Scooter insurance on Koh Samui: what is covered and what is not (2026)
Before riding on Samui, check whether your travel insurance covers a scooter crash and what conditions apply. This page is what I check before I ride: what insurers require, what the rental shop's insurance really is, and how big a hospital bill here can get.
Colour — all the routes on this site (list under the Routes button on the map), faint — every road I have ridden. GPX works in Maps.me, Organic Maps, OsmAnd, Garmin.
What travel insurance requires before it pays
Search your policy for scooter riding and check the licence, helmet and alcohol clauses, including how they apply when an accident was not your fault.
- A motorcycle license. Thai law requires category A for any scooter, including small 110–125cc automatics. For a tourist stay of up to about three months, carry your national motorcycle license together with a 1949 International Driving Permit showing category A; longer stays need a Thai license. Check the policy's license requirements too. A car-only license does not count.
- A helmet, worn and fastened. Many policies apply this to the passenger as well.
- Sober. Read the alcohol exclusion before riding; do not assume a small amount is allowed.
Some policies also set an engine size limit or need a separate motorcycle add-on, so check both. Not carrying a driving license carries a fine up to 1,000 baht; riding without a helmet, up to 2,000 baht. A rider whose passenger has no helmet can be fined up to 4,000 baht, and the passenger up to 2,000 baht. The fine is the small cost. The refused claim is the big one.
What the shop's insurance usually means
When a rental shop says a scooter is insured, it usually means one of the options below. Compulsory insurance includes limited medical cover; the other types listed concern liability or scooter damage.
| Compulsory insurance (por-ror-bor) | Required on every registered vehicle in Thailand. Medical cover is up to 30,000 baht per person regardless of fault, or up to 80,000 baht if the other party is at fault. Death or dismemberment cover can reach 500,000 baht. It does not cover scooter damage. |
|---|---|
| Third-party | Some scooters have it. It covers damage you do to other people's vehicles or property, often only up to a limit. |
| Damage to the scooter | Rarely included. Usually you pay for repairs yourself or out of the deposit. Some shops sell a damage waiver with an excess. Ask for the amount before you sign. |
Ask to see the documents and the expiry date. If the shop cannot show them, assume the scooter has nothing beyond the compulsory minimum, or less. Photograph the scooter from all sides before you ride off. More on picking a shop is on the rent page.
Hospital costs, as orders of magnitude
I will not quote exact prices. They differ from one hospital to the next and change every year. But the scale matters when you decide whether a policy is worth it. The ranges below are rough only. They change, so check locally.
| Road rash cleaned and dressed at a clinic | Thousands of baht |
|---|---|
| X-ray, stitches, a few hours in a private ER | About ten thousand to tens of thousands of baht |
| Fracture with surgery and a hospital stay | Hundreds of thousands of baht |
| Head injury, intensive care, air transfer to Bangkok | Hundreds of thousands to several million baht |
Ask your insurer how payment to a hospital is arranged before you need treatment. A policy with a 24-hour assistance line that can confirm cover directly makes a real difference here. In an emergency, call 1669 for an ambulance. 1155 is the Tourist Police. What to do at the scene is on the accidents page.
How to read a policy before you rent
- Search the wording for motorcycle, moped and two-wheeled. Find out whether riding is covered, excluded, or only available as an add-on.
- Find the license clause. If it says the license must be valid in the country you are visiting, you need a category A that Thailand recognises.
- Look for an engine size limit and compare it with the cc on the scooter's papers.
- Read the alcohol and helmet exclusions, and check whether they also cover you as a passenger.
- Check personal liability. Check whether it covers injury or damage you cause while riding a motor vehicle, and what limits apply.
- Check medical evacuation, the excess, and whether there is an assistance number that can guarantee payment to a hospital.
- If anything is unclear, email the insurer with your exact situation and keep the written reply.
Questions
Does travel insurance cover scooter accidents in Thailand?
Check whether your policy covers scooter accidents before you rent. Read the motorcycle license, helmet and alcohol clauses, and look for an engine size limit or a required motorcycle add-on.
Do I need a motorcycle license for my insurance to be valid?
Read your policy's license clause. For legal tourist riding, carry a national motorcycle license together with a 1949 International Driving Permit showing category A. A car-only license does not cover a motorcycle.
Does the rental shop's insurance cover my hospital bills?
Compulsory insurance pays medical costs up to 30,000 baht per person regardless of fault, or up to 80,000 baht if the other party is at fault. Ask what any shop extras cover, and check your own travel policy for treatment beyond those limits.
Am I covered as a passenger on a scooter?
Often, but many policies still require the passenger to wear a helmet, and some exclude riding with a driver who has no license. Check both clauses.
Anton A.
I live on Koh Samui and have been riding the island for several years. Every road on these maps I rode myself — the track is a real GPS log. Spotted an error? Message me on Telegram: @abrameicev