The Old Town in Phuket Town is a few streets of Sino-Portuguese shophouses. The hospitals, the big supermarkets and the pier for the island boats are also in town.
There are three ways to take the car: delivery to you in town, car rental at Phuket airport forty minutes north, or a handover at Rassada Pier if you are coming off a boat. All three are the same booking, and every pickup point on the island is listed with its drive time from the terminal. Rates are in Thai baht and the deposit terms sit on each car in the search.
01
What is the Old Town, and how does the car reach you?
The Old Town is a compact grid of Sino-Portuguese shophouses along Thalang, Dibuk and Krabi Roads. It is walkable end to end, so park the car and walk while you are in it.
There is no named point to find in town. You give the address you are staying at when you book and the supplier brings the car to it, so a guesthouse inside the grid, a hotel out on the bypass and an apartment on the edge of town use the same delivery arrangement as the collection points elsewhere on the island. Delivery away from the airport is priced per car and shown next to the rate before you book.
02
How does the deposit work here?
Where a car holds a deposit, it is released when you bring the car back undamaged. The amount varies by car and by supplier and it is shown on the listing before you book, along with whether it is taken in cash or held on a card. Check which, because it changes what you need to have with you on the day.
The deposit and the insurance cover are separate things. A larger deposit does not mean you have less cover, and a car with no deposit is not automatically better protected. The deposit is security against damage; the cover is what happens if there is any. They are set independently, so a large deposit tells you nothing about rental car excess and insurance if something happens.
A small number of cars are offered with no deposit at all. The rate and the deposit both sit on the car before you pay.
03
Can you rent for just two or three days?
Yes. You do not need a car to walk the Old Town. Rent the car for the days you leave town.
The rate is daily: you pay for the days you have the car, and on a fortnight's stay there is no obligation to keep it for all of it. Book the days you will drive.
If you are collecting in town rather than at the airport, agree a time with the supplier that avoids the ends of the school day, when traffic in town is heavy. How the handover works is the same whether you take the car for two days or ten.
Cars for Phuket Town, on your dates
364 cars listed for this pickup point today, from ฿331 a day, each stating its own deposit, mileage and delivery terms.
04
Where do you park in the Old Town?
The Old Town grid has narrow streets and scooter traffic, and some of it is one-way. Park once and walk rather than driving from one street to the next.
Do not leave a car on the yellow-and-white kerb markings; they mean no parking and they are enforced here.
Outside the Old Town, Phuket Town has wide roads and heavy traffic at the ends of the school day.
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 16% 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.
05
Using town as a base
The airport is about forty minutes north, the beach road at Patong is west over the middle of the island, and Rawai and the southern cape are about twenty-five minutes south. The beaches at Kata and Karon are to the south-west.
Rassada Pier is about ten minutes away.
East of town, the Cape Panwa headland is a short drive out, with a sea view and no nightlife. The headland is also where Cape Panwa's named pickup points are, the only ones on the island besides the airport.
FAQ
Renting a car in Phuket Town
Answers on the deposit, parking in the Old Town and Rassada Pier.
Not for the town itself, which is walkable. You need one for the beaches over the middle of the island, so rent it for the days you are leaving town.
A small number, and each listing shows whether the car holds a deposit. The rate and the deposit both sit on the car before you pay.
Collect in town if your trip starts with a few days on foot in the Old Town and you want no airport drive on arrival day. Collect at HKT if you want to drive straight to where you are staying.
Yes, the pier is one of the pickup points, including for arrivals by boat from Phi Phi or Ko Yao.
See what is free while you are reading
Rates, deposits and mileage terms sit on each car in Phuket Town, in Thai baht, before anything is paid.
Check dates and prices →