Child Seats in Japanese Rental Cars: Fees, Sizes and Booking Rules

When hiring a car with children in Japan, reserve suitable child seats with the car or bring your own. Some companies charge once per rental, others charge per 24 hours, and some do not rent seats at all. This guide compares Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan, JR Eki, Sky, Niconico and Guts using their official information checked in October 2026, with selected terms rechecked on 1 November.

Child seats are required for children under six

Article 71-3, paragraph 3 of Japan's Road Traffic Act requires drivers to use a child restraint for children under six. The National Police Agency also advises using a child seat for older children whose size prevents a proper fit with an adult seat belt.

Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix and Niconico state that they refuse, or may refuse, the rental if an under-six child has neither a reserved seat nor one brought by the customer. Sky may refuse if no seat was booked and the branch has none available. Plan on securing an appropriate seat, rather than carrying a child on an adult's lap.

In the National Police Agency and JAF's 2026 survey, 77.6% of installed child seats were fitted correctly. Among children using a seat, 58.7% were seated correctly.

Most rental companies make the customer responsible for installation. Allow time to fit and check the seats before departure.

Seat fees and reservations at nine companies

These are the companies' published Japanese schedules, including tax. Member benefits are shown separately; they are not assumed to apply to an overseas booking. Check the seat fee and availability in your own reservation.

How rental length changes the cost

A per-rental fee stays the same for the rental period. A per-24-hour charge increases with time until any cap applies. Nissan caps the charge at two days for rentals of up to one month; JR Eki caps it at ¥1,650 per seat. The table below calculates the fee for one child seat from those published schedules.

For two seats, double these amounts. The table uses ordinary fees without membership discounts. It does not include free use for qualifying Orix Gold or Platinum members or Nissan 23 Bonus Club members.

What to tell the rental company

Niconico and Nissan require advance reservations because stock is limited. JR Eki warns that it may be unable to supply an unreserved seat. Entering the number of children on a booking form does not necessarily reserve seats: check that the confirmation lists the seat types and quantities.

Which type of seat fits your child?

The companies' size guides differ. These are the guidelines published by three of them; use the instructions for the actual seat supplied, with your child's measured height and weight.

Toyota notes that some backless booster seats cannot be used by children shorter than 125 cm. Sky recommends a junior seat for children below 150 cm, including those aged six or over. Age alone is not enough to choose the seat.

Compatible cars and the number of seats

Cars that cannot take the rental seats

• Nippon does not permit its child seats in vans or trucks; choose a passenger car.
• Times offers seats for passenger cars, but some vehicle designs are incompatible.
• Nissan's ISOFIX seats cannot be fitted in V, C or T classes, 10-seat passenger vehicles, the Fairlady Z, minibuses, or certain accessible vehicles including the Clipper Rio and Caravan.
• Niconico rents child seats only with passenger cars.
• Guts does not rent seats. Ask the branch whether your own seat can be fitted to the chosen model.

How many seats and passengers fit?

Nissan warns that installing child seats can reduce the usable passenger capacity. Its stated maximum is two child seats per car, although three or more junior seats may be possible.

Nippon publishes passenger limits with child seats installed. A five-seat car can carry up to four people with either one or two child seats; with one junior seat it can carry up to five. These totals include the children. In a seven-seat Sienta, two child seats block access to the third row, so that row cannot be occupied.

Times' guide, assuming two adults, allows one or two child seats in a four- or five-seat car, and three in a vehicle seating seven or more. It does not recommend fitting one in the front passenger seat, and its seats cannot be fitted in the centre position of a row.

For four adults and two young children, do not choose a car solely because it has six seats. Agree where the two child seats and four adults will sit before booking. Check that the stroller and bags do not require you to fold a seat someone needs to use.

If a seat is missing or does not fit at pickup

Ask the branch about another seat, a different car or a later departure. Sky states that it may refuse a rental if an under-six child has no reserved seat and none is available. If the necessary seat cannot be provided, change the travel arrangements or reservation before leaving.

Check the installation before departure

Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, JR Eki, Sky and Niconico place responsibility for installation on the customer. Even if staff help, the customer must make the final check. Nippon, Orix, Sky and Niconico state that they do not accept responsibility for accidents caused by faulty installation.

1. Check that the reserved seat types and quantities are present.
2. Follow both the seat and vehicle instructions, using the specified seating position and direction.
3. Check that the seat is secured and the harness is adjusted to the child.
4. Have the adults sit down too, and check every passenger's space and the luggage.
5. Ask staff about anything unclear before departure.

Nippon, Times, Orix and Sky may charge for a rented seat damaged or lost through improper handling or care. Return the seat with the car.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring my own seat?

Times explicitly allows it. Nippon and Niconico also require either a reserved seat or one supplied by the customer. Guts has no rental seats, so you must bring your own. Nippon does not assess whether a product you bring is appropriate for your child. Give the branch the seat model and installation method, such as ISOFIX or seat-belt fitting, and confirm compatibility with the rental car before booking.

Are seats available for babies under one?

Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan and JR Eki offer infant seats or combined infant/child seats. Niconico has no seat for a child younger than 15 months or shorter than 76 cm, so bring a suitable one. Guts has no rental seats. Availability at your branch still needs confirming.

Can I rent just a child seat?

Toyota and Nissan do not rent options such as child seats separately. Reserve the seat together with a car rental.

Does a child stop needing a seat at six?

The legal requirement applies to children under six. The National Police Agency advises continued use if the adult seat belt does not fit properly. If your child falls within the relevant junior-seat guide, such as Toyota's 100–150 cm height range, reserve an appropriate seat.

Related guides

• Compare rental companies in Japan
• Documents for driving in Japan on a foreign licence
• Collecting a rental car at a Japanese airport