Japan Rental Car Accidents and Breakdowns: Contacts, NOC and Costs

If your rental car is involved in an accident, protect people first, obtain emergency help where needed, report the accident to the police and notify the rental company promptly. For a breakdown, stop driving safely and contact the assistance service specified in your rental documents. Keep those documents accessible throughout the trip.

This guide compares accident contacts, charges and procedures at Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan, JR Eki, Sky, Niconico and Guts. Protection names below refer to the companies' Japanese service terms. Overseas packages and partner-operated rentals can have different inclusions: use the plan and emergency instructions issued with your own contract.

What to do after an accident

The following is a practical sequence used in several companies' accident guides. It is not a claim that all nine companies prescribe an identical order. Do not delay emergency assistance or police reporting while trying to reach a rental office; also follow the company's instructions for immediate notification from the scene.

1. Help anyone injured and call 119 for an ambulance when needed.
2. Prevent a further collision. Move the vehicle out of traffic if it is safe to do so, and use the vehicle's warning equipment without putting yourself at risk.
3. Call the police on 110 and report the accident. Complete the procedures needed for an accident certificate, which is required for protection claims.
4. If another party is involved, obtain their name and contact details.
5. Contact the rental company's designated accident service promptly from the scene, explain what happened and follow its instructions.

Nissan's current procedure specifically puts its designated JAF assistance call after helping the injured and reporting to the police. Call 0120-95-4123, or 03-5962-0410 if needed, from the scene; then contact the branch or insurer as directed. The accident instructions supplied with your rental remain the reference for your contract.

Report small scratches too

A scrape can still be an accident. Nippon, Orix, Nissan and Niconico require accident procedures regardless of the size of the damage or whether another vehicle is involved. Toyota also requires reporting regardless of severity. Orix requires a police report after a hit-and-run while the rental car is parked.

Failure to notify the police or company can invalidate insurance or optional protection. This is an exclusion in the terms of Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan, JR Eki, Sky and Guts. Do not quietly return a car with new damage because the scratch looks minor.

Do not agree to a private settlement at the scene

Do not settle directly with the other party on your own. Times and JR Eki warn that doing so can leave the cost outside insurance; Toyota and Sky require company approval for a settlement. Niconico excludes settlements from its protection, and Guts excludes unauthorised settlements. Let the company and insurer guide the process.

Who to contact at each company

Before leaving, identify both the accident and breakdown contacts and how to reach them from your phone. Contact the designated service before arranging repairs or towing yourself. Nissan's JAF assistance conditions do not promise reimbursement for services arranged outside its prescribed process. A company name or optional-protection label alone does not establish that your booking includes every service below.

NOC and other costs you may have to pay

Non-operation charges

A non-operation charge, or NOC, compensates the rental company while damage or soiling makes the vehicle unavailable. It is separate from a damage deductible. For example, Nippon and Guts can charge NOC even when collision damage waiver, or CDW, removes the deductible.

Times and Nissan have higher NOC tiers for specified large or premium classes: ¥50,000 when the car can be returned as required, or ¥100,000 otherwise. These are class-based charges, not a repair estimate. Waivers require an eligible incident and compliance with the reporting and rental terms; they do not cover every kind of damage or misuse.

Deductibles and additional liabilities

Without CDW, you can owe property-damage and vehicle-damage deductibles as well as NOC. Many companies set each deductible at ¥50,000 for ordinary passenger cars. Guts' basic fee does not include vehicle insurance: its stated vehicle-damage liability is up to ¥50,000 if the car can be driven, or ¥100,000 if it cannot; its CDW waives this under the relevant conditions. Niconico's ordinary CDW does not waive the vehicle deductible for a single-vehicle collision with a pole or guardrail; its Perfect Protection does.

Toyota introduced arrangements progressively from January 2026 under which customers without CDW may need to deal directly with the other party on certain property-damage claims, depending on the amount. Guts specifies a ¥200,000 gross-negligence penalty for incidents involving conduct such as falling asleep, exceeding the speed limit by at least 30 km/h or aggressive tailgating.

Situations that can fall outside protection

The exact exclusions differ, but examples include:

• An accident not reported to the police or rental company.
• An unauthorised settlement with the other party.
• An accident during an extension that the company has not approved.
• Driving by someone not declared on the rental.
• Filling the car with the wrong fuel.
• Lost or damaged keys.
• Tyre damage when the relevant additional protection is not included.
• Interior stains, odours or smoking in a non-smoking vehicle.

Punctures, breakdowns and keys

What roadside assistance includes

Orix also provides qualifying accommodation/transport expenses up to ¥20,000 per person when an accident or breakdown prevents driving. Towing must follow the reception centre's approval process; self-arranged costs beyond the stated ¥150,000 limit are not covered. Contact the service before making arrangements.

Puncture repair and replacement costs

Stop safely and call the designated service after a puncture. A free spare-wheel change is not the same as free tyre repair or replacement.

There is no universal repair or replacement price in this comparison. Ask the company to authorise the repair and explain what you must pay or retain receipts for.

Lost keys and theft

Lost keys are excluded under the ordinary terms of Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan, JR Eki and Guts; JR Eki's Full Support Anshin Plan provides an exception for eligible incidents. Lock the vehicle and take the key when leaving it. Times excludes theft where the car was left unlocked; Nissan excludes theft with the key left in the car. For a stolen Toyota rental, report to both the police and company.

Parking violations

If an unattended-parking notice is attached to the car:

1. Visit the police station named on the notice and complete the required procedure.
2. Pay the traffic penalty.
3. Show the traffic-violation notice and payment/receipt documents when returning the car.

Returning without resolving the violation can trigger a separate company charge. Paying that charge does not replace dealing with the police notice.

Toyota, Times, Orix and JR Eki can report/register unresolved violations or unpaid company charges through rental-industry systems. Future rentals with participating companies may be refused. Guts excludes damage arising from illegal parking from protection.

Smoking and interior soiling

Smoking in a non-smoking car or leaving serious stains or odours can require cleaning or repair and trigger NOC, commonly starting at ¥20,000, or ¥30,000 at Guts. Nissan specifies a separate ¥77,000 smoking penalty, including restoration costs, in addition to NOC. Times makes the renter responsible for restoring smoking-related odours and soiling.

Interior soiling is excluded from ordinary protection at Nippon, Orix, Times, JR Eki, Niconico and Guts. Apart from specific charges such as Nissan's smoking penalty, the referenced guidance does not give one fixed cleaning price. Tell the branch about persistent stains and ask how the cost will be assessed.

Returning late without approval

Contact the pickup branch as soon as you expect to miss the return time. Toyota, Orix and JR Eki agreements provide for excess-time charges plus a penalty equal to twice those charges for unauthorised lateness. Niconico specifies a penalty of twice the basic charge for the excess period. An accident during an unauthorised extension can fall outside protection at Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, JR Eki, Sky and Guts.

Snow, typhoons and other unavoidable disruptions still require immediate contact and instructions. Toyota, Nippon and Nissan agreements address this duty. Nippon and Nissan exclude customer liability for delay-related damage caused by unavoidable events under their relevant clauses; this is not permission to extend without contacting them or a promise that every extra rental charge disappears.

Check damage at pickup and return

The referenced guides do not establish one common procedure for damage first reported after return. Agreements generally require an attended return and restoration to the condition at pickup, excluding normal wear, as in Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, JR Eki, Sky and Niconico's terms.

Check marks with staff before leaving and raise anything doubtful then. Attend the return inspection and clarify new damage on the spot. As a practical record, consider taking dated photographs around the car at both stages, not a universal company requirement or a guarantee that a claim will be rejected.

A checklist for handling problems

• Save the contract's accident and breakdown contacts before departure.
• Inspect existing damage with staff at pickup.
• After an accident, protect people, obtain emergency help, report to the police and notify the company promptly under its instructions.
• Report small scrapes too; do not agree to an unauthorised settlement.
• Call the designated service before arranging repairs or towing.
• Resolve parking notices with the police, pay the penalty and retain the documents for return.
• Contact the branch before the agreed return time if you will be late.
• Attend the return inspection and check the recorded condition.

Frequently asked questions

Should I call the police after a small scrape?

Yes. Nippon, Orix, Nissan and Niconico treat minor scrapes as accidents too. Reporting to both the police and company is part of retaining the applicable protection.

What if I return without reporting to the police?

Insurance or protection may not apply. Toyota expressly excludes accidents without a police report/accident certificate. Contact the rental company's accident service as soon as you realise the omission.

How much is NOC when the car cannot be driven?

It is ¥50,000 at many companies in this comparison. Specified Times and Nissan minivan/SUV classes charge ¥70,000, and specified large/premium classes ¥100,000. An applicable NOC waiver removes the charge only when its conditions are met. No Guts NOC waiver is established here, and its referenced terms leave towing at the customer's expense.

Must I pay for a puncture repair?

Often yes under basic protection. Eligible costs can be covered by Toyota Double Protection, Nippon Recommended Course, Times Safety Protection, Orix RAP up to ¥20,000, JR Eki Full Support Anshin or Sky Anshin Compensation Wide. Nissan's designated support plans also describe receipt-based tyre-cost reimbursement. Confirm authorisation and your plan before paying for repairs.

What does a lost key cost?

The listed charges are ¥5,000 for a Nissan metal key or ¥15,000 for other Nissan keys, ¥30,000 at Sky, and actual key/delivery costs at Nippon. No fixed amount is established here for the other companies. Lost keys are often outside basic protection.

Is the parking-violation company charge refundable?

Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, JR Eki and Niconico provide refunds subject to their document and payment conditions; Times refunds the levy-equivalent amount. Nissan's guide also provides a document-based refund; its agreement addresses revoked levy orders and deduction of unpaid recovery costs. Bank-transfer charges are borne by the customer at Times, Orix, Nissan and JR Eki. Keep the police notice and receipted payment documents.

What if the company reports damage after I have returned the car?

Ask which damage is involved, when it was found and how it relates to the pickup and return inspection records. Compare those details with the records you retained. The referenced guides do not provide a single rule that resolves every post-return damage dispute.

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