Most visitors decide this on price, and price is the least important part of it. A scooter is cheaper, more fun and hopeless in the rain with two suitcases; a car is duller, safer, and a liability in a town built around lanes two metres wide. The right answer depends on where you are going and who is with you, and it changes from island to island.
Answer the six questions below and you will get a straight recommendation, with the reasoning shown so you can disagree with it.
Scooter or car?
Why the answer usually comes down to three things
Who is with you. Two adults on a 125cc automatic is normal in Thailand and legal, but it changes the machine's braking and handling more than most people expect, and it removes your margin on a wet corner. Three people or a child means a car, and it is not really a debate — see children on motorbikes and carrying a passenger.
Where you are going. Islands and small beach towns are scooter country: the distances are short, parking is impossible for a car, and the roads are quiet. Big cities are the opposite in one specific way — a car keeps you out of the weather and the traffic on the expressway network, while a scooter gets you through gridlock that a car simply sits in. Long inter-provincial distances almost always favour a car; four hours on a step-through in the heat is a different day out from the one you imagined.
What you have actually ridden. The single biggest predictor of how a motorbike holiday ends is not the machine, it is whether the rider has ridden before. A first-timer learning on a mountain descent or in Bangkok traffic is the setup behind a large share of the injuries this site exists to help you avoid. If that is you, hire a car for the trip and learn to ride at home.
Whichever you choose
The paperwork is the same in both cases: you need the right licence and usually an International Driving Permit, and a motorbike licence is a separate entitlement from a car one. Riding without it does not stop you hiring the bike, but it does affect whether you are covered.
Then work through the handover checklist before you sign anything, and read the guide for whichever you have settled on: renting a car or renting a motorbike.
Can I hire a scooter without a motorbike licence?
In practice most shops will hand one over on a passport alone. That is a commercial decision by the shop, not a legal permission, and it has no bearing on whether you are insured. See renting without a licence.
Is an automatic scooter easier than a semi-automatic?
Yes, and for a visitor it is almost always the right choice. A twist-and-go 125cc automatic removes gear changes entirely, which frees your attention for the traffic. See choosing a scooter.
What about hiring a car with a driver?
It is more common and more affordable in Thailand than in most countries, and for a family doing a few long transfers it can cost little more than self-driving once fuel and tolls are counted. It also removes every question on this page. See driving yourself or taking Grab.
Can I hire both?
Plenty of people do — a car for the long transfer between provinces, a scooter for the week on the island once they arrive. It is often the cheapest arrangement as well as the most sensible one.