Best Car Rental Companies in Japan: 9 Compared by Price, Full Cover and Airport

Choose a rental company in Japan by the total with full cover, and by whether you are allowed to buy that cover. Across nine companies' compact classes (Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan, Eki Rent-a-Car, Sky, Nico Nico and Guts), the lowest base rates are Nico Nico at ¥3,740 for 12 hours and Guts at ¥4,070 for 24 hours. With cover that removes both the accident excess and the NOC, Nico Nico is still the cheapest at ¥5,940 for 12 hours, followed among the major companies by Eki Rent-a-Car (¥8,140) and Toyota (¥8,250).

For most visitors the shortlist is shorter. Guts does not rent on an International Driving Permit, and Nico Nico accepts one only at some branches and only if the renter can complete the contract in Japanese. Toyota, Nippon, Orix and Nissan have a branch at all 19 major airports from New Chitose to Ishigaki, and Toyota, Times, Orix and Nissan run English booking sites. Prices below are the companies' standard rates on 26 October 2026: tax included, regular season, before discounts, for a Japanese driving licence. Toyota charges more on a foreign licence; see "What changes the price".

How to choose

1. Base rate: for the same compact class, 12 hours ranges from ¥3,740 to ¥8,030. Guts has no rate shorter than 24 hours, and Sky offers a same-day-return rate instead of 12 hours.
2. Total with full cover: cover that removes both the excess and the NOC (the non-operation charge for the time a damaged car is off the road) costs ¥1,540 to ¥2,200 a day at a branch on Honshu. The cheaper the company, the more the content of that cover and the eligibility rules differ.
3. Where you pick up: the number of airport branches varies widely. Eki Rent-a-Car is mostly at JR stations.
4. Who is driving: some companies refuse cover to drivers under 21 or with less than a year's licence, and two of the nine restrict foreign licences.

Payment, extensions, smoking, pets, one-way returns and cancellation fees for the same nine companies are in our Japanese-language company rules comparison.

Rates and full cover at nine companies

All prices include tax and are regular-season general rates before discounts, for a Japanese driving licence. Toyota's figures exclude its Tokyo rate for the 23 wards, Oshima and Narita Airport. Typical cars in each class: Toyota C1 Yaris, Passo, Corolla Axio; Nippon N-B Fit, Corolla, Yaris Hybrid; Times C-1 Solio, Mazda2, Roomy; Orix SA Fit, Note, Toll; Nissan P2 March, Note; Eki Rent-a-Car S Fit, Yaris, Note; Sky S Yaris, Fit, Mazda2; Nico Nico S Aqua, Yaris, Roomy; Guts C-1 Vitz, March, Fit.

The NOC is ¥20,000 if you can drive the car back to the branch and ¥50,000 if you cannot at the eight companies other than Guts. Guts charges ¥30,000 and ¥50,000 and offers no cover that removes it.

What each company suits

What changes the price

• Foreign licence: Toyota publishes a separate, higher rate list for drivers on a non-Japanese licence: C1 is ¥7,920 for 12 hours and ¥10,340 for 24 hours, against ¥6,600 and ¥8,580 on a Japanese licence. Times' English site lists the same standard rates as its Japanese site (C-1 ¥7,590 for 12 hours, ¥8,855 for 24 hours), without the member rate.
• Member and app discounts: Toyota members booking on its site get 10–20% off; Times members pay about 20% less; Orix adds 5% for web bookings on top of the member discount; Sky gives 5% for members and 5% for prepayment; Nico Nico's app takes up to 30% off the base rate. Discounts apply to the base rate, not to cover.
• Peak season: if your start date falls in a peak period, a different rate table applies. Eki Rent-a-Car's S class rises from ¥8,470 to ¥9,240 for 24 hours and Sky's S from ¥8,800 to ¥11,440. Orix's 2026–27 year-end peak covers departures from 25 December 2026 to 2 January 2027.
• Region: Toyota has a Tokyo rate for the 23 wards, Oshima and Narita Airport. Sky's CDW is ¥1,320 a day in Hokkaido, ¥1,100 on Honshu and Shikoku, ¥1,430 in Kyushu and ¥1,650 in Okinawa.

Best pick by purpose

Cheapest: Nico Nico for 12 hours, Guts for 24 hours

For a 12-hour rental, Nico Nico's S class costs ¥3,740, or ¥2,525 booked through the Nicopass app. For 24 hours, Guts' C-1 at ¥4,070 undercuts Nico Nico's ¥5,610.

With Guts, start from the fact that the rate includes no vehicle damage cover. If the car is damaged, you pay up to ¥50,000 when it can still be driven and up to ¥100,000 when it cannot. The CDW (¥1,100 a day) removes that, but the ¥30,000 or ¥50,000 NOC remains. On a long road trip, the 300 km per 24 hours limit also adds to the bill. Neither company is a practical choice on a foreign licence (see below).

Cheapest with full cover: Nico Nico, or Eki Rent-a-Car and Toyota

With every accident cost removed, Nico Nico with Perfect cover is the cheapest at ¥5,940 for 12 hours and ¥7,810 for 24 hours, or ¥4,725 for 12 hours through Nicopass. Its basic CDW (¥1,100 a day) leaves the vehicle excess in place after a single-car accident, such as hitting a pole or guardrail; only Perfect cover removes it.

If you cannot use Nico Nico, or your branch does not sell Perfect cover, Eki Rent-a-Car (¥8,140 for 12 hours) and Toyota (¥8,250) are the cheapest major companies. Eki Rent-a-Car is easier at JR stations; Toyota is easier at airports and in the suburbs. On a foreign licence, Toyota's rate list is higher (C1 ¥7,920 for 12 hours before cover).

Airport pickup: Toyota, Nippon, Orix or Nissan

Toyota, Nippon, Orix and Nissan all have a branch at each of these 19 airports: New Chitose, Sendai, Haneda, Komatsu, Chubu Centrair, Kansai, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Matsuyama, Kochi, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Naha, Miyako and Ishigaki. Times is at 18 of them (not Komatsu), and Sky and Nico Nico at 14. If you want the same company at every airport on a multi-stop trip, pick from these four.

Of the four, Toyota (¥8,250 for 12 hours with cover) and Nippon (¥8,690) are the cheapest on Japanese-licence rates. How airport counters and shuttles work is in our airport car rental pickup guide.

New and young drivers: Nico Nico and Guts refuse cover

Drivers who have held a licence for less than a year, or who are under 21, cannot buy any optional cover at Nico Nico, including its CDW. Guts' CDW is also closed to them, and to drivers aged 70 or over. At Nico Nico, a driver with less than a year's licence must also have a passenger who has held a licence for three years or more from the start of the rental.

If that applies to you, choose from the other seven. The cheapest totals with cover are Eki Rent-a-Car (¥8,140 for 12 hours) and Toyota (¥8,250). Toyota rents to new drivers in principle, though some branches set age limits. Times places no limit on how long you have held your licence.

Driving licence, English booking and ETC for visitors

• Licence: bring your home licence, a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit and your passport, all originals. Licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan use an official Japanese translation instead of an IDP. Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan, Eki Rent-a-Car and Sky accept these; Nico Nico accepts an IDP only at some branches; Guts does not normally rent on an IDP. Which document you need is explained in Driving in Japan on a foreign license.
• Passport stamp at Times: Times will not rent to a visitor whose passport has no landing stamp or sticker. If you enter Japan through an automated gate, ask the officer for the stamp.
• Booking in English: Toyota, Times, Orix and Nissan have English booking sites. Nico Nico requires the renter to complete the contract in Japanese, with no interpreter or translation app, and asks for an address and phone number in Japan.
• ETC card: an ETC card pays expressway tolls through the car's reader. Toyota (¥550 per rental), Nippon (¥330 for up to 7 days), Orix (¥550 per rental) and Nissan (¥220 a day) rent cards, and Nico Nico (¥330) and Sky do at some branches. Times, Eki Rent-a-Car and Guts do not, so bring your own Japanese ETC card if you want to use the ETC lanes.

Frequently asked questions

Which rental company in Japan is cheapest?

On compact-class general rates, Nico Nico's S class (¥3,740 for 12 hours) and Guts' C-1 (¥4,070 for 24 hours) are the cheapest of the nine. Guts includes no vehicle damage cover, limits mileage to 300 km per 24 hours and does not normally rent on an IDP.

Does CDW mean I pay nothing after an accident?

Not always. At most companies the CDW alone leaves the ¥20,000 or ¥50,000 NOC, so choose cover that also removes it, such as Toyota's Anshin W Plan or Times' Super Safety Package. Nico Nico's basic CDW leaves the vehicle excess after a single-car accident, and Guts has no cover for the NOC.

Which major company is cheapest with full cover?

For 12 hours, Eki Rent-a-Car (¥8,140), then Toyota (¥8,250), on Japanese-licence rates. The cover itself is cheapest at Nippon, where CDW and ECO together cost ¥1,540 a day.

Which company should I use at the airport?

Toyota, Nippon, Orix and Nissan have a branch at all 19 major airports. Toyota is the cheapest of the four with full cover on Japanese-licence rates, and Toyota, Orix and Nissan also have English booking sites.

Can I rent a car in Japan with an International Driving Permit?

Yes, at seven of the nine companies, with a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, your home licence and your passport. Nico Nico accepts an IDP only at some branches and only if you can sign in Japanese, and Guts does not normally rent on an IDP.

Related guides

• Driving in Japan on a foreign license: IDP or translation
• Airport car rental pickup in Japan