Driving a scooter in Thailand can be an exhilarating way to explore its bustling cities and scenic countryside. With its warm climate and relatively flat terrain, Thailand offers ideal conditions for scooter travel. Renting a scooter is affordable, convenient, and it gives you the freedom and flexibility to explore those hidden gems off the beaten path.
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However, with Thailand ranking very high in the world for driving related deaths, it’s essential to be super cautious and familiarize yourself with local traffic rules.
During the time I spent in Thailand, my partner and I rented a scooter on many occasions. We had our ups and downs, it took some time to get used to the crazy traffic, especially in my case, but now driving a scooter is my favourite thing to do.
In this blog post, I’m diving into the chaotic world of scooter travel in Thailand. I’ll cover some safety rules, I’ll give you a few tips for renting a scooter, but most importantly I’ll answer the question:
How to drive a scooter in Thailand legally and what kind of driver’s licence you need!
Because yes, you do need one!
Speaking of driving licences – I recently got my Thai motorcycle licence! If you’re planning to stay in Thailand a bit longer, it’s worth getting one too. I’ve put together a step-by-step guide to exactly how I did it.
Before you rent a scooter
As convenient and affordable driving a scooter in Thailand is, I’d first ask you to reconsider if you actually need one. A New York Times 2019 report found Thailand had the highest per capita rate of motorcycle deaths in the world. Why is that? Well, the roads are chaotic, traffic jams are common… but now when I drive scooter myself a lot, I’d say that its mainly because of their style of driving that can be considered dangerous. Using mobile phones while driving is common, using indicators is uncommon (when there’s a big truck in front of me, I just know it will turn or change lanes without signalling) and drunk driving happens more than we’d want. I could go on and on, but I’d spare you the details at this point. I personally would never drive a scooter in Bangkok city centre.
Find out how to get around Bangkok in the most convenient way!
So if you’re a nervous driver and you feel that driving a scooter would make your holiday too stressful, don’t rent one! You don’t have to do it only because everyone else is. And I’m sure you’ll still be able to get to places.
If you do decide to rent a scooter though, practice! Before I started scooting on actual roads, I spent a few days doing circles on a parking lot. So if you’re like me and you’ve never driven a scooter, it’d be a good idea to spend some time getting used to the bike. Practice starting, stopping, turning – everything that you need be good at later on a busy road.
Renting a scooter
When renting a scooter, make sure you do it from a reputable place. Read the reviews, ask your host or hotel receptionist for recommendations. Rental scams do happen occasionally, so finding a good place is essential. My forever favourite rental company in Chiang Mai is Budgetcatcher Car & Scooter Rental. The staff there are super friendly and I never had any problems.
What kind of scooter is the best to rent?
Definitely automatic. Especially if you’re a newbie. This kind of scooter will be usually offered to you anyway. The rest, and by the rest I mean the engine power, will depend on the type of roads you’ll be driving on. For city, countryside and island scooting, 125cc is enough. Even for 2 people. For hills, for example in Northern Thailand, I’d choose 150cc+.
My go-to scooter is always Honda Scoopy. It’s just so pretty and comfy. But other models of Honda are also ok.
Before you sign the rental contract make sure to inspect the scooter thoroughly. Check the brakes, lights, tires. Take photos of every scratch. You don’t want to lose your deposit.
Oh yes, deposit! It is completely normal to leave deposit when renting a scooter. It should always be money. Remember to:
never leave your passport as deposit!
If the rental company wants your passport as deposit, simply don’t rent from there.
I never had to leave my passport as deposit and I’d never do it!
Speaking of money, you might want to know what’s the standard price for scooter rental. The price for a daily rental is around 150-300 baht, which equates to $4.25-$8. Naturally, the daily price decreases the longer you rent.
Last but not least, keep in mind that during high season: November – January, the rental prices will be a bit higher and scooters are getting booked out pretty quickly. Especially from reputable places. It might be wise to book in advance.
General safety rules
Let’s start with the most important safety rule! While driving a scooter in Thailand:
always wear a helmet!
You’ll see a lot of locals and foreigners scooting helmet-less, but don’t copy them! Firstly, it’s illegal not to wear a helmet. Secondly, it’s just stupid!
Helmets should be provided by the rental company and you should receive one when renting a bike. It won’t be anything fancy and in most cases it will barely cover your head, but that’s better than nothing. I usually ask (even if I have to pay a bit more) for one that covers the side of my face too. I once had a bicycle accident when I fell on my jaw and broke 3 teeth, and I don’t want to repeat that on a scooter.
Drive on the left.
Remember, that in Thailand you drive on the left hand side. Coming from Europe or the US, it might feel a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, but when driving a scooter, it’s actually not that hard adjust, trust me. It’d be harder to do it with a car. Plus, you can simply follow others.
You can turn left on a red light.
Another thing worth mentioning is that in Thailand you can turn left on a red light. I saw many tourist waiting for the green light to change when trying to turn left. And when they probably thought they were doing the right thing, in reality they were simply blocking the lane causing more traffic. So remember this one: when it’s safe, it’s ok to turn left on a red light!
Don’t drive drunk!
Next one should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: don’t drive drunk! Drunk driving is actually one of the main reasons for such high road fatalities. Especially when scooting at night with no headlights – also a very common thing in Thailand. So yes, another piece of advice, I’d avoid driving a scooter at night. When you’re having a night out and you had a few, it’s always safer to grab a Grab. Even if you feel ok, there might be another drunk driver on the road which you wouldn’t be able to react fast enough to.
Get insurance.
And finally, don’t forget to get insurance! I really hope that the only thing that will happen to you while driving a scooter in Thailand is unforgettable adventure, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. That’s why I recommend Nomad Insurance from SafetyWing. This plan includes coverage for motorcycle and scooter accidents, as well as medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation.
And now the most important question:
Do you need a driver’s license to rent a scooter in Thailand?
YES! As a foreigner you are required by law to hold a driver’s license and an international driver’s permit. And not just any permit. You need a permit that allows you to ride motorcycles and scooters. In other words to drive a scooter in Thailand, you need a license with Category A.
To drive cars, you naturally need a driver’s license and international driver’s permit with Category B.
I hope you see the difference between those 2 international driving permits. The first one, doesn’t have Category A stamped, that’s why you can’t use it for driving a scooter in Thailand. The second one is correct!
If you don’t have a scooter driver’s license in your home country, you don’t magically acquire one by flying to Thailand. Even if, for example, my Polish Category B driver’s license, allows me to drive a scooter that has an engine power of 125cc or smaller. Unfortunately that won’t fly in Thailand. I know, I asked a policeman.
Now, I know what you might think: but I heard of so many people who were able to rent a scooter in Thailand without an international driver’s license.
Perhaps, but it is illegal.
Usually rental companies don’t care if you have an international driver’s permit that allows you to drive a scooter. They should and the good ones will, but most of the time you will be able to rent one without a valid permit. It’s your responsibility to have it!
What happens if you are stopped by the police?
And the chance is that you will be stopped at least once during your holiday. The police love to patrol all the tourist spots. In Chiang Mai for example, police have noticeably stepped up their patrols in recent months. Daily checks are now a common sight, with officers keeping a close eye on both foreigners riding without valid driving permits and locals skipping helmets.
Well, you pay a fine.
If you’re caught by the police driving a scooter without a valid international scooter permit, you’ll be fined 500-1000 baht. If you pay it, it doesn’t mean that from that moment you can legally drive a scooter in Thailand without a license. Essentially, you just avoided the legislation by paying a bribe
Rumour has it, that if you’re stopped again during the next 3 days you SUPPOSEDLY don’t have to pay a fine one more time. That’s of course if you have a proof of your payment.
But since that never happened to me I can’t guarantee this rumour is true.
To sum up…
Will you be able to rent a scooter in Thailand without a driver’s license and an international driver’s permit for scooters? – YES!
Is it legal to drive a scooter in Thailand without a driver’s license and an international driver’s permit for scooters? – NO! It is illegal!
Will you pay a fine when caught by the police driving a scooter without a valid driver’s license and an international driver’s permit for scooters? YES!
Will you pay a fine when caught by the police driving a scooter with a driver’s license and an international driver’s permit but without a scooter permit? – YES!
One more thing…
How can you acquire an international driver’s permit?
That depends on your home country’s rules. Because yes, you have to get it in your home country, before you leave for Thailand. The process might be different in every county. I, in Poland for example, have to go to a special department, apply for it and wait a few days for it to be ready. My boyfriend in England can get it from PayPoint stores (newsagents) within minutes. So simply google: “how to acquire an international driver’s permit in X country” and follow Google’s instructions.
And if you plan on staying in Thailand for longer, consider getting Thai motorcycle driving licence! Check out how I got mine!
That’s it!
I hope it’s all clear to you. Remember there are many articles out there on the Internet trying to feed you false or unclear information. So I’ll repeat it one more time: to drive a scooter in Thailand you do need a driver’s license and an international driver’s permit for scooters. In other words, you need an international driver’s permit for Category A.
So I hope you’ll get one. Because despite the occasional challenges, sightseeing on a scooter in Thailand will leave you with unforgettable memories and life changing experiences.
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Hi, it’s Aga, the author of this blog. If you found this blog post interesting, entertaining or useful, please think of buying me a virtual coffee to support the site’s running costs. But if you know me, I might actually spend it on coffee. Thanks!
Good advice, but why no details on how or where to actually get the international license.
Thanks. Because getting an international is different in every country. In my home country for example, you have do to it in a special office, in England you can simply go to the post office. I can’t possibly know how it is in each and every country. Lol
If you are from the US, click on https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html
Thanks for sharing!
Een internationaal rijbewijs haalt u bij de ANWB in nederland
hoe het bij verlengen van uw rijbewijs gaat weet ik dan niet
Denk dat je dan bij de ned. ambassade in thailand moet aankloppen
Thanks for sharing!
Strange, I’m reading everywhere that A1 license is not accepted.
It depends on the country providing the international driving permit. Because on the permit itself it only refers to A.
not without international licence yes