Car Rental in Ehime: 18 Matsuyama Branches and Rates Compared

Choosing a rental car in Ehime

Ehime Prefecture is on the north-west of Shikoku, with Matsuyama as its largest city. This guide compares two places to rent: Matsuyama Airport and central Matsuyama. Each has ten branches in the tables, and two appear in both, so the total is 18 branches from nine companies. Budget Matsuyama Airport is not in the tables and is covered in the company section.

This page shows which place suits your trip, how pickup works at each, which branches take cars rented elsewhere, and how rates differ on Japanese and foreign licences.

• Arriving by air: Nippon, Toyota and Orix check you in at counters inside the terminal building. Nissan and Times have you call the branch from a telephone at the counter, and Sky and Guts have you call the branch for a pickup. Nico Nico Matsuyama Airport Entrance is about 3 minutes on foot from the main exit.
• Arriving by train at JR Matsuyama Station: Nippon Matsuyama Ekimae is about 3 minutes from the East Exit, Orix Matsuyama Ekimae 4 minutes and Toyota Matsuyama 5 minutes. Heisei runs a shuttle from the West Exit to its branch beside the airport (direct bookings only).
• Staying in Dogo Onsen or Okaido: Nippon Matsuyama Okaido is 3 minutes from Okaido tram stop, and Nissan Matsuyama-shi Ekimae is 5 minutes from Iyotetsu's Matsuyama-shi Station.
• Renting at the airport and returning in the city: Nippon, Toyota and Orix have branches in both places and also accept cars rented elsewhere.
• Renting early or returning late: airport hours vary by company; Times opens 08:30–19:00. Nico Nico Matsuyama Hiratamachi opens 05:00–22:00, but it is in the north of the city and you travel to the airport or a station by its shuttle (08:00–18:00).
• Keeping the cost down: on standard compact rates before discounts for a Japanese licence, Toyota is lowest among the major companies at ¥8,580 for 24 hours. Among smaller companies, Guts is ¥4,070, Nico Nico ¥5,610 and Heisei ¥7,700. Guts includes no vehicle damage cover and limits you to 300 km per 24 hours.

Matsuyama Airport and central Matsuyama compared

Matsuyama Airport's rental counters are on the first floor of the terminal building, near the east exit. Nippon, Toyota and Orix check you in here, then take you by shuttle to a branch outside the airport (2–3 minutes by car).

The Nissan and Times counters have no staff, so you call the branch on the telephone provided. On the way back, return the car to the branch and take the shuttle to the airport.

Branches in central Matsuyama are split between JR Matsuyama Station (Nippon, Orix, Toyota, Guts), Iyotetsu's Matsuyama-shi Station (Nissan, Nico Nico Matsuyama Fujiwaramachi) and Okaido (Nippon). Branches around these stations and Okaido close at 19:00–20:00.

The first table compares the two places. The tables after it list every branch, with each name linking to its branch page, and the walking routes for the city branches are in the Matsuyama comparison. For other towns in the prefecture, such as Imabari or Uwajima, use the branch search on each company's website.

Matsuyama Airport branches

Central Matsuyama branches

Rental companies in Ehime compared

The two places have 18 branches from nine companies in the tables above.

One-way fees and company rules on payment and extensions are in the company rules comparison. Times Matsuyama Airport accepts cars rented elsewhere without special conditions.

The five companies below show how Ehime branches and cover differ.

Reference rates and cover

The table shows standard compact rates for companies with branches at Matsuyama Airport and in central Matsuyama: regular season, before discounts, for a Japanese licence.

On a foreign licence, Toyota uses a separate rate list: C1 is ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours and ¥8,690 for each further 24 hours, against ¥8,580 and ¥7,260 in the table. To rent on a foreign licence, bring an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention and your passport, or, for licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, the licence with a Japanese translation and your passport.

Nico Nico requires the renter to complete the contract in Japanese, without an interpreter or translation app, and Guts generally does not rent on an IDP.

The cover names and prices that remove the NOC are compared in CDW and NOC.

Pickup and return in Ehime

Returning at the airport for your flight

Return guidelines are up to 1 hour before your flight at Times, and at least 1.5 hours before a domestic departure at Sky.

Nissan does not help outside opening hours if your flight is delayed, and deals with it on the next business day. Times stops check-in and shuttles at 19:00, so it does not serve a flight landing at 19:00. After returning the car, take the company's shuttle to the airport.

Returning at Matsuyama Station or Matsuyama-shi Station

City branches close at 19:00 (Orix Matsuyama Ekimae, Nissan and Guts) or 20:00 (Nippon, Toyota, and Nico Nico Matsuyama Fujiwaramachi and Heiwadori). On a day with a train or bus to catch, allow for refuelling, the return and the walk to the station before you go through the ticket gate.

One-way rentals between the airport and the city

To rent at the airport and return in the city, or the reverse, the candidates are Nippon, Toyota and Orix, whose branches at both ends accept cars rented elsewhere. One-way fees depend on the company, distance and area, and are not always free. Name the return branch when you book and check the amount.

Trips using Matsuyama Sightseeing Port

If you arrive by ferry or high-speed boat at Matsuyama Sightseeing Port, Toyota Matsuyama (book by the day before) and Heisei (direct bookings) run a shuttle to the port.

Eki Rent-a-Car at Matsuyama Station

Eki Rent-a-Car Matsuyama Station closed from 25 May to 31 October 2026 and reopened on 1 November. It closes again from 30 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.

Other branches close to JR Matsuyama Station are Nippon Matsuyama Ekimae, Orix Matsuyama Ekimae and Toyota Matsuyama, 3–5 minutes on foot.

Frequently asked questions

Should I rent at Matsuyama Airport or in central Matsuyama?

Matsuyama Airport suits you if you land and head straight for the Shimanami Kaido or southern Ehime. City branches suit a day you arrive by train, or a trip that starts after a night in Matsuyama. If you stay in the city first, compare the rental charge and hotel parking for unused days against renting at the airport from day one.

Which company has the lowest rate?

On standard compact rates before discounts for a Japanese licence, Guts is lowest at ¥4,070, though it includes no vehicle damage cover and limits mileage. Next come Nico Nico at ¥5,610 and Heisei at ¥7,700, and Toyota is lowest among the major companies at ¥8,580. Member and online discounts change the price, so narrow your choice to two or three companies and compare them in the booking.

Can I rent at Matsuyama Airport and return at Matsuyama Station?

Nippon, Toyota and Orix accept cars rented elsewhere at both the airport and near Matsuyama Station. At other companies, check that you can select the return branch when you book.

Is there a branch near Dogo Onsen?

If you stay in Dogo, the candidates are Nippon at Okaido, reached by tram, or a branch with a hotel shuttle (Toyota Matsuyama, by the day before).

Can I rent if my flight lands late?

Times Matsuyama Airport stops check-in and shuttles at 19:00 and does not serve a flight due at 19:00. Nippon no longer handles last flights arriving outside opening hours. On a late-flight day, consider staying in the city and renting the next morning.

Guides to read before booking

• Central Matsuyama: ten rental branches compared
• Rental company rules compared: payment, extensions and one-way rentals
• Accidents, damage, punctures, breakdowns and parking tickets
• CDW and NOC explained
• One-way rental fees and choosing a return branch
• Driving in Japan with a foreign licence
• Other Shikoku prefectures: Kagawa and Kochi