Cape Panwa is the headland running south-east off the bottom of Phuket Town, with a working bay with yachts in it and a handful of resorts along the shore.
Everywhere else on the island, the airport itself aside, you take delivery at an address you give. Cape Panwa also has four named points you can be handed the car at. Apart from the airport it is the only entry on the list of pickup points with named places to meet rather than an address to give.
01
Where exactly do you collect the car?
The supplier's set points on the cape are Hotel Cape Panwa, the Crowne Plaza, Kao Khad View Point and the 7-Eleven at Panwa. Pick one of those and it is a fixed place to meet.
The alternative is the same as everywhere else on the island: give the address you are staying at and the car is brought to it. Both are the same booking and both are shown at the search stage. Take a named point if your accommodation is hard to describe or you are arriving by boat, and an address if you want the car at your door.
Whichever you take, the handover is unchanged. The supplier meets you in person, you look the car over together, and you photograph it before you sign. Delivery away from the airport is priced per car and the figure is on the listing before you pay anything.
02
How long is the drive from the airport?
Around fifty-three minutes for 44 km. Route 402 takes you south the length of Phuket to Phuket Town, and the cape road carries on south-east from there down the headland.
The route has no climb like the one into Patong.
The drive from the airport to the cape takes about fifty-three minutes. With a late landing, the alternative is a transfer down and delivery of the car the following morning. Collecting at Phuket Airport rather than in Cape Panwa means making that drive yourself on arrival. Delivery away from the airport is priced per car and shown on the listing before you book.
Cars for Cape Panwa, on your dates
247 cars listed for this pickup point today, from ฿331 a day, each stating its own deposit, mileage and delivery terms.
03
Which car suits Cape Panwa?
The roads on the cape are wider than the narrow lanes of the west-coast beach strips. Choose from the car sizes on offer by passengers and luggage rather than by the roads.
If there are four of you with luggage, or you will be crossing the island regularly to the beaches and the airport, size the car for that.
If you want a manual, filter for it in the search. Mileage limits are set per vehicle rather than across the board, so check them against your planned drives to the west-coast beaches and the airport.
Before you pick a car
The deposit is set per car
About 6% of the cars listed today are taking no deposit at all. Where a deposit applies, check its amount and payment requirements on the listing before you pay.
Cancellation is per car
About 17% of today's listings allow free cancellation. It is set on the car rather than across the board, so the terms are on the listing you choose.
You can finish somewhere else
The daily rate does not change on a one-way; the difference sits in the delivery and return charge, and it is set at the search stage rather than on the day.
How the car reaches you
You can collect at the airport or arrange delivery to your address. Check the available pickup options and delivery price for the car you choose.
04
What can you reach from Cape Panwa?
The west-coast beaches, Patong's restaurants and the southern viewpoints are all on the other side of the island, and the airport is fifty-three minutes north.
The cape is close to Phuket Town, which has the markets, the Old Town and the pier for the island boats.
The Kata and Karon beaches are the nearest of the west-coast beaches at about 28 minutes. Plan the day around one crossing rather than several, and stay out of the west coast's late-afternoon traffic.
FAQ
Renting a car in Cape Panwa
Answers on the named collection points, which on Phuket exist only here and at the airport.
Yes. Cape Panwa has four named points as well as delivery to your address. The set points are Hotel Cape Panwa, the Crowne Plaza, Kao Khad View Point and the 7-Eleven at Panwa. You can also give the address you are staying at and have the car brought to it, as anywhere else on the island.
Take a named point if your accommodation is awkward to describe or you are coming in off a boat. Take an address if you want the car outside your door at a set time. The delivery charge is set on the car and shown before you pay.
About 44 km and fifty-three minutes, south down Route 402 through Phuket Town and then out along the cape. The route has none of the steep hill sections the west coast does.
The west-coast beaches, Patong and the southern viewpoints are on the other side of the island. To reach anything beyond the immediate bay you need a car or a taxi.
Confirm your resort has parking before you book the car, and confirm it in writing. The roads on the cape are wider than the west-coast beach lanes.
Yes. Set the different drop-off at the search stage rather than raising it on the day, because it changes which cars come back and what they cost.
See what is free while you are reading
Rates, deposits and mileage terms sit on each car in Cape Panwa, in Thai baht, before anything is paid.
Check dates and prices →