Thailand has no single national breakdown service to join. What it has instead is a set of short national numbers, each belonging to the body that runs a particular kind of road, plus whoever supplied your vehicle. Which one you dial depends on where you are and whose vehicle it is — and the two you should have in your phone before you drive anywhere are 1669 for medical emergencies and the emergency number on your rental agreement or insurance card.
The numbers below are all short national numbers, dialled without an area code, and free.
- Ambulance and medical emergency1669
- Tourist Police, English-speaking1155
- Highway Police1193
- Expressways (EXAT)1543
The numbers worth saving
| Number | Who runs it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 1669 | National Institute for Emergency Medicine | The national emergency medical line. Ambulance dispatch. Call this first if anyone is hurt. |
| 1155 | Tourist Police Bureau, Royal Thai Police | English-speaking officers and volunteers, 24 hours. Also reachable on 02-134-0521. The fastest route to someone who can translate. |
| 1193 | Highway Police Division | Crashes and breakdowns on the highway network. |
| 1586 | Department of Highways | Road conditions and incidents. Press 7 for motorways. |
| 1543 | Expressway Authority of Thailand | Expressway accidents and emergencies, option 1, 24 hours. Option 2 is Easy Pass, option 3 traffic conditions. |
| 1584 | Department of Land Transport | 24-hour passenger protection and complaints centre — taxis, buses and licensed public transport. Not for private breakdowns. |
| 1164 | Thai Customs | The Customs Care Center. Relevant only if you have brought a foreign-plated vehicle in. |
| 0-2664-6400 | Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM) | Traffic information for the concession expressways. |
| 191 | Police | The general emergency line. Universally published, and answered in Thai. |
Put them in your phone now, not later. Our Thailand emergency numbers card is built to be screenshotted or printed and folded into a wallet, and the accident action plan covers what to do if the reason you have stopped is a crash rather than a fault.
Who actually comes out
Your rental company
For a hire car or a hire bike, this is the first call, before any of the numbers above. Their agreement will set out how recovery works and which garage they use, and arranging your own repair on their vehicle is a reliable way to end up in a dispute about the bill. Ring them even if the problem looks trivial and even if a local mechanic is standing next to you offering to fix it. Renting a car in Thailand and renting a motorbike in Thailand cover what to establish at the counter, and the emergency number is one of them.
Your insurer
If you own the vehicle and hold a voluntary Thai motor policy — class 1, 2+, 2, 3+ or 3 — roadside assistance and towing are commonly bundled with it, and the number is on the policy card in the vehicle. It is worth knowing what your particular policy includes before you need it, because the towing distance included and whether a "roadside repair attempt" is covered vary between insurers. Compulsory por ror bor cover includes nothing of the sort: it pays medical benefits to injured people and does not touch vehicles. Thai insurance classes explained sets out the difference.
The road authority
On the expressway network in and around Bangkok, EXAT's 1543 is a genuine incident line with a 24-hour operation behind it. On the intercity motorways and the national highway network, the Department of Highways on 1586 and the Highway Police on 1193 are the relevant bodies. These are not a recovery service in the sense of a tow to your hotel — they exist to deal with the incident on their road, make it safe, and get the obstruction cleared. That is usually exactly what you need in the first half hour.
The local mechanic
For most breakdowns on most roads, this is who actually solves the problem. Thailand is unusually well supplied with small repair shops, and they are genuinely competent with the vehicles that dominate the traffic: small Honda and Yamaha automatics, and Isuzu and Toyota pickups. Parts are cheap and universally stocked. A shop that cannot help will point you at someone who can, often within a few minutes.
What Thai roadside assistance does not look like
Three expectations imported from home are worth adjusting.
- There is no membership to join. No national motoring club with a patrol network covers the country the way the AA, ADAC or NRMA do at home. Your equivalent is your insurer or your rental company.
- Recovery vehicles are not standardised. A broken motorbike is normally moved in the back of somebody's pickup with a plank, and that is the normal, effective and cheap solution rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.
- Nobody will call you back with an ETA. Expect to make the arrangements yourself and to confirm them.
Making the call useful
- Drop a map pin before you dial and be ready to send it or read out coordinates. This is the single biggest time-saver.
- Have the road number ready. Thai highways are numbered and signposted, and the kilometre markers at the roadside are a precise location — "Highway 4, around kilometre 210" is an excellent thing to be able to say. Thai highway numbers and distance signs decoded explains how to read them.
- Have the vehicle's registration number and, for a hire vehicle, the agreement number.
- Say what has failed and whether anyone is hurt, in that order, in short sentences.
- If the language is not working, call 1155 and ask them to help. That is precisely what the line is for.
If anyone is injured, 1669 comes before every other call on this page. Recovery of the vehicle is a problem that will still be there in an hour. Injuries are not.
What each situation actually needs
| Situation | First call | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Puncture on a scooter, in a town | Nobody — find a tyre shop | Punctures and where to get a tyre fixed |
| Hire car will not start in a hotel car park | The rental company | Flat battery and electrical faults |
| Overheating on a mountain road | Stop first, then the rental company or insurer | Engine overheating |
| Out of fuel on a rural highway | Nobody — walk or flag down help | Running out of fuel |
| Broken down on an expressway | 1543, option 1 | Breaking down on an expressway |
| Broken down on a highway, at night, unlit | 1193, then your rental company | Driving at night in Thailand |
| Crash, with damage or injury | 1669 if injured, then 1155 | What to do after a road accident |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single number for breakdowns in Thailand?
No. The number depends on the road: 1193 for the highway police, 1586 for the Department of Highways, 1543 for the Bangkok expressways. For your vehicle, it is the rental company or your insurer. 1669 is the ambulance and outranks all of them if anyone is hurt.
Does 1155 help with a breakdown?
Not as a recovery service, but as an interpreter it is invaluable. The Tourist Police line puts an English-speaking officer on the phone, and a stranded visitor with no Thai is exactly the situation it exists for.
Will my Thai motor insurance tow me?
Voluntary policies commonly include roadside assistance and towing, with the details varying by insurer. Compulsory por ror bor cover does not — it pays medical benefits to people and nothing towards a vehicle.
How much does a tow cost?
We do not publish a figure, because it depends on the distance, the vehicle and who you find. A motorbike moved a few kilometres in a pickup is a small sum; a car recovered a long distance is not. Agree the price before the vehicle is loaded.
Can I just find a mechanic myself?
On your own vehicle, yes, and it is usually the fastest route. On a hire vehicle, ring the company first — repairs arranged without them tend to be disputed later, and the rental agreement normally requires the call anyway.
What if I break down on a toll road?
Use the authority's line for that road: 1543 for the EXAT expressways, 1586 press 7 for motorways. Do not attempt to walk back along the carriageway to a toll plaza. Thailand's expressways and motorways explained covers which is which.