The short answer

Before you go: get an International Driving Permit from the AA of South Africa — ask for the 1968 model — and make sure your South African licence carries the right code for what you'll ride or drive. Arrange insurance that covers it, and book a reputable rental in advance if you can.

When you rent: pay the rental in baht with a card that has no conversion fee, or in cash; put car deposits on a credit card so the hold doesn't tie up your spending money; and for scooters, offer a cash deposit and a passport photocopy — never the passport itself.

Before you ride away: film the vehicle all the way round with the staff member present, photograph the fuel gauge and keep the contract. That five-minute video is the best protection against a damage claim you'll ever get.

What renting a scooter, motorbike or car costs

Scooters and motorbikes

Most visitors rent an automatic scooter of 110cc to 125cc — a Honda Click, Scoopy or similar — which typically costs about ฿150 to ฿350 a day, roughly R75 to R170. Prices published in July 2026 for Koh Samui give a sense of the range:

• Honda Scoopy 110 — around ฿150 a day (about R75).
• Honda Click 125 — around ฿200 a day (about R100).
• Honda Click 160 or PCX 160 — around ฿300 to ฿400 a day.
• Honda ADV 160 — around ฿400 to ฿450 a day.
• Bigger maxi-scooters such as the Yamaha X-Max 300 or Honda Forza 350 — around ฿800 to ฿900 a day.
• Large touring bikes — from about ฿1,800 a day.

Weekly and monthly rates are much cheaper per day: a month on a standard scooter is often ฿2,000 to ฿4,000 — about R980 to R1,960. Prices are higher on the islands and in peak season, and lower in Chiang Mai and away from the beaches.

Cars

A small car such as a Toyota Yaris or Honda City typically costs around ฿1,000 to ฿1,500 a day (about R490 to R740) from the main rental companies, with SUVs and seven-seaters from about ฿2,000 to ฿3,500. Pick-ups such as the Toyota Hilux — familiar to most South Africans — are popular and similarly priced to a mid-size saloon. Rates rise by 30% to 50% in the high season from November to March, and fall in the rainy season; month-long rentals can be discounted heavily.

Most companies require drivers to be at least 21, and many add a young-driver surcharge under 25. Extras — child seats, GPS, an additional driver, Super CDW — are charged per day.

Booking ahead usually gets you a better rate and lets you see the deposit, the excess and the insurance options before you arrive, rather than at a desk after a long flight.

Licences first — because they decide your insurance

This is the part most visitors get wrong, and it matters far more than the price of the rental.

Carry an International Driving Permit (IDP) with your South African licence. In South Africa, IDPs are issued by the Automobile Association (AA), online for collection or at AA outlets, usually within 10 to 30 minutes in store; you'll need your licence card, your ID or passport and a passport photo. The price was R365 from June 2024, so check the AA's current fee, and ask for the 1968 model, which Thailand recognises and which is valid for up to three years (never longer than your licence).

A car licence doesn't cover a scooter. To ride a motorbike or scooter legally you need a motorcycle code on your South African licence — A1 for motorcycles up to 125cc, or A for larger bikes — and the IDP must show it; a code B or EB licence on its own doesn't. Your insurance follows your licence: travel policies typically expect you to hold the right licence for the vehicle, so if you wouldn't be allowed to ride it at home your insurer may not cover you in Thailand, and riding without a valid licence can invalidate your cover. Helmets are compulsory for riders and passengers, and many policies won't pay if you weren't wearing one.

The police do check. Checkpoints are common in tourist areas, and fines published in July 2026 included up to ฿2,000 for riding without a helmet, ฿1,000 for riding without a valid licence and ฿2,000 for failing to show a licence when asked. The drink-driving limit is 0.05% blood alcohol.

Rented motorcycles in tourist areas are sometimes unregistered and can't legally be used on a public road — another reason to rent from an established shop.

Paying for a scooter: cash, cards and deposits

Most scooter rental in Thailand is a cash business. Small shops, guesthouses and beach-road stalls usually want the rental paid upfront in baht, plus a deposit. Larger rental companies and those you can book online often take cards.

The deposit

Expect a cash deposit of roughly ฿500 to ฿5,000 (about R245 to R2,450), depending on the bike and the shop, returned when you bring the scooter back undamaged with the right amount of fuel. Ask for a written receipt for the deposit and keep it with your contract.

Don't leave your passport

Many shops ask to keep your passport as security. Don't agree. A shop holding your passport can keep it against claimed damage — and without it you can't check into a hotel, change money or leave the country, and replacing a South African passport abroad takes time through the Embassy. A reputable shop will accept a cash deposit and a photocopy of your passport instead. A shop that refuses is a red flag.

Paying by card

Where a shop takes cards, pay the rental with a card that has no conversion fee, such as Capitec or GoTyme, and choose baht if the machine offers rand. Some smaller businesses add a few percent for card payments; on a small rental, cash withdrawn ฿20,000 at a time on a low-fee card is often simpler.

The easiest way to avoid the passport argument altogether is to book with a shop that sets out its prices, deposit and documents upfront.

Paying for a car: credit card holds and deposits

International and large Thai rental companies — at airports and in the cities — almost always require a credit card for the deposit. Many won't accept a debit card for the hold, and the card usually has to be in the main driver's name. Check before you book.

How big is the hold?

Deposits vary by company and car. Guides published in 2026 put typical holds at around ฿15,000 to ฿25,000 (about R7,350 to R12,250) for an economy car, ฿30,000 to ฿50,000 for a mid-size car and much more for premium models. The hold is released after you return the car in good condition — commonly within 7 to 30 days, depending on the company and your bank.

That's why a credit card with no conversion fee is the right card for car hire. The hold sits on your credit limit, not your transactional account, and you don't pay a conversion fee on the rental or any charges. Make sure your limit is high enough for the hold plus your other spending — a R10,000 hold can use up most of a modest limit.

Smaller local companies

Local car hire firms are often cheaper and may accept a cash deposit instead of a credit card hold — sometimes two or three times larger than the equivalent hold. If you pay a cash deposit, get a receipt that states the amount and the conditions for its return.

Pay in baht

Rental desks at airports may offer to charge you in rand. Decline — choose baht and let your card convert at the network rate. Check the final charge on the contract and your receipt match.

Scooter shop, local car firm or big rental company?

How paying and deposits typically work with each type of rental. Scroll sideways on a phone.

Typical figures from rental guides published in 2026 (The Thaiger, July 2026; Itinerary Expert, April 2026). Every company sets its own terms.

Rental insurance: what's included and what isn't

Insurance is the part of renting in Thailand that costs people most, because the cover included with the rental is usually far thinner than visitors assume.

Compulsory insurance (Por Ror Bor)

Every registered vehicle in Thailand must carry compulsory motor insurance, known as Por Ror Bor. It's useful but limited: it pays toward medical costs for people injured in an accident — up to about ฿30,000 for injuries in the standard case, and up to ฿80,000 if you weren't at fault — with set amounts for death and disability. It doesn't cover damage to the rental vehicle, theft, or your liability for damage to other people's property, and it won't go far in a private hospital.

Car hire: CDW and Super CDW

Major car rental companies include basic collision damage cover (CDW), but with an excess — the amount you pay if the car is damaged — typically around ฿8,000 to ฿15,000 per incident (about R3,900 to R7,350), and up to about ฿20,000 on some cars. Super CDW, which reduces the excess to zero for most exterior damage, typically costs around ฿200 to ฿400 a day. On a week's rental that's around R690 to R1,370 to avoid a possible R3,900 to R7,350 bill. Interior damage, tyres, glass and damage caused by drink-driving are often excluded either way.

Scooters: usually no proper cover

Proper insurance on rented scooters is rare. Most small shops offer nothing beyond the compulsory cover, which leaves you personally liable for damage to the bike, other vehicles and property — and for your own medical bills unless your travel insurance pays.

Your travel insurance

Many travel policies exclude motorcycling altogether, or cover it only up to a certain engine size, only with the right licence code, and only if you wore a helmet. The free travel cover that comes with some South African credit cards is often mainly medical and may have its own exclusions. Read the "hazardous activities" and "motorcycling" sections of your policy before you go, and buy cover that matches what you'll actually be riding.

Protecting your deposit from damage scams

Most rental shops in Thailand are honest. But disputes over damage are common enough that you should protect yourself every time.

Before you leave, walk all the way round the vehicle with a staff member present, filming close-ups of every scratch, the tyres, mirrors, lights and underside of the bodywork, and keep the video until your deposit is back. Photograph the fuel gauge and odometer at pickup and return with the same fuel level. Get everything in writing — the price, the deposit, the excess and what happens if the vehicle is damaged or stolen. On a scooter, use your own lock and park in busy, well-lit places, because there have been reports of operators using a spare key to take back a rented bike and then charging for its “theft”. Return in daylight when you can and check the vehicle together with the staff, and don't sign a damage form you disagree with — ask for the Tourist Police (call 1155) if a dispute escalates or you feel intimidated.

If you paid a car deposit on a credit card and the company won't release it, or charges you for damage you didn't cause, contact your bank and ask it to dispute the charge. Your video and photos will be your evidence.

On the road: fuel, tolls and fines

Fuel

Petrol costs around ฿32 to ฿35 a litre for 95-octane in 2026, according to rental guides — roughly R16 to R17 a litre. Most car rentals are "full to full": return the car with a full tank or pay a refuelling charge well above the pump price. Large stations run by PTT, Bangchak, Shell and others often take cards; smaller stations and roadside fuel sellers on the islands want cash. Scooters take only a few litres — keep ฿100 notes handy.

Tolls

Expressway tolls around Bangkok are typically ฿25 to ฿75 a section, paid in cash at the booth — keep coins and small notes in the car and avoid lanes marked for electronic passes only. On the M-Flow barrier-free motorways, cameras read the number plate and the toll must be paid within seven days; unpaid tolls carry a penalty of ten times the fee plus ฿200. Ask the rental company how M-Flow and electronic toll charges are handled and billed on your car.

Fines

Traffic fines are usually paid at a police station or through official channels with a receipt. Camera fines may reach the rental company after you've returned the car, and some companies pass them on, with an administration charge, to the card you used. Keep your rental agreement and card statements for a few months after the trip.

If you're planning a longer road trip, plan the route as well as the payments.

If you have an accident

Get medical help first by calling 1669 for an ambulance, then call the police (191) or the Tourist Police (1155), because a police report is needed for insurance claims, including compulsory Por Ror Bor cover. Call your insurer's emergency line — and your travel insurer if you're injured — as early as you can, since private hospitals may ask for a guarantee of payment or a deposit before treatment. Call the rental company and follow its procedure; on a car, the rental's insurer may send an assessor. Photograph everything — vehicles, number plates, the road, injuries and documents — and don't sign anything you don't understand or agree to pay on the spot under pressure.

Have a credit card with enough available limit for a hospital deposit, and keep your insurer's 24-hour number in your phone and on paper. If you need consular help, the South African Embassy in Bangkok is on +66 2 092 2900.

Living in Thailand? Buying, insuring and financing a vehicle

Once you live in Thailand, renting month after month rarely makes sense. Most long-term residents buy a scooter or car — and that brings its own money decisions: whether to pay cash or finance it, how to transfer the money from South Africa, and how to insure it.

Long-term residents are expected to convert to a Thai driving licence. And insurance becomes a real choice: Thai motor policies range from compulsory cover only to comprehensive "first class" cover that includes damage to your own vehicle, theft and third-party liability. Health insurance matters too — the right policy makes far more difference to a serious accident than anything on the rental desk.

Our team takes enquiries for car, motorbike, health, life, home and business insurance for people living in Thailand and passes them to the right specialist — as well as helping with the bigger picture of moving and managing your money here.

Everything you need to rent safely

Book the vehicle, arrange the cover, and carry the right card.

Your rental checklist

• An AA International Driving Permit (1968 model) plus your South African licence card.
• Code A1 or A on your licence if you'll ride a scooter or motorbike.
• Insurance that covers it — check engine size, licence and helmet terms.
• A credit card with no conversion fee for car deposits, with enough limit.
• Passport photocopies — never leave the original as a deposit.
• Video the vehicle with staff present, and photograph the fuel gauge.
• Cash for fuel and tolls — small notes and coins.
• Emergency numbers saved: 1669 ambulance, 1155 Tourist Police, your insurer.