. Others...well...have had issues.

Getting a driver is a great way to go. I've done that often and it's really nice not to have to worry about where to park, directions, etc. We just hired a brand new van with driver for 1,800 baht per day. It was wonderful. Worth the extra money.

[KhunBENQ]

Excellent idea!. only hire car with navigator and Bkk is at your feet

Bangkok is a nightmare fot newbies!

Driving as such is not the problem.

Jam and deadlock anyway, more standstill than driving.

So just have nerves of steel, tank fueled up and maybe a pisspot.

BUT:

finding the way is desastrous for out-of-towners.

No logic ways to go.

Right turn? Forget it.

U-turn? Maybe in 5 km.

Missed the right exit from the tollway? Bad luck finding the way back. There is none (and of course no corresponding exit/entry in the opposite direction).

Lanes, directions are changing depending on time of day indicated by Thai language only indicators.

Opposite traffic on "your" side of a separated multiple lane road? Don't be surprised.

Drove a route in the morning? Maybe not good in the afternoon.

A to B is 2 km linear distance. Route on the road in the afternoon maybe 5 km.

And so on, and so on.

Don't drive in Bangkok as a newbie/tourist!

I will not need it anymore.

Edited February 16, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[Mrjlh]

You might be better off taking a bus to the city you want to go to, then renting a car when you get there. Would cheaper and less trouble.

[Tomtomtom69]

i probably wouldn't go out until evening time when it calms a bit.

That wouldn't be till about 8pm. Hua Hin is as bad as any Thai town when it comes to parking, so make sure you have somewhere to park it before driving down.

You could take the bus/ train to Hua Hin and still hire a car for Issan.

M'bikes. I had been riding in Thailand for about 2 years and it was fine till it wasn't. Hospital, operation, 70,000 baht, permanent damage to my hand, lucky not to be in jail or bankrupt ( he walked away ). OTY.

Traffic regulations, . They have the laws, but not the enforcement.

Mind you a car is still a much better and safer way of getting around in Thailand than a motorcycle or scooter.

Bangkok traffic is as you say only calmer after around 8-9pm depending on the area. Friday nights are particularly bad.

Don't worry much about traffic enforcement, speeding fines etc. are astoundingly rare and even if you were to get one, it's only like 200-400 Baht, no matter how fast you were going. Demerit points etc. don't exist.

However, to the OP there is little reason to wait until evening to depart for Hua Hin. As the trip takes around 3 hours anyway (maybe up to 4 depending on traffic and which part of Bangkok you're starting from) it's better to leave sometime mid-morning or lunchtime and then you can arrive at a leisurely lunchtime or mid-afternoon time frame, enough time to check-in to your accommodation and then check out the sights or just relax.

[WarpSpeed]

i probably wouldn't go out until evening time when it calms a bit.

That wouldn't be till about 8pm. Hua Hin is as bad as any Thai town when it comes to parking, so make sure you have somewhere to park it before driving down.

You could take the bus/ train to Hua Hin and still hire a car for Issan.

M'bikes. I had been riding in Thailand for about 2 years and it was fine till it wasn't. Hospital, operation, 70,000 baht, permanent damage to my hand, lucky not to be in jail or bankrupt ( he walked away ). OTY.

Traffic regulations, . They have the laws, but not the enforcement.

Even 8:00 is wishful thinking, more like 10:00 most days, 8:00 would be a holiday evening.

[WarpSpeed]

It's a good idea but not in bkk. Only people with mental issues drive a car in bkk.

I represented that remark for 10 years in Bangkok thank you very much.. I can see how an insecure driver may think that way and that's fine because we don't need them on the roads anyway they are more a part of the problem then the drivers with "mental issues" who are at least predictable..

[phoenixdoglover]

I've rented a car a couple of times in BKK. That was to drive up to Khon Kaen and back. Coming back into Bangkok was a trial on a Sunday afternoon due to heavy traffic volume (end of the weekend...go figure).

I never bothered driving around Bangkok. I think the stress (and daily cost) is significantly less when you use taxis and the trains (MRT, BTS) around the city. Unless you're taking a taxi with a Thai lady, and then there may be frequent arguments with the driver over the chosen route, where things are located, and the fare.

Driving to Hua Hin should be no big deal.

[Nignoy]

Excellent idea!. only hire car with navigator and Bkk is at your feet

Bangkok is a nightmare fot newbies!

Driving as such is not the problem.

Jam and deadlock anyway, more standstill than driving.

So just have nerves of steel, tank fueled up and maybe a pisspot.

BUT:

finding the way is desastrous for out-of-towners.

No logic ways to go.

Right turn? Forget it.

U-turn? Maybe in 5 km.

Missed the right exit from the tollway? Bad luck finding the way back. There is none (and of course no corresponding exit/entry in the opposite direction).

Lanes, directions are changing depending on time of day indicated by Thai language only indicators.

Opposite traffic on "your" side of a separated multiple lane road? Don't be surprised.

Drove a route in the morning? Maybe not good in the afternoon.

A to B is 2 km linear distance. Route on the road in the afternoon maybe 5 km.

And so on, and so on.

Don't drive in Bangkok as a newbie/tourist!

I will not need it anymore.

did my first trip from Bangkok Harbour to Leong nok tha north of Ubon driving a D8 Grader!! in the early 60,s been driving accident free on and off now for nearly 50 years every chance I get in the kingdom, spain and Germany are a lot more dangerous to drive in, but if you are really tired of living try downtown Saigon!!

[Litlos]

_{I started off by picking up a car at the initial destination so I did not have to drive in BKK. The best quiet time in BKK is before 7 am, in the morning, 6 am even better, Fridays and Mondays are bad for traffic in BKK. At 8 PM you will be sharing the road with a lot of overnight trucks and some of those drivers use Yaba.}

_{I generally did not hire directly from the hire companies, but use a booking service like Fast car hire UK. Same companies, but maybe 30% cheaper, but still using the companies already mentioned. My experience is stay away from car trawler though.}

_{Ensure you have a GPS and are familiar with how it works is generally the best, but it is relatively easy to drive by the numbers on the main roads eg drive down highway 7 and turn left at highway 36 takes you to Rayong. You can also pre plan you trip using Google maps, find where you wish to go and get the coordinates and feed that into the GPS works well. Sometimes the spelling in the GPS is different to the road signs. Points of interest like hotels are generally easily found by the GPS.}

_{If departing from Bangkok is generally easiest to get the car dropped off at your hotel the night before you leave, they will also pick up. Saves trying to find the rental office in the obscure Soi with all the one way roads around it. Carry 200 baht "Tea money" easily accessible without going in to your wallet for those times when palms need greasing at the unofficial police stops.}

_Cheers

[bkkjames]

I see the op mentioned April for travel dates - just to add if you are planning this around Songkran, forget driving upcountry. However, for those of us who are insane, Bangkok is a relative joy during these few days when the hoards leave the city and give us a glimpse of what it should be like, could be like, but is really never like

Edited February 16, 2015 by bkkjames

[Jerry Cornelius]

For getting around Bangkok I'd recommend using public transport. Travelling by BTS along Sukhumvit is quicker than driving most of the time and taxi drivers have local knowledge of shortcuts and places to avoid at particular times.

Renting a car for your trips to Hua Hin and Issan is a good idea. It will give you more personal freedom of choice and be a worthwhile experience. Use a known company such as; Budget or Thai Car Rent and avoid the back street renters. Renting a dash-mounted GPS might be a useful too.

Jerry

[craigt3365]

Excellent recommendation, litlos. We had that done several times, getting the rental car delivered to our hotel. It was great as the entrance to the freeway was 2 blocks from there.

One time, we got a rental car and the freeway entrance was only 400 meters away. Guess what, we missed it! It wasn't signed very well and it took us well over an hour to get back on the highway. Even with my wife helping who lived in Bangkok for years!!!!

Another thought is to take public transport to Hua Hin and rent a car from there. We've done that before and it worked out great. You can do the same with Issan. Get the car in Khorat or something like that.

[sanuk711]

Rent a car for Issan---but download one of the free GPS apps for your phone that are around, ...although many times in Ban Nok you will be looking at a blank screen..... That's when you will need your long haired dictionary to come to the rescue.

[oxo1947]

Rent a car for Issan---but download one of the free GPS apps for your phone that are around, ...although many times in Ban Nok you will be looking at a blank screen..... That's when you will need your long haired dictionary to come to the rescue.

Whats Ban Nok?

[sanuk711]

Thai idiom---- in the middle of F***ing no where, ---describes some parts of Issan quite adequately ........

Edited February 17, 2015 by sanuk711

[dotpoom]

I have lived in Thailand for 13 years now and drive both a pick-up and a motorbike. I (along with she who must be obeyed) take regular tours around the country (am presently in Ban Pae). I particularly love pulling into the "blue" service stations with the lovely Amazon Coffee Shops. and relaxing over a coffee watching the world go by. Only yesterday on our way down here and sitting in one of the said coffee shops I said to her....the only real way to see how lovely Thailand and it's people are is to travel around it by car (or motorbike). I was saying it's sad how so many tourists only see the towns similar to Pattaya and never get to see the real country. The type of persons you meet along the way are so different than when in the touristy places.

Go for it if I were you and have no fear......if you have good feelings in your heart ...things usually turn out alright.

Have a great holiday either way and let us know how you got on.....Good Luck.

[BudRight]

You won't have a problem unless you do. Then no-one here can help you. Better to just rent a car with driver per day. It's not much more expensive and it might even be cheaper if you can cut a good deal.

Edited February 17, 2015 by BudRight

[Dannyboy666]

Drive with your lights on all the time beware of UTurns on Major Highways, they are Deadly, I drive all

Over Isaan, Never a Problem, btw the right lane is for passing, or you can be fined, I was also asked for Tea Money for having my lights on. 100 baht , always carry smaller bills, for Tea Money, don't be flashin those 1000 baht notes, Enjoy

[Dannyboy666]

I have lived in Thailand for 13 years now and drive both a pick-up and a motorbike. I (along with she who must be obeyed) take regular tours around the country (am presently in Ban Pae). I particularly love pulling into the "blue" service stations with the lovely Amazon Coffee Shops. and relaxing over a coffee watching the world go by. Only yesterday on our way down here and sitting in one of the said coffee shops I said to her....the only real way to see how lovely Thailand and it's people are is to travel around it by car (or motorbike). I was saying it's sad how so many tourists only see the towns similar to Pattaya and never get to see the real country. The type of persons you meet along the way are so different than when in the touristy places.

Go for it if I were you and have no fear......if you have good feelings in your heart ...things usually turn out alright.

Have a great holiday either way and let us know how you got on.....Good Luck.

. I love the Iced Green Tea at Amazon, Coffee Great also...