Car rental in Surat Thani.

All major international agencies represented at Surat Thani Airport (URT) have service desks in the arrivals hall of the main terminal, right next to the airport shuttle bus counter -- easy to compare on arrival. They offer clearer insurance terms and easier one-way drop-offs than smaller local operators, usually at a modest premium.

Established local firms also operate counters at URT alongside the international names, and tend to undercut them on daily and weekly rates for a similar economy car. Worth comparing directly against the international brands before booking, especially for a rental of a week or longer.

As with airport rentals across Thailand, booking online in advance -- directly with an agency or through a comparison site -- consistently beats walking up to the counter on arrival, and guarantees a car is actually available during high season.

Ferries to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and (via a connection) Koh Tao leave from Don Sak, roughly 40km south of Surat Thani town -- not from the city centre. Don Sak itself is actually three separate piers: Leam Tuad Pier, the Seatran Ferry Pier, and Raja Ferry Port. Factor the drive from the airport or town to Don Sak into your rental timing; it's a separate trip, not a walk from a central pier.

Of the three Don Sak piers, only Raja Ferry Port runs an actual vehicle (car) ferry service that lets you drive a car onto the islands. Most rental agreements restrict where a hired car can go, and moving a rental car by sea ferry specifically needs the agency's prior permission -- confirm this explicitly before assuming you can drive your rental onto the boat, since many contracts simply don't allow it.

Because most islands (Koh Samui especially) have their own dense scooter and car rental markets, the simpler and usually cheaper approach is to drop your mainland rental at Surat Thani or Don Sak, park (or return the car), take the passenger ferry across, and rent a scooter or car locally once you're on the island.

There is no rental-agency depot located at Don Sak pier itself, so returning a car there rather than in Surat Thani town or at the airport typically triggers a one-way/delivery fee -- commonly cited around THB 1,500 plus tax each way with several agencies. Some agencies handle this differently: Budget, for example, has been reported to waive the one-way fee specifically for Don Sak collection/drop-off, regardless of rental length -- always confirm the exact fee with your chosen agency before booking, since policies vary and change.

Car parking at Don Sak runs roughly THB 10/hour for the first 1-8 hours, then a flat THB 150 for 9-24 hours, or about THB 3,000 for a full month -- relevant if you're driving yourself to the pier, leaving the car, and continuing to the islands on foot as a ferry passenger.

Ferries to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan run several times a day from Don Sak, typically starting early morning with departures roughly every hour or so through the day. There is no direct ferry to Koh Tao from Don Sak -- you connect via Koh Samui or Koh Phangan first. Confirm the current timetable before planning a tight connection.

International brands Avis, Budget, Hertz, Sixt, Dollar and Thrifty all have counters in the arrivals hall, alongside established local Thai agencies including Thai Rent A Car, Chic Car Rent and Drive Car Rental. All the major counters sit together in the arrivals hall next to the airport shuttle bus counter, making it easy to compare on arrival, though booking online in advance is almost always cheaper.

Only via Raja Ferry Port, one of the three piers at Don Sak, which runs an actual vehicle car-ferry service. Most rental agreements restrict where a car can travel and require prior permission to move it by sea ferry -- confirm this explicitly with your agency before assuming it's allowed, since many contracts don't permit it at all.

Most visitors drop their mainland rental car in Surat Thani town or at Don Sak, take the passenger ferry across as a foot passenger, then rent a scooter or car locally once on the island -- Koh Samui in particular has a dense local rental market. This avoids the one-way fees and permission hurdles of moving a rental car by sea.

Usually, yes. There's no rental-agency depot located at Don Sak pier itself, so a one-way drop there commonly triggers a fee of around THB 1,500 plus tax each way with most agencies -- though Budget has been reported to waive this fee specifically for Don Sak. Always confirm the exact fee with your agency before booking.

Don Sak sits roughly 40km south of Surat Thani town, and is a separate trip from both the airport and the town centre -- budget 45-60 minutes by car depending on traffic. It isn't a walkable or short taxi hop from central Surat Thani, so build the transfer time into your ferry connection.