Scooter or car in Phuket? Pick by where you are staying

If you are in Patong, Karon or Rawai and staying near the beach, a scooter wins. Parking is free and instant, the distances are short, and the evening traffic on Thawewong Road moves at walking pace for anything with four wheels.

If you are in Bang Tao, Laguna, Mai Khao or up a villa access road, take a car. The distances are longer, the roads are faster, and villa gates are rarely a short walk from anything.

Travelling with children or more than two people, a car is not really optional — Thai law requires helmets for every rider, and three on a scooter is both illegal and genuinely dangerous on Phuket roads.

The hills matter more than people expect. Kata Noi, Kalim and the Karon viewpoint road punish a small scooter carrying two adults. If your week involves those, take the PCX 160 at least, or a car.

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