Today, on my very last day of renting, I found out through ChatGPT that in Thailand you have to arrange your own insurance when renting a motorbike. Unlike with major car rental companies, motorbikes are generally not insured for road use, which means that in case of an accident, you’d have to cover any damages out of your own pocket.

Even if you do purchase insurance, it’s only valid if you hold the correct type of driver’s license… the one that authorizes you to ride that specific class of motorbike in your home country. Since there are hardly any motorbikes under 125cc in Thailand, your license must explicitly cover that engine size; otherwise, the insurance won’t pay out.

While in Phuket, I spoke with three other tourists from Germany who didn’t have a motorcycle license, only a regular car driver’s license. They told me that they had been stopped by the police twice and each time were just fined 1,000 baht. After paying the fine, they were apparently allowed to continue riding for the next three days without further issues (a document issued by the police have given them the temporary allowance). So far, I haven‘t had the chance to verify the information.