Car Rental in Ya Nui, Phuket

How does car rental in Ya Nui work?

There is no rental desk in the bay, so the car comes to you. Send the dates and the address in chat, the total for your dates is fixed before anything is booked, and the car arrives at your hotel or villa gate at the hour you agree, late evenings and night arrivals included. In the booking form choose Nai Harn, the nearest delivery point on the list, and write the exact address in the chat.

Delivery is counted separately from the rental, the refundable deposit depends on the model and is shown in the table on this page, and first-class commercial insurance is included. At handover every driver shows a passport, the national driving licence as a physical card and an International Driving Permit.

Which car suits a stay in Ya Nui?

A short economy car. The road down to Ya Nui is steep and narrow, and at the bottom there is little room to turn: a small car fits the spaces and turns without a three-point shuffle, while a long minivan may leave you reversing up the slope with a queue waiting above.

The exception is a villa up a steep driveway on the hills around the bay. If the last stretch to your gate climbs hard, a crossover takes it more calmly with a full car. Send a pin of the house before you book and the class is chosen for that drive.

Parking at the bay

The car park at the bottom of the access road is tiny, and in season it fills before midday. After that the steep road offers nowhere sensible to leave a car, and stopping on it blocks everyone, because it is too narrow to pass.

If you find the car park full, drive back up and go to Nai Harn next door, where there is large parking along the lake and by the beach, then come back to Ya Nui early the next morning. If you stay in the bay, ask your hotel or villa where its own guests park.

Getting to Ya Nui from the airport

Ya Nui is at the far southern end of the island. By the OSRM route planner Phuket Airport is about 48.7 km and 55 minutes away, one of the longest airport runs on Phuket, so the car can meet you at arrivals or wait at the hotel, whichever suits the flight.

After a late landing, the last part of the drive climbs unlit hill sections. If you would rather not drive them tired in the dark, have the car delivered to the hotel and take a transfer from the airport; the car is then parked at your door when you wake up.

Short drives from Ya Nui

Everything in the south is close. By the OSRM route planner Nai Harn beach is about 5 minutes away and the Chalong roundabout about 11, with Central Phuket and Phuket Old Town both a little over 20 minutes. From Nai Harn the upper road reaches Promthep Cape in about 10 minutes, and on the way the windmill viewpoint shows Nai Harn and Ya Nui at once.

Rawai is flat and has no swimming beach of its own, which is why people based there drive to Nai Harn or Ya Nui to swim. Fill up in Rawai rather than counting on a station near the bay.

For a stay of a month, see monthly car rental in Ya Nui.

Rain and evenings

Water runs across the southern hill roads in a downpour. Between Nai Harn and Kata the navigation apps pick the winding road because it is shorter; choose the flatter way through Rawai and Chalong by hand, which costs about ten minutes and keeps you off a steep descent through running water.

It gets dark quickly here and the hill sections have no lighting, so plan to be back on flat ground before sunset on the first few evenings.

Returning the car

The car goes back at your hotel or villa, or at the airport on the day you fly; with a run of about 55 minutes to the terminal, leave early and write the return hour into the agreement. Bring it back with the same fuel level as at delivery.

At the return the car is checked against the photos taken at handover. A cash deposit comes back at that inspection, and a hold on a card is released by the bank, which can take several days.

Car rental prices for Ya Nui

The two lowest prices in each class from our live search, for three days and for a month, with the deposit for each model; delivery to Ya Nui is counted separately. See also the price of every model and the rental terms.

Lowest price in our live search for pick-up in Patong, rentals starting 2 November or 16 November; checked 19 October, Phuket time. The search shows the exact total for your dates.

Rental terms

• Deposit: refundable and separate from the rental price, from 5,000 ฿ for most economy cars and up to 30,000 ฿ for the most expensive electric car. Left in cash at handover; a non-cash option is agreed in the chat before delivery.
• Insurance: first-class commercial insurance is included, a policy for commercial use, so the insurer accepts a claim on a rented car. Damage to third parties is covered up to 800,000 ฿; a copy of the policy on request.
• Documents: a passport, a national driving licence and an International Driving Permit for everyone named in the contract. Licences from ASEAN countries follow a different rule: name the country of issue when you book and we confirm in the chat.
• Age: 21 with a year of driving; premium cars and large SUVs from 23.
• Delivery: to your hotel, villa or the airport exit at any hour, night flights included. It is counted separately from the daily rate; the sum for your address is named in the chat.