The red-plate Honda Jazz tumbled 300 metres from the road into the sea.
Nikolai Onoprienov, 29, was flung from the vehicle as it rolled down the cliff and was found by rescuers, battered and semi-conscious, on rocks near the sea.
A police officer at the scene said he Mr Onoprienov was bleeding from his nose and ears and was unable to communicate.
He was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital.
The Jazz ended up in the sea with only one wheel visible above the water. Rawai Municipality and the Tourist Assistance Centre despatched two boats with divers to check whether anyone else was in the car but they found no one.
Police are waiting for Mr Onoprienov to regain consciousness so that they can ask him how the accident happened.