Car Hire in Surat Thani: Gateway to the Gulf Islands

Surat Thani is a transit town, and that is the key to renting a car here. Most people who pass through are on their way to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or Koh Tao, which means the first question is not "where do I rent?" but "can the car come with me?" For Samui and Phangan the answer is a qualified yes — there are vehicle ferries — but for most visitors, on most rental contracts, the practical answer is no, and the car stays on the mainland.

The general rules of Thai car hire are in renting a car in Thailand. Below is the local geography that actually decides your plan: three separate collection points spread across the province, one pier a long way east of town, and a mainland hinterland that is worth a car in its own right.

• Typical daily rateRoughly 800–1,400 baht for a small automatic; higher in the December–February peak
• TerrainFlat coastal plain, hills inland towards Khao Sok
• Best vehicleSmall automatic
• Donsak pierRoughly 65–70 km east of the city, about 1–1.5 hours

Three places called Surat Thani

The name covers three locations that are not close together, and booking a car at the wrong one costs you an hour.

The airport is the sensible default. Desks there include national Thai chains and a couple of international names, and the run into the city or east towards the pier is straightforward. If you are arriving by overnight train from Bangkok you land at Phun Phin, and it is worth arranging delivery there rather than taking a songthaew into the city first. Airport car rental in Thailand covers how collection works, and what you need to rent a car in Thailand covers the documents.

Donsak, and what to do with the car

The ferry port for the Gulf islands is at Donsak, roughly 65 to 70 kilometres east of Surat Thani city — call it an hour to an hour and a half by road depending on where you start. It is a proper terminal with ticket offices, shops and a large car park.

From Donsak, conventional roll-on ferries run to Lipa Noi on Koh Samui and to Thong Sala on Koh Phangan, and those ferries carry cars and motorbikes. The high-speed catamarans that also serve the islands are foot-passenger services and do not. Koh Tao has no vehicle ferry in any practical sense. Our guide to the Koh Chang and Koh Samui vehicle ferries covers how the crossings work, and taking a car or motorbike on a Thai island ferry covers the general procedure.

The obstacle is the contract, not the boat. A large proportion of Thai rental agreements exclude ferry crossings altogether, and those that permit it may require notice and may suspend cover while the vehicle is aboard. Ask the question explicitly before you book, and get the answer in writing — taking a hire car on a ferry in Thailand sets out what to ask.

The other option is a one-way drop at Donsak. Several firms will accept a return at the pier, but almost all charge a one-way fee for it, and the amounts quoted vary a great deal between companies. If your plan is airport in, islands out, price that fee against simply driving back to the airport. One-way car rental in Thailand covers how these charges work.

The mainland is the underrated part

Most visitors treat Surat Thani as a place to get through. It is also the gateway to some of the best mainland driving in the south, and if you have a car for a couple of days before or after the islands it is worth using.

Khao Sok National Park lies roughly 110 to 130 kilometres north-west, an easy two hours on Highway 401, and is one of the standout destinations in southern Thailand. Chaiya, north of the city, has the oldest temples in the region. Khanom, on the coast east of Donsak, is a quiet beach town with pink dolphins offshore and almost no visitors. Highway 41 runs the length of the province and links south towards Nakhon Si Thammarat and Krabi. Our guides to the Gulf coast drive from Hua Hin to Surat Thani and driving in southern Thailand cover the wider region.

The roads themselves are easy: wide, mostly dual carriageway on the main routes, with the usual southern pattern of U-turn cuts instead of right turns and motorbikes joining from every side lane. U-turns in Thailand is the manoeuvre to understand before you need it.

Seasons and prices

This coast runs on the Gulf calendar rather than the Andaman one. The wettest months are roughly October to December, when heavy rain and flooding are a genuine feature of Surat Thani province — the region has had serious floods in some years, and standing water on the roads to Donsak is not unusual. Ferry sailings are also disrupted in bad weather, which matters if a car is booked onto one. See the rainy season and flooded roads in Thailand.

Rates for a small automatic typically sit somewhere around 800–1,400 baht a day (roughly £18–£33 / US$24–US$42), rising over the December to February peak and again in July and August when the islands fill. Book ahead over New Year, when fleets in this province empty out because everybody is heading to Samui. Car rental prices in Thailand by season has the national picture.

Frequently asked questions