I posted the following in the Pattaya forum some days back but no replies:

"A Thai friend in mid-20's recently passed the Thai driving test and license just issued,. Looking to rent a car from a reputable place in Pattaya. However some rental companies say the driver must have 1 or 2 years validity on the license.

Can anyone advise a respectable car rental company in Pattaya who would be prepared to rent a car to my Thai friend(with full insurance etc) despite my friend being a new driver?

Any suggestions gratefully received."

-My friend has now contacted over 10 rental companes, many say they do not rent cars to Thais because the Thais either sell the rental cars or use the vehicles for drug trafficking.A few companies might be prepared to rent to my friend but he needs a credit card which he does not have.

So if anyone one can suggest a reputable rental company it would be appreciated.

Just out of my interest if I were prepared to use my credit card as a guarantor, what precisely would that make be liable for (if anyone knows)?

Many thanks.

In year one, you only gat a "provisional license". When that expires, you can then apply for a full drivers license.

It's quite normal for big chains to require a credit card pre-authorization for the security deposit as well.

My guess? You'll be better off contacting smaller rental outfits - you'll be wasting your time contacting the big name brand rental companies if you only have a provisional license and don't have a credit card for the security deposit (or the cash).

As for your liability - that's a piece of string. There are always a number of clauses in car insurance contracts that effectively cancel the coverage. Driving drunk for example. If your friend was to drive drunk, and then crash into a couple of supercars, who knows, you / your friend could have 50M Baht bill to pay.

Thank u so much IMHO for your very useful and helpful reply to my post. I will pass on your comments to my friend. I now know ever more the risk of using my credit card for someone else's car hire and therefore u can guess my decision on that one.

cheers!