← All country guides

Country driving guide · 2026

Driving in Thailand

Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Thailand: 7 legal requirements + 9 other things worth knowing.

7

Required

4

Recommended

5

Good to know

Tick before you go

Pre-departure checklist for Thailand

7 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.

  • Drive on the left

    Traffic drives on the LEFT, same as the UK: a relief for British drivers but unusual for EU visitors who must adjust.

  • 1949 IDP required alongside national licence

    Thailand recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, not the 1968 Vienna version. UK and EU drivers must obtain a 1949 IDP before arrival and carry the original national licence and passport at all times.

  • Passport must be carried while driving

    Police checkpoints are common and officers routinely ask to see passport plus IDP plus national licence together. A photocopy is not accepted.

  • Compulsory Motor Insurance (CMI / Por Ror Bor)

    All vehicles must carry the basic CMI policy; rental companies include it but voluntary first-class insurance is strongly advised given high accident rates.

  • Speed limits

    Urban 50 km/h, rural highways 90 km/h, motorways/expressways 120 km/h (raised from 90 on designated routes). Lower limits apply in school and town zones.

  • Blood-alcohol limit 0.5 g/L

    BAC limit is 0.05% (0.5 g/L), dropping to 0.02% for drivers under 20 or holding a probationary licence. Random breath tests are frequent, especially at night and on holidays.

  • Seatbelts and helmets mandatory

    Front and rear seatbelts compulsory; motorcycle and scooter riders plus passengers must wear helmets: heavily enforced in tourist areas like Phuket and Chiang Mai.

Driving rules

Drive on the left

Required

Traffic drives on the LEFT, same as the UK: a relief for British drivers but unusual for EU visitors who must adjust.

Speed limits

Required

Urban 50 km/h, rural highways 90 km/h, motorways/expressways 120 km/h (raised from 90 on designated routes). Lower limits apply in school and town zones.

Blood-alcohol limit 0.5 g/L

Required

BAC limit is 0.05% (0.5 g/L), dropping to 0.02% for drivers under 20 or holding a probationary licence. Random breath tests are frequent, especially at night and on holidays.

Seatbelts and helmets mandatory

Required

Front and rear seatbelts compulsory; motorcycle and scooter riders plus passengers must wear helmets: heavily enforced in tourist areas like Phuket and Chiang Mai.

Headlights on in rain and at dusk

Recommended

Daytime running lights are not mandatory, but dipped headlights are required in rain, fog, tunnels and from sunset. Use of hazard lights at junctions to signal 'going straight' is a local quirk to be aware of.

Emergency number 1669 (ambulance) / 191 (police)

Good to know

Tourist Police hotline 1155 has English-speaking operators. Road accidents must be reported and vehicles left in place until police arrive, even if blocking traffic.

Aggressive driving and motorbike swarms

Recommended

Thailand has one of the world's highest road-fatality rates. Expect undertaking, scooters weaving on both sides, and pickup trucks ignoring lane markings: drive defensively and avoid night driving on rural highways.

Documents

1949 IDP required alongside national licence

Required

Thailand recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, not the 1968 Vienna version. UK and EU drivers must obtain a 1949 IDP before arrival and carry the original national licence and passport at all times.

Passport must be carried while driving

Required

Police checkpoints are common and officers routinely ask to see passport plus IDP plus national licence together. A photocopy is not accepted.

Compulsory Motor Insurance (CMI / Por Ror Bor)

Required

All vehicles must carry the basic CMI policy; rental companies include it but voluntary first-class insurance is strongly advised given high accident rates.

Tolls

Expressway tolls: cash or M-Pass/Easy Pass

Recommended

Bangkok expressways and the Burapha Withi / Motorway 7 to Pattaya use toll booths charging roughly 25-90 THB per segment (around 0.65-2.30 EUR). Cash lanes accept THB; an M-Pass or Easy Pass transponder speeds things up but is impractical for short rentals.

Vignette

No vignette system

Good to know

Thailand has no motorway sticker or e-vignette: pay tolls per booth on the few tolled expressways. Most highways are free.

Environment

Monsoon season and flooding

Recommended

May to October brings heavy rain, flash floods and landslides especially in the north and on Phuket/Koh Samui roads. Avoid mountain routes (Mae Hong Son loop, Doi Inthanon) in heavy downpours.

Money

Currency, fuel price and payment

Good to know

Currency is Thai baht (THB); petrol (gasohol 95) costs around 38-42 THB/litre (~1.00-1.10 EUR). Fuel stations are attended: small tip of 20 THB is appreciated but not required; cards widely accepted at PTT and Shell stations, cash needed in rural areas.

Cash declaration limit at border

Good to know

Visitors must declare cash exceeding USD 20,000 (or equivalent) on arrival. THB import is capped at 50,000 baht without declaration.

Emissions / low-emission zones

No formal low-emission zones

Good to know

Thailand has no LEZ sticker scheme, but Bangkok occasionally imposes diesel restrictions and school closures during severe PM2.5 smog episodes (typically January-March).

Plan your Thailand road trip

We'll build the itinerary, estimate fuel + tolls, and show EV chargers along the route, and this checklist appears automatically on every trip that crosses into Thailand.

Start planning →

Popular destinations in Thailand

Places to add to your Thailand road trip.

Don't get caught out

Watch out for these

Drive on the left

Required

Traffic drives on the LEFT, same as the UK: a relief for British drivers but unusual for EU visitors who must adjust.

Speed limits

Required

Urban 50 km/h, rural highways 90 km/h, motorways/expressways 120 km/h (raised from 90 on designated routes). Lower limits apply in school and town zones.

Blood-alcohol limit 0.5 g/L

Required

BAC limit is 0.05% (0.5 g/L), dropping to 0.02% for drivers under 20 or holding a probationary licence. Random breath tests are frequent, especially at night and on holidays.

Seatbelts and helmets mandatory

Required

Front and rear seatbelts compulsory; motorcycle and scooter riders plus passengers must wear helmets: heavily enforced in tourist areas like Phuket and Chiang Mai.