6 Recommended Car Rental Companies in Japan: Features and How to Choose

The headline rental price is only part of the cost. Nico Nico’s S-class, for example, is listed at ¥2,525 for 12 hours through its app. Adding Perfect Coverage takes the example to ¥4,725. However, drivers under 21 or with less than one year’s licence history cannot join its optional coverage plans.

The right choice therefore depends on both price and eligibility. This guide compares six companies’ published rates, coverage, discounts and vehicle choices, with examples for day trips and overnight travel. The prices below are Japanese-market rates, primarily for residents using Japanese driving licences. International-licence products and overseas booking channels can have different prices and conditions.

Compare six recommended rental companies

For a small group returning to the same branch, Nico Nico’s app price, Toyota and Times provide useful starting points. Newly licensed drivers can look at eligible Budget branches; Nippon offers detailed vehicle categories; Orix’s RAP has a conditional one-hour extension benefit.

These six branch-based services were selected to show differences in prices, booking methods, vehicle selection and coverage. Their order is not a quality or price ranking. Official information was checked on 15 September 2026. We have not rented, test-driven or scored customer service at these companies.

What each company offers

Toyota Rent a Car: a broad network for finding a branch at your destination

Toyota is a useful starting point when pickup access matters. Its official guide describes a network of 1,100 locations and a range from compact cars to minivans. Start with your destination and party size, then find a suitable branch.

The C1 general rate is ¥6,600 for 12 hours or ¥8,580 for 24 hours. Anshin W combines deductible and NOC waivers for ¥1,650 per 24 hours, bringing the 12-hour example to ¥8,250.

Regional pricing matters. Departures from Tokyo’s 23 wards, Oshima and Narita Airport use C1 rates of ¥8,030 for 12 hours and ¥10,010 for 24 hours. With Anshin W, those examples become ¥9,680 and ¥11,660. Do not use the general-area table to budget for these locations.

A large network does not guarantee a short walk from your station or a quick airport shuttle. Compare the actual pickup branch and its rate with the coverage added. Locations and vehicles, rates, coverage.

Nippon Rent-A-Car: choose around passengers and luggage, not just the manufacturer

Nippon suits travellers who want more guidance than a five-seat label. Its current catalogue separates size-based classes from types such as compact, large and hybrid. The N-B Standard class lists examples including the Fit and Corolla.

For the regular season, general customer and Standard Course, N-B costs ¥7,150 for 12 hours and ¥8,910 for 24 hours. CDW is ¥1,100 per day and ECO, the NOC waiver, is ¥440 per day. Adding both gives a 12-hour example of ¥8,690.

The catalogue shows recommended passenger numbers, luggage guidance and child-seat capacity as well as maximum occupancy. This helps you match the vehicle to the trip before booking.

Booking a class does not guarantee a particular model. Selecting a specific type can also change the price. The Recommended Course, called Anshin Course in Japanese, is separate from CDW and ECO: its name alone does not mean that both deductibles and NOC are waived. Vehicles and rates, CDW, ECO.

Times Car Rental: eligible members save 20% on official web base rates

For Japan residents who can use free Times Club membership, the general and member rates differ substantially. C-1 costs ¥7,590 for 12 hours at the general rate and ¥6,072 at the web-member rate. For 24 hours, the figures are ¥8,855 and ¥7,084.

The Anshin coverage course, including deductible and NOC waivers, costs ¥2,200 per 24 hours. Adding it to the web-member rate gives ¥8,272 for 12 hours or ¥9,284 for 24 hours. The 12-hour general-rate equivalent is ¥9,790, so comparing different booking channels changes the result.

C-1 includes examples such as the Solio, MAZDA2 and Roomy, subject to availability. Although it has five seats, Times recommends it for two people and gives two suitcases as a luggage guide. It is a starting point for a couple’s overnight trip; four adults with large suitcases should consider more space.

The 20% discount applies to the base rate, not the whole bill. Member bookings by telephone or at a branch receive a 10% base-rate discount. This guide covers branch-based Times Car Rental, not its car-sharing service. Rates and capacity, membership, coverage.

Orix Rent a Car: coverage with a conditional return-time benefit

Orix’s Rental Anshin Pack, or RAP, is worth considering if a small shift in your return time is a concern. For SA, CDW costs ¥1,100 and RAP adds ¥660 per 24 hours. RAP includes an accident-related NOC waiver and puncture repair or replacement support, with a ¥20,000 limit on the relevant tyre costs.

RAP also waives extension charges for up to one hour, but you must contact the branch at least one hour before the scheduled return and return within opening hours. A change exceeding one hour does not qualify. It is not permission to return late without notice.

Regular-season SA general rates are ¥7,920 for 12 hours and ¥9,900 for 24 hours. CDW plus RAP brings those examples to ¥9,680 and ¥11,660. The extension benefit can be a reason to choose it even when another base rate is lower.

SA lists vehicles such as the Fit, Note and Thor. High-season dates differ by region, including Hokkaido and Okinawa; do not compare a regular-season table with another company’s peak-season quote. Vehicles and rates, coverage and RAP conditions.

Nico Nico Rent a Car: check the Nicopass app for a day trip

For drivers aged 21 or over with at least one year’s licence history, returning to the same branch, Nico Nico is a useful price comparison. S-class 12-hour rates are ¥3,740 general, ¥3,410 web member and ¥2,525 through Nicopass. The respective 24-hour rates are ¥5,610, ¥5,390 and ¥5,060, so the app saving varies with duration.

Perfect Coverage costs ¥2,200 per 24 hours for S-class. It includes accident-related NOC and vehicle-deductible waivers for single-car and hit-and-run accidents. Combined with the app rate, the examples are ¥4,725 for 12 hours and ¥7,260 for 24 hours.

Optional coverage is unavailable if the renter or a driver is under 21 or has held a licence for less than one year. Drivers with less than one year’s licence history also need a companion who has held a licence for at least three years, riding from departure.

One-way returns are generally unavailable, with limited branch-pair exceptions. The renter must be able to complete the contract in Japanese. Perfect Coverage is not offered at every branch and excludes non-accident theft, breakdown and soiling. These conditions can make other providers more practical for beginners, one-way trips or visitors unable to contract in Japanese. Rates, Perfect Coverage, eligibility and FAQ.

Budget Rent a Car: beginners should check rental and coverage eligibility together

Budget’s beginner guide offers rentals immediately after obtaining a licence and access to CDW. That makes eligible branches worth considering for a first rental.

There are significant exceptions. In Aichi, Mie, Gifu and Tochigi, drivers within one year of obtaining a licence cannot join CDW. Some branches may also refuse the rental itself. Establish both rental eligibility and CDW eligibility before comparing prices.

JS general rates are ¥7,040 for 12 hours and ¥8,580 for 24 hours. Web-member rates are ¥6,336 and ¥7,722. CDW for JS costs ¥1,430 per day, making the web-member 12-hour example ¥7,766. This does not include an NOC waiver.

Budget separately offers a Safety Pack and coverage-inclusive campaigns. We could not establish a current nationwide standalone Safety Pack fee from the general coverage pages consulted. Its additional cost is therefore left unresolved in the calculation below. Compare a Safety Pack-inclusive offer from the actual branch rather than applying an old fee from a different product. Beginner restrictions, vehicles and rates, coverage.

Costs & coverage

Prices: a 12-hour day trip and a 24-hour overnight rental

The following published passenger-car rates use regular-season Japanese-market general pricing, no discounts and return to the original branch. Nippon uses its Standard Course. Toyota excludes the separate Tokyo 23-ward, Oshima and Narita Airport rates.

Sources are the official rate pages linked in each company section. Prices include tax. These are published-rate examples, not availability searches for an identical model, branch area and departure date. The classes and standard equipment are not identical. Special regions, Hokkaido, Okinawa, peak periods and international-licence products may have different rates.

Adding deductible and NOC waivers

The examples assume pickup at 9 a.m. and return by 9 p.m. the same day, or by 9 a.m. the next day. Both pickup and return must fall within the branch’s opening hours.

For the first five companies, one coverage unit for a rental within 24 hours is added. Budget’s figures are incomplete and cannot be compared directly with those totals until the Safety Pack fee is included. All examples exclude fuel, tolls, parking, child seats and other equipment, one-way charges and extensions. The plans do not provide identical protection for non-accident losses or excluded circumstances.

Recalculate using the membership or app rate you can actually use

Free membership or app booking changes the comparison. These are 12-hour examples:

Toyota’s general rate plus Anshin W is ¥8,250 in the example, only ¥22 below Times’ web-member rate plus Anshin coverage. With a gap that small, pickup access or the available vehicle may matter more. Toyota’s separate Tokyo-area rates change that comparison, illustrating why these are rate-table examples rather than a universal cheapest-company ranking.

Coverage: a deductible waiver and an NOC waiver are separate

A deductible is the customer’s share of an insured loss. CDW or a similar waiver removes that share for eligible accidents. NOC compensates the rental company while a vehicle is unavailable for business, for example during repairs. It can remain payable even when CDW is included.

Budget’s current guide lists NOC for JS and similar classes at ¥30,000 when the vehicle can be driven back, or ¥50,000 when it cannot. Do not assume an old ¥20,000 figure applies to all current bookings. Budget’s insurance and coverage guide PDF.

Failing to report an accident to the police and rental company, letting an undeclared driver drive or extending the rental without permission can invalidate coverage. Before departure, know the contact procedure and the exclusions as well as the plan name.

Choose around the trip you are taking

A day trip for two: include the cost of reaching the branch

For a return to the same branch, Nico Nico’s app rate is a useful starting point. For an eligible driver and a branch offering Perfect Coverage, the S-class 12-hour example is ¥4,725 including that coverage.

If reaching the branch requires train fares and a long detour, include those costs too. A Toyota or Times branch near the arrival station may fit the itinerary better. Compare money and time spent collecting the car, not only the rental calculation.

An overnight trip: establish whether it really fits within 24 hours

One night does not necessarily mean a 24-hour rental. Saturday 9 a.m. to Sunday 9 a.m. is 24 hours; returning at 6 p.m. on Sunday makes it 33 hours.

Our 24-hour examples are ¥7,260 for Nico Nico’s app rate plus Perfect Coverage and ¥9,284 for Times’ web-member rate plus Anshin coverage. Do not double a 12-hour price to estimate an overnight rental. Enter the actual pickup and return times and check both the base-rate and coverage increments when going beyond 24 hours.

A family trip: choose for passengers with their luggage

Two adults and two children can still need more than a compact car when child seats, a pushchair and overnight bags are involved. Times C-1 has five seats but a recommended comfortable occupancy of two.

Use Nippon’s recommended occupancy and luggage guidance, or the companies’ minivan catalogues, to choose space first. Reserve child seats with the car and check the charging unit: Budget’s guide lists ¥1,100 per seat per rental. This passenger-car price table is not a family-minivan quote.

Beginners and one-way trips: establish eligibility first

Newly licensed drivers can consider eligible Budget branches, subject to the four-prefecture coverage exception and branch restrictions above. Nico Nico’s optional-coverage limits mean a beginner cannot use the same coverage-inclusive comparison.

If you collect at one station and return at another airport, check one-way availability before designing the route. Nippon offers one-way rentals with restrictions on destinations and vehicles. Establish the permitted route and charge before relying on a company such as Nico Nico, where one-way returns are generally unavailable. Nippon one-way service.

Before booking, collecting and returning

• Before confirming: enter the pickup and return branches, times, vehicle class, every driver’s age and licence history, coverage and equipment. Record when cancellation charges start and how much they are.
• Before collection: prepare every driver’s required licence documents, reservation details and payment method. For cash payment, check additional identity documents and vehicle restrictions.
• Before driving away: inspect existing damage with staff; confirm fuel type, filler location, ETC card arrangements and accident contacts.
• Before returning: follow the branch’s refuelling instructions and opening hours. Call ahead if delayed, keep the fuel receipt and check for belongings.

Budget’s guide asks for a receipt from the final refuelling stop within 5 km of the return branch. Allow time for this rather than assuming a full tank purchased earlier in the trip meets the return instructions. Usage and coverage guide PDF.

Frequently asked questions

Is the official website or a comparison site cheaper?

Membership rates and comparison-site coupons can change the result. Match deductible waivers, NOC waivers and required equipment before comparing the bill. Treat points earned separately from the amount payable now.

Do cheaper rentals lack optional coverage?

Price alone does not tell you. Nico Nico has Perfect Coverage for eligible customers, including accident-related NOC and single-car vehicle-deductible waivers. The more useful question is whether you qualify for that plan at your branch.

Does CDW mean I will pay nothing after an accident?

No. NOC or excluded losses can remain payable. Even with both deductible and NOC waivers, the treatment of soiling, theft, tyres and keys differs between plans.

Does an ETC reader mean I can use ETC immediately?

The in-car reader and the ETC card are separate. Nippon lists readers in its vehicle specifications, but you still need your own card or an available card-rental service. Budget’s card lending is limited to certain areas.

When should I book, and are cancellation rules the same?

Search once the itinerary is fixed and reserve the car and necessary equipment together. Check cancellation terms for the exact product and booking channel. Keep the amendment or cancellation contact in the confirmation email; contacting a branch alone may not complete a comparison-site cancellation.

Start with a coverage-inclusive price you qualify for

For a budget return day trip, consider Nico Nico; for free-member web pricing, Times; for branch choice and a clear coverage add-on, Toyota. Nippon offers detailed class and type choices, Orix has RAP’s conditional return benefit, and eligible Budget branches are an option for newly licensed drivers.

Shortlist two or three companies, then request prices for the actual branch, dates and class. Add coverage and equipment and consider collection and return access before choosing a car that fits the trip.