Which insurance to choose when renting a car in Thailand and what deposit is required?

In Thailand, there are two types of insurance for a rented car, and the choice determines who pays for repairs in the event of an accident. The first is Porob (Por Bor Ror), the equivalent of our OSAGO: it covers only treatment for those injured in an accident, while car repairs come out of your pocket. The second is First Class Insurance, the full equivalent of CASCO: it covers damage to your car, another vehicle, and property.

We took First Class insurance. It usually comes with a deductible — in our case it was 5,000 baht, exactly the deposit amount. The scheme is simple: if an accident occurs, you lose these 5,000 baht but do not pay for repairs. Fines (if any) and damage found upon return are also deducted from the deposit amount.

Many companies offer an option of full coverage without a deductible — then you lose nothing at all in an accident, but the insurance is more expensive. For us, for 18 days, this added 3,800 baht, which against the base deductible of 5,000 baht is already a lot, so we decided to decline full coverage. But this is up to you — depending on your driving experience and risk tolerance.

Separately, a warning: some local companies (most often on the islands) rent cars only with Porob — and then you are responsible for all damage yourself. So be sure to clarify the insurance type before signing the contract.

We have gathered a full breakdown of insurance, fine tables, and parking nuances in the complete guide to car rental in Thailand. And our personal experience from an 18-day trip is in the article How we drove almost 3,000 km across Thailand in 18 days in a rented car for 571 baht per day.

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