Visitors to Phuket International Airport (HKT) in Thailand looking for a rental car have nine companies to choose from: Avis, Bizcar Rental, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Keddy, National, Sixt and Thai Rent A Car.
Phuket Airport (Photo_: PercyGermany via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
Phuket Island is arguably one of Thailand’s most iconic tourist attractions, with miles of white-sand beaches, stunning coves and Phuket City’s famous nightlife. All that natural beauty makes Phuket Airport Thailand’s third-busiest in terms of passengers, as millions of visitors come from all over the world to enjoy Phuket each year. Renting a car is a great option if you would like to escape the more congested areas of the island and find your own, more private, getaway.
To determine the best car rental companies at HKT, TravelMag.com researched prices, vehicle options and customer feedback and ranked them according to three categories: most affordable, best for families and best for luxury. Here’s what we found:
Thai Rent A Car emerged as the best option for cheap car rentals at Phuket International Airport. With a fleet of compact economy cars and full-sized sedans, there’s something for everyone. Thai Rent A Car is one of the highest-ranked car rental companies at HKT, with former renters praising the speed of pickup and dropoff, the ease of locating the kiosk and the helpfulness of its counter staff. National and Europcar followed closely behind Thai Rent A Car in price; however, National suffered from slightly negative customer feedback and Europcar’s fleet offered a less diverse range of vehicles.
If you’re planning to van around with the family in tow, Budget is your best car rental option at Phuket International Airport. Budget offered the best deals on SUVs, sedans, minivans and full-sized vans. One of the highest-ranked car rental companies at HKT, former renters liked Budget’s overall value, the condition of its vehicles, customer service and ease of pickup and dropoff. Budget offers seats for kids between the ages of 1 and 3 for 214 THB per day (about $7 USD), and GPS units for THB 107 per day (about $3.50 USD). On the downside, finding the office can be a challenge, especially if you’ve got impatient kids. The Budget kiosk is located in Terminal 2, which serves domestic flights only, so if you’re arriving on an international flight you’ll have to take a shuttle to Terminal 1. And if you’re planning to go off-roading in the jungle to find a private beach, Budget is not your best option, as there are very few 4×4 trucks in its fleet.
Hertz is the best option for luxury rental cars at HKT. Hertz’s fleet includes luxury 4x4s, SUVs and sedans like the Toyota Fortuners, Honda CR-Vs and the Toyota Altis. The second-highest ranked car rental company at HKT—just behind Budget—renters liked the condition and cleanliness of Hertz’s vehicles, the ease of locating the kiosk and the easy dropoff times.
