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Hi

 

Can anyone tell me a cheap car rental place in Bangkok?

i want to go to Petchabun over Songkran and need a car so I can stay a little way from the moobahn (don't wanna sleep on a plank for three night)

 

I still only have a UK drivers licence; problem or not?

 

thanks in Advance for any help

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Mate,

I dont know if any car hire place.

But here in oz we need to apply for international drivers licence which is ok to use in LOS along with your oz licence subject to it being valid. i think only costs $33 and is valid for a year. You may want to query this from the UK roads authority (vic roads in oz) they will be able to direct you. I ampretty sure that the international DL is also applicable from the UK.

Maybe UK BM's can shet some more light on this

 

Not much help i know - but that's my 2 bob worth

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with all the liability i would not consider driving or riding in thailand ,,,only have to do a search of some of the horror stories ,,foreigner is always in the wrong 100%...anyway why run the risk when having a driver is so cheap anyway...i go to thailand for good time not long time lol.:)

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I'm sure theres a couple of trip reports from active members in the pats site that involved hiring cars, drive to Issan etc. FD's road trip stands out for some reason. Perhaps they have info.

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Cheyenne

 

I have used Avis and Hertz in the past. I usually rent with Avis from the airport on landing and then drop the car off at Wireless road branch when done, which is a 2 minute cab ride from my condo. I'll do it a couple times a year for when my girl and I go to Khao Yai for an over night golfing trip or for two day excursions out of the city, such as kanchanaburi. I've also rented from Ubon Rachandani Airport a couple of times.

 

Have never had any issues - I book online and use my Hong Kong driver's license and international license (though they usually only ask for my HK license).

 

I believe there are some local companies, with airport locations, which will have cheaper rates than the international groups, though I haven't investigated those.

 

All in all a very convenient way to do a couple day trip out of the big city.

 

You should get an international license just in case the ask for it. Should be very easy to arrange wherever you are located.

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I used Budget last year from the airport, had a little Honda which did just fine for a week with me and two LBs driving around Isaan, all the way over to Khong Chiam on the Mekong and back. Very economical car, and the roads are easy and quick (using sat nav on phone), would well recommend driving if you're confident behind the wheel.

 

Precautions I took:

International drivers license - about £5 from UK Post Office if I can remember;

damage excess - covered by my diving insurance, pretty handy but thankfully didn't need it;

kept my eyes peeled at all times, checked mirrors frequently, assessed every potential upcoming hazard, and got past erratic lorry drivers as quick as possible!

 

I chose a larger hire company due to the distance covered and backup offered if something should break down, and because of this I think one is required to produce the International Driving License. If you don't hold a Thai license, this may be an issue, so you'd best check first.

 

Alternatively, on most of my Thai trips over the past decade or so - how time flies - I've hired jeeps/cars from local companies, and never had a problem. They often will want to hold your passport, but don't require all the other documents. However, I assume if things go tits up, it'll be you break you pay, so check you're insured and what the excess is, and document carefully existing damage when you receive the vehicle. I've Googled it before, and you have cheap hire companies everywhere, so you may wish to pick up a car outside of Bangkok to start/end your driving trip easily.

 

Two years ago I got pulled by the Police for my hire jeep not displaying tax, this was a money gathering exercise which cost me about 1000Thb; the lady who rented me the vehicle had forgot to put it on the windscreen (it was in her drawer), she was very nice and reimbursed me, but it obviously cost her as I'd got the jeep rental down to 600Thb per day. The police didn't ask anything about driving license, so shouldn't be an issue, and nothing that couldn't be smoothed by a 500Thb note.

 

Regards the Thai driving style, it could generously be described as erratic, and those scooters come at you in all directions when you least expect them, so you need to drive with confidence and assertion. Take comfort at least that this is not India - now there's a place I wouldn't recommend driving.

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Avis is good. And there's a good chance they'll have GPS units also available for rent.

 

Maybe not the least expensive, but it's a company one can rely upon.

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