Car rental worldwide - OrangeSmile Tours

You are here: Car rental » Thailand » Rules and Traffic Regulations

Language:

Road Rules and Traffic Regulations in Thailand - Driving Nuances

Find Your Car in Thailand

1. Thailand is a country with left driving. It is characterized by a developed network of roads and is a perfect choice for traveling by car. The main roads of the country are distinguished by good quality. Some roads have special integrated reflective elements in addition to the standard road markings. This also makes roads in Thailand more comfortable.

2. Local petrol stations usually sell diesel fuel and unleaded gasoline (91 and 95). The cost of petrol can vary at various petrol stations. The average price is US$1 – 1.3 for one liter of 95-octane gasoline.

3. Drivers will also be pleased with good choice of parking lots – the problem of parking is virtually nonexistent in Thailand. You may encounter problems only when looking for a parking lot in the center of a large city. Free parking lots (both ground and underground) can be easily found in all supermarkets and shopping complexes. The cost of using a paid parking lot usually ranges from US$0.7 to US$2 per hour.

Nuances of Car Rental in Thailand

To save on your rental, we advise to book your car in advance. You will save the most if you do this several weeks or even several months prior to your trip. Rental offices in Thailand usually raise rental prices over time, based on the number of cars left available for the accounting period.

When looking for an exotic car (cabriolet, minivan or limousine), we advise to check in the rental offices located at airports, as they usually provide much wider choice comparing to offices in urban areas.

Upon receipt of invoices, bills and documents for your car at the rental location, please compare the obtained data with your voucher. Quite often, employees of rental offices in Thailand try to add optional charges or services without informing customers.

It is very important to pick up your car at the rental office in Thailand in a correct way. Prior to leaving the office, carefully inspect the car for various defects, and ensure that all the discovered defects are mentioned in your rental documents. In case of a non-compliance found, place a demand for correction to the rental officer.

You can always check our car actual rental offers in Thailand. Simply use the search form at the top of the page. We guarantee that you will not find better prices anywhere else!

4. There are toll roads in the territory of Bangkok and its suburbs. It is important to note that not all of them have free alternative roads. A large part of toll roads are made in the form of flyovers with free roads located under them.

5. Local drivers are distinguished by the unwillingness to comply with the traffic regulations. They can easily make quite serious violations on the road, and in many countries such a behavior would surely mean the cancellation of driving license. Local drivers are very confident and bold, while foreign drivers are often astonished by the chaos that reigns on the roads of the country.

6. Intersections remain the most dangerous sections of roads for foreign drivers. Neither the traffic light signal nor the transport moving in the opposite direction can force Thai drivers to slow down when passing an intersection. Quite often cars and two-wheeled vehicles pass each other by with the distance of just a couple of centimeters. The traffic flow at intersections is always very heavy.

7. Even dividing lines do not confuse local drivers. They can easily overtake using the oncoming lane and make turns in any convenient location. As it has been noted above, passing red light is also a very common traffic violation in the country.

8. Foreign drivers should expect absolutely anything from local motorists, including sharp braking, driving on the diagonal, constant lane changing (the division between lanes is a pure formality here), and driving on the oncoming lane.

9. At the same time, there are some rules that are strictly followed by local drivers. For example, they always respect the priority of cars moving in the circle. Cars that are about to enter the circle must pass the cars that already move in the circle. Quite often the traffic at such areas is regulated by traffic-controllers.

10. You should be very careful when selecting a place to park. Locals never leave their cars in the places, where parking is not permitted. If the road has a red-and-white curb, or there is a special road sign that prohibits parking, then you cannot leave your car in such a place. If you do that, your car’s wheels will be blocked in a couple of minutes, and you will be issued a huge fine.

11. Many roads have constrictions, where even two cars will find it hard to pass one another. In this case, local drivers solve the problem in accordance with a simple unspoken rule – the driver who was the first one to “wink” with the car beams has the right to go first.

12. One of the most frequently issued fines concerns driving with unfastened safety belt and talking on a cell phone while driving. The Thais are very careful about the abovementioned rules and try not to break them.

Popular cities in Thailand with OrangeSmile.com rental points

AVIS

ALAMO

BUDGET

DOLLAR

RENT-A-CAR

EUROPCAR

NATIONAL

PAYLESS

SIXT

THRIFTY

OrangeSmile.com travel services

BEST PRICE GUARANTEE

100.000+ SATISFIED CLIENTS

WIDE CHOICE: 25.000 HIRE POINTS

BOOKING IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS

INSTANT CONFIRMATION

FAQ: Common questions

Rental conditions
Payment
Changing your booking
Cancelling your booking
Confirmation voucher
Crossing borders
Fuel conditions
Age restrictions
Extra services
Insurance types
Driving license
What does the price include

HELPDESK

+31 4040 15044

support@
orangesmile.com

View all our cars in categories

We accept

Top destinations

Barcelona
17 rental points

Cancun
16 rental points

Chersonissos
8 rental points

Frankfurt
20 rental points

Indianapolis
6 rental points

Lyon
8 rental points

Milan
24 rental points

Playa del Carmen
8 rental points

Tenerife
8 rental points

Toronto
24 rental points

Cars to rent in Thailand