Narita Airport Car Rental: 13 Companies Compared

Thirteen rental companies at Narita Airport: how to choose

Narita Airport, in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, has 13 rental companies at 21 locations: 11 branches where you collect the car, and 10 check-in counters in Terminals 1 and 2. As far as the official pages show, the terminal counters are for check-in, and you collect the car at a branch outside the airport. Terminal 3 has no rental counters, so use the Terminal 2 facilities.

This page compares how each company handles check-in and the shuttle, opening hours, returns and one-way rentals, and the reference price at each company on Japanese and foreign licences.

• Landing early: Toyota opens earliest, at 07:00 (4 January–30 April and 1 July–27 December; 08:00 from 1 May to 30 June and 28 December to 3 January). The others open at 08:00 or later, and Nico Nico at 09:00.
• Landing in the evening: Toyota, Nippon, Orix, Nissan, Times, Budget, Sky and Carsta are open until 20:00. HM closes at 19:00, and Nico Nico and Eco Car at 18:00. e Rent-a-Car's official pages disagree (hours 09:00–22:00 on one, rentals and returns 09:00–21:00 on another), so it may serve you after 20:00. Times, as a rule, offers no rental, return or enquiry service after 20:00, but does if you call from the counter telephone by 20:00.
• Returning somewhere else: Toyota Narita Airport accepts returns at other branches inside and outside the prefecture, but you cannot return the car at the airport terminals. Nico Nico offers one-way rentals to and from its Shin-Yokohama Station branch. Nippon's Narita Airport branch accepts cars rented at other branches in every class. Orix's two Narita locations offer no one-way rentals in either direction.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, a compact for 24 hours is ¥4,000 at Eco Car, ¥4,500 at Carsta and ¥5,610 at Nico Nico. Among the major companies Budget is cheapest at ¥8,580, while Toyota Narita Airport uses the Tokyo rate of ¥10,010. Eco Car's non-operation charge (NOC) is ¥30,000 or ¥70,000 in its guide, and ¥30,000 if you drive the car back to the branch and ¥50,000 otherwise in its rental terms.
• Using expressways: ETC cards are available at Toyota Narita Airport and Sky (¥550 per rental, limited numbers). Orix's Narita locations do not rent ETC cards, and the Toyota counters in the terminals do not either. Ask the other companies when you book.

Compare the 21 Narita Airport locations

Branch names link to their official pages. The numbers identify the locations and are not a ranking. Locations with "counter" in the name are check-in desks; the car is handed over at a branch.

Reference prices: standard rates at ten companies

This table takes each company's standard rate for a compact car, with the total for two days including basic collision damage waiver (CDW). These are regular-season, tax-inclusive rates before discounts, on a Japanese licence. HM, e Rent-a-Car and BE KOBE are not in the table.

• 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.
• Toyota has member discounts of 10% and 20%. Branches in the 23 wards of Tokyo, Oshima and Narita Airport use the Tokyo rate.
• Budget has a web member rate at 10% 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.
• Eco Car's rates are from its published table for the branch. The NOC for a compact is ¥30,000 or ¥70,000 in its guide and ¥30,000 or ¥50,000 in its rental terms, and the table does not list a daily rate from the second day.
• Nico Nico's basic CDW does not waive the vehicle excess after a single-car accident.

Prices differ by licence. The table uses the Japanese-licence rate. On a foreign licence, Toyota C1 is ¥11,990 for the first 24 hours and ¥10,560 for each additional 24 hours at the Tokyo rate, which Toyota applies at Narita Airport, before optional cover; the Toyota row above uses the separate Japanese-licence rates of ¥10,010 and ¥8,800. For the other companies, get a quote for your own licence.

There are two routes. With an International Driving Permit, you need the booklet-type permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and you may drive for one year from the day you land in Japan or until one year after the permit was issued, whichever is earlier. With a licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, you need the original licence with an official Japanese translation (for example from JAF), and you may drive for one year from the day you land or until the licence itself expires, whichever is earlier. On either route you need your passport, and it must show your landing date. If you are registered as a resident of Japan, a re-entry within three months of leaving does not start the period again. See driving in Japan on a foreign licence.

Check in at the terminal and find the shuttle pickup

The routine depends on the company.

• Tablet check-in: at Toyota, check in on the tablets at the Terminal 1 and 2 counters. The pickup is the bus stop 20 at Terminal 1 (cross the crossing from Central Exit C1) and the bus stop 29 at Terminal 2 (cross from North Exit 2). The branch is about 20 minutes away.
• Direct telephone at the counter: at Times, call from the telephone at the company's counter on 1F of Terminal 1 or 2; no staff are stationed there, and the branch is 20–40 minutes away. At Orix, call the branch from the counter inside the arrivals exit; the shuttle takes 15–30 minutes. Orix runs no shuttle to Terminal 3.
• Check in, then go to the branch: at Nippon, check in at the Terminal 1 counter (near the central exit on 1F of the Central Building) or the Terminal 2 counter (near North Exit 2 on 1F), and a free shuttle takes you to the branch, a minute on foot from Hotel Nikko Narita; it usually takes 15–30 minutes. Nissan also has counters in both terminals.
• Phone after landing: Budget and Sky have no counter in the airport, so phone the branch when you land. Budget's pickup is outside Exit C1 on 4F at Terminal 1 and outside North Exit 3 on 1F at Terminal 2, two crossings away (for Terminals 2 and 3), and the shuttle takes 10–15 minutes. Sky's pickup is outside Exit C1 on 4F at Terminal 1 and outside North Exit 1 on the 3F departures lobby at Terminal 2 (for Terminals 2 and 3), one crossing away, also 10–15 minutes. e Rent-a-Car asks you to phone after customs: the pickup is right outside Exit C1 on Central Building 4F at Terminal 1 and right outside North Exit 3 on 1F at Terminal 2.
• Arrange the place when you book: Eco Car runs a free shuttle and asks for the place, time and flight when you book; it can also hand the car over at Terminal 2. Carsta runs a shuttle to the airport and nearby hotels only for customers renting at its branch, and you must contact it first.
• Shuttle from Terminals 1 and 2: Nico Nico's free shuttle runs from Terminals 1 and 2. From Terminal 3, go to Terminal 1 or 2.

Times Car Narita Airport also offers a car-share service that you can start and end at any hour. It is a separate product from an ordinary rental, so check your booking number against the instructions for collecting the car.

Returning to a branch and getting back to the terminal

On the way back, return the car to the branch you booked, pay, and take the shuttle to the terminal. Toyota, Orix and Nippon cannot take the car back at the airport terminals. Set your navigation destination to the branch, not the airport.

Return times differ. Times asks for 3 hours 30 minutes before an international flight and 2 hours before a domestic one. Orix asks for 2 hours 30 minutes before an international flight and 1 hour 30 minutes before a domestic one. Sky's last shuttle to the airport is at 19:30. Even though the branch is open until 20:00, finish your return in time for that last shuttle.

Out-of-hours service is limited. After 20:00, Times offers no service as a rule (it does if you call from the counter telephone by 20:00), and Orix runs no shuttle outside its opening hours. At New Year, Times (31 December–3 January) and Budget (30 December 2026–3 January 2027) are open 09:00–18:00. HM is closed on 31 December and 1 January, and Toyota opens at 08:00 from 28 December to 3 January.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I go if I land at Terminal 3?

Terminal 3 has no rental counters, so use the Terminal 2 facilities. Toyota's pickup, and Nippon's, Sky's and Budget's meeting points for Terminal 3 are at Terminal 2. Nico Nico asks you to go to Terminal 1 or 2. Orix runs no shuttle to Terminal 3.

Can I pick up the car at the counter in the terminal?

No. The Toyota, Times, Orix and Nippon counters are check-in desks, and the car is handed over at a branch outside the airport. After check-in you ride the shuttle to the branch.

Can I rent if I land very early or very late?

Toyota opens earliest, at 07:00 on most days, and most branches close at 20:00. After 20:00, Times offers no service as a rule, but does if you call from the counter telephone by 20:00. e Rent-a-Car's official pages give 09:00–22:00 for its hours and 09:00–21:00 for rentals and returns, so confirm with the branch before relying on it for a late flight.

Do I need to book the Nico Nico shuttle?

Nico Nico's branch page says no advance booking is needed, but its shuttle page requires contact by the day before, so the two official pages disagree. Contact the branch by the day before to be safe. The branch moved on 13 January 2026 and does not accept cash at the counter.

What does a two-day rental cost?

On standard rates before discounts, a compact with basic CDW for two days comes to ¥18,260–¥21,010 across the 6 major companies, ¥18,480 at Sky, ¥13,420 at Nico Nico, ¥11,200 at Carsta on a Japanese licence. Eco Car does not list a daily rate from the second day. Toyota Narita Airport uses the Tokyo rate. On a foreign licence, Toyota’s base rate is higher; see the price section above.

Guides to read before booking

• Picking up a rental car at a Japanese airport
• Renting a car in Tokyo
• 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