Can anyone recommend a few car rental places in or around Pattaya with fair rates and no scams? The few I have seem from the major rental companies are seriously expensive. I thought Thailand was supposed to be a budget destination

Edited April 4, 201511 yr by steve654

I only rented a couple of times prior to buying a vehicle, but I got good rates from Hertz. Daily rental plus zero-excess insurance (which no small rental company offers, as far as I know) was just under 500B, with the insurance accounting for about 200B of that.

Those rates were advertised in the national newspapers but were for telephone bookings only. Walk-in and online prices were much higher. So I just went into the local Hertz office and got them to book for me over the phone for immediate pick-up. They were a little surprised but they did it with good grace.

Other brand names were also doing similar prices for phone bookings, and advertising them the same way.

I think that zero-excess insurance is vital here, as it takes all the potential hassle out of renting and driving. You dont even need to check the state of the paintwork etc. when you collect or return your vehicle.

I've used these guys before and they were OK with good rates.

http://www.pattayacar.rentals/

Thailand is no longer a budget destination, IMHO. Might be best to move this over to the Pattaya forum for more help. Let me know if you want to do that.

Best of luck!

I only rented a couple of times prior to buying a vehicle, but I got good rates from Hertz. Daily rental plus zero-excess insurance (which no small rental company offers, as far as I know) was just under 500B, with the insurance accounting for about 200B of that.

Those rates were advertised in the national newspapers but were for telephone bookings only. Walk-in and online prices were much higher. So I just went into the local Hertz office and got them to book for me over the phone for immediate pick-up. They were a little surprised but they did it with good grace.

Other brand names were also doing similar prices for phone bookings, and advertising them the same way.

I think that zero-excess insurance is vital here, as it takes all the potential hassle out of renting and driving. You dont even need to check the state of the paintwork etc. when you collect or return your vehicle.

I never knew they could do that over the phone with cheaper rates, that's very good to know thanks!

Would you mind translating "zero-excess insurance" to Thai for me so my Wife will understand as she will do the booking?

If I tell her zero excess in english, I don't think she will know what I mean.

Edited April 4, 201511 yr by steve654

I've used these guys before and they were OK with good rates.

http://www.pattayacar.rentals/

Thailand is no longer a budget destination, IMHO. Might be best to move this over to the Pattaya forum for more help. Let me know if you want to do that.

Best of luck!

Thanks for the link, will keep them on my list as well! Yes, many have told me it's not cheap like it used to be, so it will be interesting when we arrive. I think my Wife will be the most stunned as she keeps telling about prices that I feel are not reality anymore as she thinks ten years in the past.

No that's fine, don't need to move the Pattaya Forum as both your two replies and maybe a few more that come along will be fine for me. I don't want to be too fussy about it.

I had a look at your link and they post 1,100 bath a day for 100km. Is that normal for car rentals?

Edited April 4, 201511 yr by steve654

Would you mind translating "zero-excess insurance" to Thai for me so my Wife will understand as she will do the booking?

I'd love to, but I dont have the faintest idea what it would be in Thai! Sorry.

I had a look at your link and they post 1,100 bath a day for 100km. Is that normal for car rentals?

The 500B I paid was for unlimited mileage and included the zero-excess insurance I mentioned (which accounted for nearly half of the total cost). That was for a Jazz and a Vios.

Small rental agencies in Pattaya are very poor value to my eyes, especially when you take account of the potentially very large bill you may get if you have some minor damage. The company mentioned in that link has an 8,000B excess, and excess of 25,000B or more is not unheard of.

I didn't pay anywhere near that amount. But that was 5 years ago. I negotiated a discount and it included zero excess insurance. It was a vios. I think it was around 600B/day...or something like that.

The owner was great to work with, even switching out the car after a few weeks with a better one. Came to my apartment to do so. And sent a young lad out to the boonies when I locked the keys in the trunk...with the doors locked also.

Best to shop around. Not easy to do if you are not here though.

I had a look at your link and they post 1,100 bath a day for 100km. Is that normal for car rentals?

The 500B I paid was for unlimited mileage and included the zero-excess insurance I mentioned (which accounted for nearly half of the total cost). That was for a Jazz and a Vios.

Small rental agencies in Pattaya are very poor value to my eyes, especially when you take account of the potentially very large bill you may get if you have some minor damage. The company mentioned in that link has an 8,000B excess, and excess of 25,000B or more is not unheard of.

Thanks for the clarification KittenKong, that really helps me

I didn't pay anywhere near that amount. But that was 5 years ago. I negotiated a discount and it included zero excess insurance. It was a vios. I think it was around 600B/day...or something like that.

The owner was great to work with, even switching out the car after a few weeks with a better one. Came to my apartment to do so. And sent a young lad out to the boonies when I locked the keys in the trunk...with the doors locked also.

Best to shop around. Not easy to do if you are not here though.

Thanks. At least I know how it works now. When we get there we will know what to say and what to look for which is always good.