Rent Toyota Yaris Ativ in Phuket

What is the Toyota Yaris Ativ?

The Yaris Ativ is the sedan in the Toyota Yaris family. In our fleet it has a 1.2-litre petrol engine, an automatic gearbox, front-wheel drive and five seats, the same as the Yaris hatchback, so the two drive alike and the difference is at the back of the car.

The search lists the Yaris Ativ by name, separately from the hatchback, so you can see which Yaris is free for your dates before you send a request. It is priced in the economy class, next to the Nissan Almera, the Toyota Vios and the Mazda 2.

Yaris Ativ or Yaris hatchback?

Take the Ativ if the car will often wait with luggage inside. Its boot sits under a lid, separate from the cabin, so suitcases and shopping stay out of sight when the car is parked by a beach or a market.

Take the hatchback if you will spend a lot of time in Phuket Old Town. It is shorter than the sedan, and in the old town the streets are narrow and one-way, with tight parking along the kerb, where a short body fits a space that a longer one does not. A hatchback tailgate is also handier for a folded pushchair or a cool box.

Two people and two suitcases

Two large suitcases and the hand luggage on top fit the Yaris Ativ, as in any ordinary car of this size, and with two people the back seat stays free for bags and beach things. That makes the Ativ a natural pick for a couple collecting the car at airport arrivals.

Four adults with four full-size suitcases is a different trip. For that group, a minivan saves the choice between two cars and leaving luggage behind.

How the Yaris Ativ handles Phuket's hills

The island's surfaced passes are within reach of any economy car in good order, the Ativ included, and the difference from a bigger engine is comfort on a long climb rather than capability. With four adults, luggage and the air conditioning on, the 1.2-litre engine has little to spare, so it climbs in a low gear and overtaking on a hill is best left for later.

On the way down, the habit that matters is the gear, not the brake. At the top of a long descent, such as the road into Patong or the southern roads towards Nai Harn, move the selector to L or use M mode, and the engine holds the car while the brakes stay cool.

How do I book a Yaris Ativ?

Open the search from the button on this page: the economy class is already selected, and when a Yaris Ativ is free for your dates it comes first in the list, with the total and the deposit for that car. You can also send the dates, the delivery point and the drivers' names on WhatsApp and ask for the Ativ by name.

The car is delivered to your hotel, villa or apartment, or meets you at airport arrivals, at any hour, night flights included. Delivery is counted separately from the rental, and the figure for your address is confirmed in the chat before you book. First-class commercial insurance is included for the drivers named in the agreement.

Collecting the Ativ at airport arrivals

Choose airport arrivals as the delivery point and send the flight number with the booking, so the meeting follows the real landing time if the flight is late. The handover runs in the same order as at a hotel: the documents of every driver, a walk round the car with photos of any marks, then the signature.

Use the phone torch on the bumpers, the sills and the wheels at a night handover, and check the fuel level against the agreement, because the car goes back with the same level. Set the route to the hotel before you start the engine; the first drive is the one to keep simple.

If the Yaris Ativ is taken on your dates

Other sedans sit in the same economy class: the Nissan Almera with a 1.0-litre turbo or 1.2-litre engine, the Toyota Vios with a 1.5-litre engine and the MG 5, also a sedan with a 1.5-litre engine. If the luggage is modest and the old town is in the plan, the Yaris hatchback or the Suzuki Swift gives you the shorter body instead.