Renting a Car in Phuket in June

Why June is easier than May

The difference between the two months is not the amount of water but the predictability of it. May is the transition, when the first heavy rain lands on tarmac that has been dry for months and lifts every bit of oil and dust to the surface. By June that has been washed away, and the roads behave the way wet roads should.

Drivers have adjusted by then too. The habits that matter in the monsoon — bigger gaps, earlier braking, no confidence in a puddle — are established by June rather than being learned in the middle of a squall. It sounds minor and it is the main reason June feels calmer than May.

The traffic helps as well. This is the emptiest month of the year on the island, with the high-season visitors gone and the school holidays not yet started. The coastal road that queues in December moves freely, and the viewpoints have space to park at any hour.

What it means for the car

The climbs are the real test in a wet month. The pass between Patong and Kathu, the roads up to the viewpoints, the steep concrete driveways to hillside housing — all of them are harder when they are wet, and a car that manages them dry can struggle on a smooth wet ramp.

The descents matter equally. Wet brakes are less effective for the first application after standing water, so give the pedal a light press to dry them off before you need them properly. On a long downhill, use a lower gear so the engine takes the load instead of the pads.

Tyres are the component that decides how June goes. Tread depth is what clears water from the contact patch, and there is no substitute for it. Look at them at handover; if the tread is marginal, ask for another car rather than driving carefully and hoping for the best.

Parking in June

There are so many spaces in June that you can choose on quality rather than availability. Take tarmac over dirt, since an unsurfaced area that looks firm in the morning can be soft after an afternoon shower. Take high ground over low, because water gathers in the dips.

Shade still matters even in a wet month, since June has plenty of bright hours between the showers. The tree-lined rows at the beaches are usually free this month, which is a luxury they never are in high season.

One June-specific habit: look up as well as down. The rain comes with wind, and a car parked under a tree that has been shedding for a week is asking for a branch. The palms are worse than they look.

Overnight, think about where the water will go rather than where it is now. A street that is clearly dry at nine in the evening can carry a stream down its gutter an hour later, and the difference between the high side of the road and the low side is the difference between an ordinary morning and one that starts with wet carpets.

• Choose tarmac over unsurfaced parking, which softens after an afternoon shower
• Park on high ground; the low corners of a car park hold water
• Dry the brakes with a light press after any deep puddle
• Use a lower gear on wet descents so the engine takes the load
• Check tyre tread at handover, because that is what stops the car aquaplaning

Where to go in a rainy month

June is the best month for inland routes. The island is green in a way it never is in the dry season, the waterfalls are running properly, and the plantation roads and temple routes look like the version of Thailand people picture before they arrive. These are short drives, so a shower never strands anyone far from shelter.

It is also a good month for the viewpoints, provided you go when the sky is clear rather than on a schedule. The air after rain is unusually clean and the visibility from the southern viewpoints is often better than it is in the hazy dry months.

The coast is where to be careful. The west-coast beaches have real currents in the monsoon and the warning flags mean what they say, so plan around driving, eating and looking rather than around swimming. The east side and the piers are calmer if being on the water matters.

Renting in June

This is the easiest month of the year to arrange a rental. Demand is low, every class is available, and longer hires are discussed on friendly terms because there is no competition for the cars. If you have ever wanted a specific type of vehicle, this is when to ask.

It is also the month to consider spending the small difference on something with more ground clearance. In June the roads hold water in places and the unsurfaced approaches are soft, and a slightly taller car removes a whole set of small anxieties for very little.

Check the wipers as well as the tyres at handover, because both do all the work this month and neither gets a thought in the dry season. Send us your dates and where you are staying on WhatsApp, or Telegram if you prefer, and we will suggest the class that suits a wet month rather than the one that suits a brochure.