You do not need a car for Patong itself, because everything on the beach road and around Bangla is walkable. You need one for anywhere else on the island.
Cars are rented at Phuket airport, one of the two places on the island with a named point to meet at, and driven over. The alternative is to set Patong as the pickup point and give the address you are staying at, and the car is brought to it, whether that is a hotel on the beach road or an apartment up the hill. There is no named point to find in Patong; the arrangement is delivery to an address you nominate, and at about forty-five minutes Patong sits in the middle of the full list of collection points, closer than the southern beaches and further out than the northern ones. Delivery carries its own charge, shown per car in the search. Rates are quoted in Thai baht and the deposit and mileage terms sit on each car before you book.
01
Which size car should you rent for Patong?
The streets behind the beach road in Patong are narrow. A compact hatchback fits them. A large SUV may not.
The search lets you filter by class: economy and standard are the small automatics, SUV is a raised compact rather than anything enormous, and premium is a larger saloon. Two people staying in Patong fit an economy car; four adults with luggage need standard.
The exception is a stay based in Patong with most days spent elsewhere, especially up the coast or over to Phang Nga. A bigger car is more comfortable on the highway, so compare the larger car classes before you book.
02
The hill road into Patong
Patong sits in a bowl, and every road into it comes over a hill. The main one is Route 4029 from the Kathu side, which is the way you will arrive from Phuket airport. It is a steep climb with a series of bends.
Driving it for the first time at night, tired, in rain and a few hours after landing is harder than driving it in daylight at a sensible speed. If your flight arrives late, take a transfer in and have the car delivered the next morning instead.
Going south out of Patong towards Karon there is a second hill road with a viewpoint on it. Use the proper pull-in rather than the verge; the road is narrow and the bend is blind.
Cars for Patong, on your dates
367 cars listed for this pickup point today, from ฿331 a day, each stating its own deposit, mileage and delivery terms.
03
Where do you park in Patong?
Confirm your hotel has parking before you book the car, and confirm it in writing. On the street, the kerb markings that apply to driving on Phuket are enforced on the beach road too.
Marked no-parking areas are enforced.
Book the car for the days you are going out rather than for the whole stay; the rate is daily.
Before you pick a car
The deposit is set per car
About 5% 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
Where to drive from Patong
North of Patong along the coast road, Kamala is about 12 minutes away, Surin about 15 and Bang Tao about 26.
South over the hill, Karon is about 11 minutes from Patong, Kata about 16 and Rawai about 26, with the cape at the bottom of the island beyond Rawai.
Inland, the island's own town is across the middle of the island on a fast road. Its old centre is lined with Sino-Portuguese shophouses.
FAQ
Renting a car in Patong
Answers on parking, the hill road and how long to rent the car for in Patong.
Not for Patong itself, which is walkable. You need one for the coast north of Kamala and the south of the island. You can rent for part of a stay rather than the whole of it, because the rate is charged by the day.
No. Patong itself is walkable, so book the car for the days you are going out and spend the rest on foot. The rate is daily.
It is a steep climb with bends and slow traffic. Driving it at night on arrival day is harder than in daylight. If you land late, take a transfer in and have the car delivered to your hotel the next morning.
Late afternoon in high season, roughly four until seven, when the west-coast traffic and the traffic returning from the beaches meet on the same hill. If you are catching a flight, leave Patong with a good hour more than the map suggests.
Yes. Set Patong as the pickup point in the search and the car is brought to your hotel at the time you agree. It is the same booking and the same paperwork as an airport collection.
See what is free while you are reading
Rates, deposits and mileage terms sit on each car in Patong, in Thai baht, before anything is paid.
Check dates and prices →