Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)

Where we meet you at CNX

Chiang Mai has a single terminal. Domestic and international flights both come out into the same arrivals hall on the same level, which makes the meeting point simple: once you have your bags and walk through the doors, one of our team is standing directly opposite holding a sign with your name. You will see them from the doorway. There is no phone call to make, no escalator to find, and no shuttle bus to an off-airport counter — which is how most of the international brands operate here.

The car is parked in the short-stay car park in front of the terminal, under a two-minute walk from the arrivals door. Delivery to Chiang Mai Airport is free regardless of how many days you rent, and there is no airport surcharge folded into the daily rate. The price you see on the rates page is the same price as collecting in town.

If your flight is late, we go by the actual landing time

This is the main reason we ask for your flight number at booking. Our team checks the live status of your flight before leaving the office. If it is delayed, we push our departure back to match the real arrival, rather than leaving the car sitting at the kerb — and we do not charge waiting time, even if the delay runs to a few hours.

The reverse is also true: if you land early, we are usually there before you walk out. CNX moves bags quickly compared with larger airports. Most domestic passengers have their luggage within 15 to 20 minutes of the aircraft parking. For international arrivals, add roughly 20 to 40 minutes for immigration depending on how many aircraft landed at once. We already build that into our timing, so there is no need to rush or to answer LINE messages while you are still standing in the passport queue.

If your flight changes after you have booked, send us the new number on LINE at any point. Changing the date or time costs nothing — it depends only on whether the car is free.

Documents and what happens at handover

Handover at the airport takes about 15 minutes from meeting to driving out of the car park. You need your original driving licence, held for at least one year, and the driver must be 21 or over. If your licence was issued outside Thailand you also need a valid International Driving Permit, together with your home licence and your passport.

We are direct about the IDP now rather than at the kerb because the consequences are serious. Beyond the fine at a police checkpoint, an insurer is entitled to refuse a claim if the driver was not legally permitted to drive — which means any damage would fall on you in full. For that reason we cannot hand a car to a foreign driver who does not have one. See our guide to the International Driving Permit in Thailand for how to get one before you travel.

During those 15 minutes we photograph the car together: all four corners, both bumpers, all four wheels, the cabin, and the odometer and battery level on the dashboard. We take the set with you standing there, then send the whole set to your LINE chat immediately. That set belongs to both sides and is exactly what we compare against when you return the car.

Then the deposit: ฿5,000, in cash or by PromptPay transfer. We do not take online payments and you do not need a credit card. The deposit is returned in full on the day you hand the car back, once we have checked it over. We finish with a short walkthrough of the EV — the start button, the drive modes, where the charge port is, and the app for finding chargers. If you have never driven an electric car, say so; we will take you around the car park before you go out onto the main road.

Late-night arrivals

We meet every flight at CNX, including those that land after midnight. Collection or return between 22:00 and 06:00 carries an out-of-hours fee of ฿200 per rental — charged once, not per day. If your flight is delayed into that window through no fault of yours, we do not apply it.

One advantage of CNX is how short the drive is. Even landing at one in the morning, you are at a hotel in town in roughly 15 minutes. The roads are far quieter than during the day, and the route out of the airport into the city is lit the whole way.

Driving times from the airport

Chiang Mai's airport is unusually close to the city. From the terminal to the moat at Chiang Mai Gate is about 4 km — around 15 minutes. Nimman is about the same, either along Huay Kaew Road or via the canal road depending on the time of day. During the weekday evening peak, add about 10 minutes, as traffic backs up at the junctions on Mahidol Road.

For accommodation in Hang Dong, San Sai or Mae Rim, allow 25 to 40 minutes. If you are heading straight up Doi Suthep on day one, the airport to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep takes about 40 minutes of continuous mountain switchbacks. Both of our EVs handle it comfortably, and regenerative braking is a genuine help on the way back down.

Charging near the airport

Every car is handed over with a full battery, and that first full charge is on us — so this is not something to think about on day one. When you do need to charge, there is no shortage of options nearby. The large shopping centres on Mahidol Road, about 1 km from the terminal, have chargers in their car parks, and most mid-size and larger hotels within 3 km have a point for guests. Our cars use CCS2, which is the dominant fast-charging standard in Thailand.

Return the car at roughly the battery level you collected it at, not brimmed like a petrol car. If it is lower, we charge the actual cost at ฿8 per kWh. There is more detail in our FAQ and in the Chiang Mai EV charging guide.

Which car to book, judged by your luggage

Two people with one large case each fit comfortably in the BYD Dolphin, which is also easier to park in the narrow lanes inside the old city walls. Four people with a 23 kg case each will not fit in the Dolphin's boot — one case ends up on the back seat. For that group, choose the BYD ATTO 3 at booking time. We mention it up front because changing your mind while standing next to the car in the airport car park is difficult; the other model may already be out.

If you are not sure, message us on LINE with how many people and how many bags of what size, and we will tell you plainly which one is enough.

Returning the car before your flight

On the day you leave, we meet at the same spot in front of the terminal. The one thing we ask is that you arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure. Returning the car involves photographing it together again, comparing against the set from collection day, checking the odometer and battery level, and then returning your ฿5,000 deposit in full. That takes 10 to 15 minutes. If you arrive with 40 minutes to spare we will move as fast as we can, but you will lose that time again in the check-in queue.

If your departure falls between 22:00 and 06:00, the same ฿200 out-of-hours fee applies as on collection. Take everything out of the car — in our experience the two things people most often leave behind are their own charging cable and whatever is in the storage bin under the armrest.

Booking and confirmation

Book through LINE with your dates, times, flight number and preferred model. The status stays "awaiting confirmation" until our team replies, normally within about 15 minutes. Nothing is charged in advance. Cancellation is free if you tell us more than 24 hours before collection. You can reach us on 091 072 3336 at any hour. If you would rather collect in town instead, see pickup in the Old City.