Sendai Airport Car Rental: 8 Branches Compared

Eight rental branches at Sendai Airport: how to choose

Sendai Airport, on the coast south of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, has eight rental branches from eight companies. Six companies have a counter in the domestic arrivals lobby, where you check in or call the branch before a shuttle takes you there.

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.

Arriving on an evening flight: Nippon, Toyota, Orix, Nissan and Nico Nico close latest, at 20:00. Budget closes at 19:30, and Times and Eco Car at 19:00.
Walking instead of waiting for a shuttle: Nico Nico's Sendai Airport Mae branch has no shuttle. It is about 800 m south of arrivals Exit 1, 10–15 minutes on foot.
Returning somewhere else: Nippon, Toyota and Orix accept returns at other branches.
Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, Toyota and Budget are the cheapest of the major companies, with a compact at ¥8,580 for 24 hours. Eco Car is ¥4,200 and Nico Nico is ¥5,610, but Eco Car's non-operation charge (NOC) of ¥30,000 or ¥70,000 is higher than at the major companies. Its rental terms give ¥30,000 if you drive the car back to the branch and ¥50,000 otherwise.

Compare the eight Sendai Airport branches

Branch names link to their official pages. The numbers identify the branches and are not a ranking.

No. and branch	Address and phone	Hours	Access	Returns, ETC card and notes
1. Nippon Sendai Airport	43 Yashiki, Shimomasuda, Natori, Miyagi 981-1201; 050-1712-2905	Daily 08:00–20:00; 08:00–22:00 from 21 to 23 November 2026	Go to the Nippon counter to the right of the arrivals exit, and a shuttle takes you to the branch (about two minutes by car)	Accepts returns from other branches in all classes
2. Toyota Sendai Airport	267 Shintaku, Shimonogo, Iwanuma 989-2421; 0223-22-0100	08:00–20:00, no closing days	Call from the telephone at the counter on 1F of the airport, and a free shuttle comes in about 5–10 minutes. The pickup point is on the left outside Entrance 1. To return, leave the car in the branch car park; after you pay, a shuttle takes you to the airport	One-way rentals in both directions, inside and outside the prefecture. ETC card rental available. No parking for customers' own cars
3. Orix Sendai Airport	241 Shintaku, Shimonogo, Iwanuma, Miyagi; 0223-29-4163	Daily 08:00–20:00, including public holidays and New Year	Go to the rental counter in the domestic arrivals lobby. A free shuttle runs from the airport to the branch (about five minutes)	One-way in both directions except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands. ETC card rental available
4. Nissan Sendai Airport	28-1 Konuma, Shimomasuda, Natori, Miyagi; 022-383-2823	Daily 08:00–20:00	Check in at the counter in the terminal building, and a shuttle takes you to the branch	Check in the booking screen that your return branch can be selected. ETC card rental available. No service outside hours if a flight is delayed; it is dealt with on the next business day
5. Times Car Sendai Airport	6-3-4 Kukominami, Iwanuma, Miyagi 989-2422; 0223-24-6933	08:30–19:00; 09:00–18:00 from 31 December to 3 January; open all year	Call on the direct telephone at the rental counter to the right in the domestic arrivals lobby, and a shuttle takes you to the branch (about 10 minutes). No staff are stationed at the counter. Return one hour before your flight	Accepts cars rented at other branches with no conditions. No ETC card rental, and some models have no ETC reader. After 19:00 there is no rental, return or enquiry service, even with a booking, unless you called from the counter telephone by 19:00. No rental or return outside hours. Staff can help in English and Chinese
6. Budget Sendai Airport	39-5 Shin-Ainoyachi, Shimonogo, Iwanuma, Miyagi 989-2421; 0120-26-1511	08:00–19:30	Go to the rental counter in the domestic arrivals lobby (no staff are stationed there). A shuttle takes you to the branch (about 10 minutes from the airport). Return one hour before your flight; a shuttle takes you to the airport (about five minutes)	Studless winter tyres are standard from about December to about March. Electronic money and debit cards are not accepted
7. Eco Car Sendai Airport	99 Gakuichi, Kasashima, Medeshima, Natori, Miyagi 981-1238; 022-395-5039	09:00–19:00	Free shuttle from the exit roundabout at the airport terminal; about 15–20 minutes by car to the branch. When you book, you must state whether you need the shuttle, the place, time and number of people. On arrival you get a confirmation call from 080-8600-0444	Some classes have an ETC reader. Shuttles also run to Natori Station West Exit and Tatekoshi Station West Exit
8. Nico Nico Sendai Airport Mae	324 Shintaku, Shimonogo, Iwanuma, Miyagi; 0223-35-7807	Daily 08:00–20:00	Walk straight south for about 800 m from domestic arrivals Exit 1 (or the Sendai Airport Station exit), about 10–15 minutes; the branch lists about 11 minutes from the station. Check in at the coin car park on the right with the green sign. No shuttle from the airport because the branch runs with a small staff	Payment at the branch by credit card only. No pets. After-hours returns are available: choose your return time when you book and prepay by credit card. Slots are limited, it is not available on closing days, you pay up to the next day's opening, and the return is unstaffed. Procedures are in Japanese only, with no contracts through an interpreter or translation app

Reference prices: standard rates at eight 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.

Company and class	First 24 hours	Additional day	Basic CDW per day	48 hours with basic CDW	Minivan (7–8 seats), 24 hours
Eco Car C-1 (Fit, Note). NOC ¥30,000 or ¥70,000	¥4,200	—	¥1,000	—	¥7,000
Nico Nico S (Aqua, Yaris, Roomy). Basic CDW does not waive the vehicle excess after a single-car accident	¥5,610	¥5,610	¥1,100	¥13,420	¥15,180
Toyota C1 (Yaris, Passo)	¥8,580	¥7,260	¥1,100	¥18,040	¥20,900
Budget JS (Yaris, Fit)	¥8,580	¥7,040	¥1,430	¥18,480	¥21,010
Times C-1 (Mazda2, Note e-POWER)	¥8,855	¥7,920	¥1,100	¥18,975	¥22,770
Nippon N-B (Fit, Corolla)	¥8,910	¥7,150	¥1,100	¥18,260	¥22,550
Nissan P2 (March, Note)	¥9,790	¥7,700	¥1,650	¥20,790	¥24,090
Orix SA (Fit, Note 1.2)	¥9,900	¥7,920	¥1,100	¥20,020	¥22,660

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.
Eco Car's rates are from its Sendai Airport branch table. The NOC for a compact is ¥30,000 or ¥70,000, 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.
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.

Prices differ by licence. The table uses the Japanese-licence rate. On a foreign licence, Toyota C1 is ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours and ¥8,690 for each additional 24 hours, before optional cover; the Toyota row above uses the separate Japanese-licence rates of ¥8,580 and ¥7,260. The other companies in the table publish no separate foreign-licence rate here, so get a quote for your own licence.

A foreign licence needs the original licence, a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit (or an official Japanese translation for licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan) and your passport. See driving in Japan on a foreign licence. Nico Nico accepts an International Driving Permit only at some branches, requires the renter to complete the contract in Japanese without an interpreter or translation app, and asks for an address in Japan and a phone number that can take calls.

Check in or call from the arrivals lobby counter

The check-in routine depends on the company.

Staffed counter: Nippon (the counter to the right of the arrivals exit; about two minutes by car to the branch), Orix (about five minutes to the branch) and Nissan.
Call from the counter telephone: at Toyota, call from the telephone at the counter on 1F of the airport, and a shuttle comes in about 5–10 minutes. The pickup point is on the left outside Entrance 1. Times also has a direct telephone at its counter to the right in the arrivals lobby (about 10 minutes to the branch).
Counter without staff: no staff are stationed at the Budget and Times counters.
Waiting outside the terminal: Eco Car picks you up at the exit roundabout (about 15–20 minutes by car to the branch). When you book, you must state whether you need the shuttle, the place, time and number of people.
Walking: Nico Nico has no shuttle, and it is 10–15 minutes on foot. Check in at the coin car park with the green sign.

Ordinary rental cars and the unstaffed car share in the airport car park are separate products. Check your booking number against the instructions for collecting the car before you go any further.

Returning to a branch in Natori or Iwanuma, then back to the terminal

On the way back, return the car to the branch you booked, pay, and take the shuttle to the airport. Set your navigation destination to the branch, not the airport. At Times and Budget, return one hour before your flight.

After 19:00, Times offers no rental, return or enquiry service, even with a booking. Nissan also offers no service outside hours if a flight is delayed, and deals with you on the next business day. If you are worried about a delay, avoid the branches that close early.

Frequently asked questions

What do I do if no staff are at the counter?

At Toyota and Times, call the branch from the telephone at the counter and wait for the shuttle. Even with an unstaffed counter, the car you collect is an ordinary rental car at the branch.

Can I still rent if I land late in the evening?

The latest closing time is 20:00, at five branches. Nippon opens until 22:00 only over the 2026 holiday period of 21–23 November. Times offers no service after 19:00.

What does a two-day rental cost?

On standard rates before discounts, a compact with basic CDW for two days comes to ¥18,040–¥20,790 across the six major companies on a Japanese licence, and ¥13,420 at Nico Nico. Eco Car's rate table does not list a daily rate from the second day. On a foreign licence, Toyota's base rate is higher; see the price section above.