Fukuoka Airport Car Rental: 23 Branches Compared

Twenty-three rental branches at Fukuoka Airport: how to choose

Fukuoka Airport, on the eastern side of Fukuoka City in Kyushu, has 23 rental branches from 11 companies. The domestic terminal has no rental counters: you walk out of Exit A to a branch, or wait for a shuttle at a pickup area outside. The international terminal is some distance from the domestic terminal, and you check in at a rental counter on its 1F, then take a shuttle to the branch.

This page compares the walking routes and pickup points at each terminal, closing times, returns and one-way rentals, and the reference price at each company.

• Walking from the domestic terminal: Nippon and Nissan are 3 minutes on foot, Toyota Fukuoka Airport about 5 minutes, Nico Nico Kukomae 3-chome 6 minutes, and Toyota Usui and Times Fukuoka Airport 8 minutes.
• Arriving late or returning late: the latest closing times are at Nissan Fukuoka Airport (21:00 on weekdays, 20:00 on weekends and public holidays) and Nico Nico Fukuoka Airport Shime (21:00 Monday to Saturday, 19:00 on Sundays and public holidays). Nippon Fukuoka Airport Domestic Terminal cannot be booked for a flight landing at 20:00.
• Arriving at the international terminal: eight branches serve international arrivals: Nippon, Toyota, Orix, Nissan, Times, Nico Nico (two branches) and Suzuki. Nippon, Toyota, Orix and Nico Nico have separate domestic and international branches, so book the one on the side of your arrival terminal.
• Returning somewhere else: the airport branches of Nippon, Toyota and Orix allow returns to other branches (Toyota Usui within the prefecture only). Nico Nico's Fukuoka Airport and International Terminal branches accept one-way rentals to its Nagasaki, Kagoshima and Kumamoto airport branches, by phone booking.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts, Toyota is the cheapest of the larger companies at ¥8,580 for a compact for 24 hours on a Japanese licence. Among smaller companies, Carsta is ¥4,500, Suzuki ¥5,500 and Nico Nico ¥5,610. Carsta's shuttle must be booked by phone by the day before and cannot be arranged on the day.

Compare the 23 Fukuoka Airport branches

Branch names link to their official pages. The numbers identify the branches and are not a ranking. Branches for international arrivals have "International" in their names.

Reference prices: standard rates at nine companies

This table takes each company's standard rate for a compact car, with the total including basic collision damage waiver (CDW). The total changes with the number of days and the cover you choose. These are regular-season, tax-inclusive rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, unless a row says otherwise. Fukuoka is in Sky's Kyushu area, so Sky's basic CDW is calculated at ¥1,430 a day.

• The 48-hour total is the first 24 hours, one additional day and two days of basic CDW. A dash means the company's rate table does not list that fee. Where basic CDW shows "Included", the rate already contains it. Extra hours, fuel, one-way fees and options such as child seats are not included.
• Most companies offer member or online discounts, so the booking screen is often cheaper than this table. Peak periods such as Golden Week, Obon and New Year cost more. Enter your dates and class for the actual price.
• Carsta's rate table does not say whether tax is included. From the second day the charge is ¥2,250 per 12 hours, and new and hybrid cars cost 30% more.
• Suzuki's rate table does not say whether tax is included.
• Nico Nico's basic CDW does not waive the vehicle excess after a single-car accident.
• Toyota has member discounts of 10% and 20%. Branches in the 23 wards of Tokyo, Oshima and Narita Airport use the Tokyo rate.
• Sky's basic CDW varies by region: ¥1,320 in Hokkaido, ¥1,100 in Honshu and Shikoku, ¥1,430 in Kyushu and ¥1,650 in Okinawa. Members and prepayment each get 5% off.
• Times has member rates of up to 20% off.
• Nippon has a separate member rate table.
• Nissan's basic CDW is calculated on the Standard Plan at ¥1,650 a day.
• Orix has member discounts and a 5% web discount.

Prices differ by licence. The table uses the Japanese-licence rate. On a foreign licence, Toyota C1 is ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours and ¥8,690 for each additional 24 hours, before optional cover; the Toyota row above uses the separate Japanese-licence rates of ¥8,580 and ¥7,260. The other companies in the table publish no separate foreign-licence rate here, so get a quote for your own licence.

A foreign licence needs the original licence, a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit (or an official Japanese translation for licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan) and your passport. See driving in Japan on a foreign licence. Nico Nico accepts an International Driving Permit only at some branches, requires the renter to complete the contract in Japanese without an interpreter or translation app, and asks for an address in Japan and a phone number that can take calls. Sky rents on a Geneva Convention permit with a passport, or on a foreign licence with a Japanese translation and a passport.

From arrival to the counter: domestic and international pickup points differ

The domestic and international terminals are far apart, and the airport's free connecting bus runs between them. Before you travel, check that your branch is on the side of your arrival terminal.

Arriving at the domestic terminal

The domestic terminal has no rental counters. After collecting your bags, leave by Exit A on the south side and walk to the branch or wait for a shuttle at a pickup area.

• Walk: Nippon (cross at the pedestrian crossing straight ahead of Exit A and it is immediately on your right; 3 minutes on foot, no shuttle), Nissan (cross at the lights straight ahead of the south arrivals exit; 3 minutes), Toyota Fukuoka Airport (about 5 minutes), Nico Nico Kukomae 3-chome (cross at the crossing with the large Nissan sign and go right; 6 minutes), Toyota Usui (8 minutes, no shuttle) and Times Fukuoka Airport (8 minutes from south Exit A).
• Check in at a shuttle counter: for Orix Fukuoka Airport Terminal East, check in at the shuttle counter just across the pedestrian crossing straight ahead of Exit A. The shuttle to the branch in Shime takes about 5 minutes.
• Call and wait at the south pickup area: Orix Fukuoka Kukoguchi (shuttle line 092-415-3920) and Honda Cars Hakata (about 10–15 minutes until pickup) collect you at the rental car pickup area, to the right after Exit A. Nico Nico Fukuoka Airport also collects you at the south pickup area, but the branch is about 5 minutes on foot from there, so walking may be quicker if you are in a hurry.
• Wait at the temporary pickup area: for Sky, turn right out of Exit A and walk 2–3 minutes to the temporary pickup area, and wait nearby (about 5 minutes to the branch). If you leave by the north arrivals exit, walk through the arrivals lobby to Exit A.

Toyota Fukuoka Airport also runs a shuttle on request, but the branch is closer than the pickup area (about 8 minutes on foot from the south arrivals exit). For the shuttle at Times Fukuoka Airport, ask the branch after landing; it takes about 30 minutes. Several companies' shuttles use the same pickup areas, so check the company and branch name before you board. Orix says airport renovation work may change entrances and walkways.

Arriving at the international terminal

Rental company counters are on 1F of the international terminal. Check in there, then take a shuttle to the branch.

• Check in at the counter, then take a shuttle: Toyota Fukuoka International (the shared rental information desk on 1F; about 3 minutes to the branch), Nippon (5 minutes by car from the rental pickup area after check-in; if no staff are there, use the direct phone), Orix International Terminal and Nissan International Terminal.
• Call from the counter and wait at stop 14: Times Fukuoka Airport International (its counter is in the direction of expressway bus stop 8 from the arrivals exit; if no staff are there, use the counter phone; about 15 minutes to the branch) and Nico Nico International Terminal (ask on the counter handset or by phone; about 5–15 minutes until pickup, 20–30 minutes when busy). Both collect you near stop 14, across the crossing outside Exit A3.
• Walk: for Nico Nico International Mae, turn left out of the exit, go about 600 m, turn right at the International Terminal South Exit junction, and it is on the left after about 300 m; 10–13 minutes on foot.
• Confirm the shuttle when you book: Suzuki Fukuoka Airport International is about 800 m north of the terminal. Sky appears in Fukuoka Airport's listing for the international counters, but its branch page covers the shuttle at the domestic terminal only. Orix Fukuoka Kukoguchi shows its international pickup point under the counter details on its branch page.

The international branches of Nippon and Nico Nico do not collect from the domestic terminal. If you land at the domestic terminal and book an international branch, you add a transfer on the connecting bus.

Branches where you confirm the pickup point

• Carsta: book the shuttle by phone by the day before. It cannot be booked on the day, it runs 09:00–20:00, and it does not run from 1 to 3 January. Phone the branch after landing and staff tell you where to wait.
• Nico Nico Fukuoka Airport Shime: phone the branch after booking to ask for the shuttle. It may be unavailable because of petrol station work. The walk takes about 15 minutes.
• Suzuki Fukuoka Airport and Karunori Fukuoka Airport: both have a free shuttle. Confirm how to call it and where to wait when you book.

Returning the car: work back from closing time and your departure terminal

Closing times range from 18:00 to 21:00, a gap of three hours. Orix International Terminal, Honda Cars Hakata and Nico Nico International Mae (Monday to Saturday) close at 18:00. If you leave on a late flight, check your branch's closing time first. The three Toyota airport branches close on 25 August, and Toyota Usui also closes on 1 January.

Times Fukuoka Airport International asks you to return 3 hours before your flight. To be taken to the airport after returning at Times Fukuoka Airport, return 90 minutes before your flight. After returning, Nippon International takes you to the international terminal in 5 minutes by car, and Times International takes you to international departures in about 15 minutes. Nippon Domestic Terminal has no shuttle, so you walk back to the terminal.

If you arrive and leave from different terminals, what you do after returning the car changes, even at the same airport. Compare a booking back to the branch you rented from with one to a branch on your departure side, checking whether the return is possible and what it costs. Nico Nico does not allow one-way rentals between its Fukuoka Airport and International Terminal branches. Refuel on the way to the branch so you are not rushed.

Separate your Fukuoka City days from your days outside the city

If you are going to a hotel in Hakata or Tenjin after landing and heading to Itoshima or beyond the prefecture the next day, you can compare renting at the airport from the first day with renting around Hakata Station the next morning. If you will not use the car during your stay, the difference is the rental hours and the hotel parking charge. If you are going straight out of the city, collecting at the airport means less driving back through it.

A 3-minute shuttle or a 3-minute walk is only the time to the branch, not the time until you can drive away. Add time for leaving the plane, collecting bags, checking in and inspecting the car before you set your first booking. If your flight lands late, put enough margin before closing ahead of a short walk.

Frequently asked questions

Which rental branches can I walk to from the domestic terminal?

The domestic terminal has no rental counters, so you leave by Exit A and go to the branch. You can walk to Nippon (3 minutes), Nissan (3 minutes), Toyota Fukuoka Airport (about 5 minutes), Nico Nico Kukomae 3-chome (6 minutes), and Toyota Usui and Times Fukuoka Airport (8 minutes). Nippon has no shuttle, so you walk there.

Can I still rent if I land late in the evening?

The latest closing times are at Nissan Fukuoka Airport (21:00 on weekdays, 20:00 on weekends and public holidays) and Nico Nico Fukuoka Airport Shime (21:00 Monday to Saturday). Nippon's domestic terminal branch cannot be booked for a flight landing at 20:00, and Nissan does not open outside its hours even if a flight is delayed. Among international branches, the latest closing time is 20:00, at Toyota Fukuoka International and Nico Nico International Terminal. Check that your flight leaves enough time for check-in and transfers before closing.

Can I arrive at the domestic terminal and rent from an international branch?

Yes, but you have to take the airport's free connecting bus to the international terminal. The international branches of Nippon and Nico Nico do not collect from the domestic terminal. Toyota and Orix also direct domestic arrivals to their domestic-side branches, Toyota Fukuoka Airport and Orix Terminal East.

What does a two-day rental cost?

On standard rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, a compact with basic CDW for two days comes to ¥18,040–¥20,790 at the six larger companies. Toyota is lowest at ¥18,040. On a foreign licence, Toyota's base rate is higher; see the price section above. Among smaller companies, Carsta is ¥11,200, Nico Nico ¥13,420 and Suzuki ¥14,100 (Carsta's and Suzuki's rate tables do not say whether tax is included). For Honda Cars Hakata and Karunori, get the price from their booking screens.

Can I return the car to a different branch?

The airport branches of Nippon, Toyota and Orix allow returns to other branches. Toyota Usui allows this within the prefecture only, and Orix excludes Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands. Nissan's branch pages do not cover one-way rentals, so check in the booking screen that you can select your return branch. Nico Nico accepts one-way rentals from its Fukuoka Airport and International Terminal branches to its Nagasaki Airport, Kagoshima Airport and Kumamoto Airport branches, by phone booking only.

Guides to read before booking

• Picking up a rental car at a Japanese airport
• Basic CDW and the NOC explained
• Refuelling and returning the car
• Comparing rental company rules: payment, extensions, one-way rentals and more
• Accidents, damage, punctures, breakdowns and parking tickets