The Mae Hong Son loop in an electric car — planning it properly

What the loop is

A circuit of roughly 600 km from Chiang Mai, north-west to Pai, on to Mae Hong Son, then south and back east through Mae Sariang to Chiang Mai. Highways 1095 and 108, with 1,864 numbered bends across the full circuit.

Minimum four days. Three is possible and is a mistake — you would spend all of it driving. Five or six is better, and lets you stop at the things that make the route worth doing.

Can you do it in an electric car? Yes, with planning

This needs a straight answer rather than encouragement.

The loop is entirely feasible in either of our cars. What it is not is a route you can improvise. Charging infrastructure outside Chiang Mai is thinner than in the city, and the mountain sections use battery faster than the distances suggest. The people who have a bad time are the ones who set off assuming they will find a charger when they need one.

Plan it as three planned charges plus overnight top-ups and it is straightforward.

If you would rather not think about it at all, the loop is one of the few trips where a petrol car is genuinely simpler. We would rather tell you that than have you stranded — but if you want to do it in an EV, the rest of this guide is how.

The charging reality

• Chiang Mai: plentiful. Start full.
• Pai: limited public charging. Overnight AC at your accommodation is the reliable plan — ask when you book the room.
• Mae Hong Son: the town has some provision, but treat it as "check before you rely on it". Again, overnight AC at your hotel is the better plan.
• Mae Sariang: the thinnest part of the loop. This is the leg that needs the most attention.
• The 108 back to Chiang Mai: improves as you approach the city.

Check PlugShare within a few days of departure. New units are being installed steadily and this picture changes; a guide written months ago is not a substitute for current data. Our charging guide covers the apps.

The rule that makes this work: never leave a town with less than 80% if the next town is more than 100 km away, and never arrive anywhere below 20%.

Day by day

Day 1 — Chiang Mai to Pai (130 km, about 3 hours)

The 762-bend climb on Highway 1095. Leave with a full battery; you will arrive with roughly 45 to 55%.

Plug in overnight at your accommodation if at all possible. This single decision removes most of the difficulty from the rest of the loop.

Full detail in the Chiang Mai to Pai guide.

Day 2 — Pai to Mae Hong Son (110 km, about 3 hours)

The quieter and, for many people, the better half of the northern route. Fewer vehicles, more open ridge-top views, and the drive through Soppong with the caves nearby.

Similar consumption to day one — this is sustained mountain driving again, not a recovery leg. Leave Pai as close to full as you can manage.

Mae Hong Son itself sits in a basin ringed by mountains, with a Burmese-influenced character quite unlike Chiang Mai. It deserves a full day if you have one to spare.

Day 3 — Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang (160 km, about 4 hours)

This is the leg that needs the planning. It is the longest single stretch, through the most sparsely populated part of the route, with the least charging provision along the way.

Leave Mae Hong Son as near to 100% as you can. Arrive in Mae Sariang and charge overnight — again, ask your accommodation before you book.

The road follows the Salween basin close to the Myanmar border. It is beautiful and very quiet. Fuel and food stops are infrequent; take water.

Day 4 — Mae Sariang to Chiang Mai (190 km, about 4 hours)

The longest distance but the easiest driving. Highway 108 runs through Hot and Chom Thong on progressively flatter and straighter road, and consumption drops accordingly.

Charging options improve as you approach Chiang Mai, so the pressure is off. If you have time, Doi Inthanon — Thailand's highest peak — is a detour from Chom Thong, though it is a substantial climb and worth its own day rather than being squeezed onto the end of a long one.

When to go

November to February is the best season: clear air, cool mornings, reliable roads. It is also the busiest, so book accommodation ahead, particularly in Pai.

June to October is green and dramatic, with waterfalls at their best. Expect afternoon rain, water and debris on mountain corners, and the occasional landslide closure. Check road conditions before each leg.

March and April is the burning season. The air quality across the north deteriorates badly and the mountain views — the entire point of this route — largely disappear into haze. We would suggest a different trip.

Which car

The BYD ATTO 3 is the better choice for the full loop. Over four days and 600 km of bends, the extra space and the more settled ride matter more than they would on a day trip, and the boot takes four people's luggage properly.

The Dolphin will do the loop perfectly well for two people travelling light, and is the more entertaining car through the bends.

Practical notes

• Book accommodation before you leave, especially Pai in high season. Improvising is how people end up driving mountain roads after dark.
• Ask every hotel about charging at the time you book. This is the highest-value question of the whole trip.
• Download offline maps. Mobile coverage is patchy across much of the route.
• Carry your licence, IDP and passport at all times — there are checkpoints, particularly nearer the border. See the IDP guide.
• Do not drive these roads at night. Unlit bends, unlit motorbikes, and animals on the road.
• Take cash. Card acceptance thins out considerably away from the towns.

Talk to us before you book

We are happy to go through the current charging situation on the loop before you commit — it changes, and we would rather spend ten minutes on LINE than have you discover a problem in Mae Sariang.

We are on 091 072 3336 at any hour, and rentals of four days or more attract a lower daily rate automatically. See the rates page.