When to Book a Car in Phuket for Christmas and New Year
Book a car in Phuket for Christmas and New Year as soon as your flights are fixed. The holiday weeks are the busiest part of the high season, the class you want goes first, and asking costs nothing, because no prepayment is taken on the request and the dates can be changed or cancelled in chat. The price for those weeks is set by your exact dates: in the availability search a week across Christmas or New Year costs more per day than the same car in early December.
A week from 5 145 ฿ totaleconomy car 735 ฿/day · crossover from 9 555 ฿ · refundable deposit from 5 000 ฿ · live search, 7 days from 2 November, pick-up in Patong
Ask on WhatsApp: When to Book a Car in Phuket for Christmas and New Year
How far ahead should I book for Christmas and New Year?
Book as soon as your dates are certain. In the high season the fleet is allocated well ahead, and what is left close to the holiday weeks is whatever nobody else wanted, so booking early is the only way to get the class you need rather than a substitute.
That counts double for the classes with the fewest models. Seven-seaters and full-size SUVs are a short list in the booking search next to the small cars, and a family that needs seven seats for Christmas is choosing from that short list.
Booking early costs nothing. No prepayment is taken on the request, the total is fixed in chat for your dates, and if the trip moves, the new dates are a new message in the same chat. Tell us as soon as plans change, because in the high season a car you no longer need goes to the next person.
What does a car cost over the holiday weeks?
The holiday weeks are priced by date. In the availability search the same small car costs noticeably more per day for a week across Christmas or New Year than for a week in early December, and the larger classes follow the same pattern. The search shows the exact total for your days next to every free car, and that total is the figure to plan with.
A longer stay changes the sums. A rental of a month or more is quoted as one period, and per day it comes out well below a holiday week booked on its own, so if you are in Phuket for the whole of December, ask for the month as one rental rather than for the holiday week alone.
Delivery to your point is its own line, and the refundable deposit is held at handover and returned with the car, as in any other month.
Arriving on a night flight over the holidays
If your holiday flight lands late, the car is handed over at arrivals at any hour, night landings included. Send the flight number with the booking, so the handover follows the real landing time rather than the timetable, and a delay moves the handover with it.
If the holiday starts at a villa rather than the airport, the car can wait there instead. Name the place in the same chat as the dates, and the total covers the delivery to that point.
Driving at the peak of the season
The roads in the holiday weeks are the same roads, only fuller. The evening peak, from the end of the working day until dark, is the slowest window on the island, and the known pinch points are the Kathu to Patong pass, the Chalong circle, the approach to the piers in the morning and the Patong seafront in the evening.
The easy hours are early. Before nine in the morning the roads are clear, there is space at the beaches and the viewpoints are empty, so a day planned from the morning loses less time in the car. Anything with a fixed start, a boat or a course, needs a margin for slow roads.
Parking is the other squeeze. In the busy districts there are fewer spaces than cars, and the shopping centre car parks work better than the streets along the beach.
How do I book the holiday car?
Send the dates, the arrival flight, the place where the car should meet you and the number of people and bags in WhatsApp, or run the availability search on the booking page. The answer names the car, the total for your dates and the deposit, with delivery on its own line.
If the holiday includes a long drive off the island, to Khao Lak or across to the Samui ferry, mention it when you book, so the trip beyond Phuket is agreed before you go.
Cars for this question
Cars that people usually take for a rental like this:
Common questions
How far in advance should I book a rental car in Phuket for Christmas and New Year?
As soon as your flights are fixed. The holiday weeks are the busiest of the season and the class you want goes first, while the request itself is free: no prepayment is taken and the dates can be changed in chat.
How much does it cost to rent a seven-seater in Phuket in December?
It depends on the dates: a week across Christmas or New Year costs more per day than a week in early December. The availability search shows the exact total for your days, and with fewer seven-seaters than small cars in the fleet, it is the class to book first.
How much does a three-month automatic car rental in Phuket cost from November to January?
The search quotes the three months as one rental, at a rate for the whole period rather than at the holiday-week rate, and every car we deliver is automatic. Send the dates or run the search for the exact total; the refundable deposit is held at handover and returned with the car.