Car hire in Japan - A Land of History and Culture

The lowest age requirement to rent a car in Japan is generally 18 years old, although this may vary according to which car hire supplier and vehicle category you have selected. You will also have needed to have your driving licence for at least one full year in order to be allowed to collect your car. Furthermore, please note that an International Driving Permit (IDP) will also be required in addition to your regular licence at the time of pick-up. You can find all the specific age requirements relating to your car hire in Japan in the Driver Information of the Terms & Conditions when making your booking. You can also call the Auto Europe number and speak to our rental specialists who will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Please note that both young and senior drivers are always required to enter their correct age when booking a car rental in Japan with Auto Europe so that we’ll be able to inform them of any restrictions that might apply to their rental. Please follow the link to our dedicated blog post if you are renting a car for the first time.

Yes. Domestic one-way car rentals in Japan are available on request, with a minimum period of 1 full rental day being required. Please note that most local vehicle providers will apply a one-way rental fee which is paid at the time of collecting the car. Auto Europe always communicate such fees to the customers both during the booking process and after the reservation has been made. The customer is entitled to cancel the whole booking free of charge if the customer does not agree with the one-way fee, plus some restrictions may apply for certain car groups, minimum durations and between certain cities and locations. You will find the one-way car hire fee (less VAT) clearly indicated in the results below the car rental rate after making a quick search in the Auto Europe booking engine. The same information is also included with the booking voucher sent to the customer by e-mail once the reservation has been confirmed. When planning your trip, please also remember that travel is not permitted outside of Japan, in other words, international one-way car rentals are not permitted. In order to make yourself aware of any related travel restrictions, just quick on the blue and white info icon (i) after making a search in our booking engine, after which you just need to scroll down to find all the relevant details.

Yes. Credit cards are a very important requirement when picking up a rental car in Japan. Rental companies will place a hold on the credit card for the value of the insurance deductible that will be refunded after returning the vehicle in working order. The credit card must be in the name of the main driver and have sufficient credit for the deposit block. Cash and debit cards are not accepted. Credit Cards Accepted Locally: Visa, Mastercard, Diners, JCB & American Express Once again, it couldn't be easier to check which credit card (and type of card) will be accepted for your car hire in Japan. All you need to do is make a search through our state-of-the-art booking engine and after selecting your preferred car hire category and supplier, just click on the blue and white info icon (i) where you'll find all the credit card information in the Supplier Payment Policy Information section. Please follow the link for more advice and suggestions regarding credit cards and deposits.

Driving a car hire in Japan is a different kind of experience compared to motoring in Europe and the USA, for instance. Firstly, cars drive on the left-hand side of the road with the driver's seat and steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle. One important aspect to consider is that drinking and driving is strictly prohibited, so you mustn’t drive after drinking any alcohol whatsoever. If alcohol is detected during a breathalyser test, you will be charged with driving under the influence and punished heavily.

In Japan, all the road signs and driving rules follow the normal international standards and most you’ll see on motorways and main roads will be in both Japanese and English. The regular speed-limits are 80 to 100 kph on motorways, 40 kph in urban areas (30 kph in side-streets) and 50-60 kph in other parts of the country.

The good news is that most roads in Japan are toll-free with the exception of motorways, plus some scenic routes (popular with tourists) and a few tunnels. The road conditions in Japan tend to be of a high standard and well maintained, although side-streets in some cities can be rather narrow and sometimes even impassable for larger vehicles. In fact, due to the large number of vehicles, especially in the morning and evening rush-hours, traffic congestion can be a frequent problem in and around the larger urban areas.

Drivers (in general) tend to be quite well mannered and considerate in the traditional Japanese custom, although some common dangers on Japanese roads include drivers speeding over intersections even well after the traffic light has turned red, plus there’s a tendency for people to stop their vehicles at the edge of the road in a way in which they block traffic. Please also look out for careless cyclists, especially those who ride on the wrong side of the road!

If you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, the first thing to do is get yourself together before deciding what you should do. We suggest that you contact the police immediately by calling the number 110 (English is widely spoken in Japan) and describe what happened and where you are. If anyone is injured, please call the number 119 to summon an ambulance (please note that you must always call the police even in the case of a minor accident).

Yes. Most of the motorway network in Japan is subject to tolls, which can be paid at the manual toll gates either by cash or credit card or by passing through the automatic electronic toll collection (ETC) gates. The use of ETC gates requires an ETC card and a car that is equipped with an ETC card reader, so if you are going to use the motorways during your trip we suggest that you talk to the local car hire provider before leaving the pick-up station. ETC cards provide discounts during certain times of the day and week but they require ownership of a Japanese credit card, although short-term visitors (ie tourists) to Japan can acquire ETC cards temporarily from some car rental companies.

Please note that some motorway passes are available to foreign visitors that grant unlimited use of certain motorways within a specific area and for a set number of days. These passes are acquired at designated car rental outlets within the same area where this pass is offered. The passes work through ETC cards provided to drivers, which allows for easy travel around the motorway network. These motorway passes can be very good value for those who plan to travel long distances by car within a certain area over a relatively short period of time, but not such good value for those just driving from one city to another.

All of the car rental rates offered on the Auto Europe website comprise the minimum amount of legally-required car hire coverage, including Theft Protection (TP) and Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) with or without excess, depending on the local car rental company you selected when booking your car hire in Japan. Because CDW doesn’t usually don't include every part of the vehicle, we strongly recommend our popular Full Damage & Theft Protection coverage which you can easily add to your reservation for just a few more pounds with a single click of the mouse.

To find out exactly what is included in the car hire rate offered on the Auto Europe website, just click on the blue and white info icon (i) and scroll down to the Additional Information section for details about all the coverage included in the rate. Please note that when you arrive to collect your car rental in Japan, it’s possible that the check-in staff might try to sell you additional products including but not restricted to PAI (Personal Accident Insurance), PEC (Personal Effects Coverage), Super CDW, Seguro Relax Insurance, Road Assistance etc. Auto Europe does not refund any locally purchased insurance charges/fees even if deemed unnecessary after return of the rental car.

No. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is mandatory for travellers who to choose to book a car hire in Japan, which must be presented along with their full valid national licence at the time of collecting their vehicle. The home licence must have been held for at least one year prior to arrival and written in the roman alphabet. Please note that you can easily obtain an International Driving Permit in your home country prior to departing for Japan, which are usually issued through the country's domestic automobile association for a small fee. Foreigners can drive in Japan with a recognised international driving permit for a maximum of one year. Japan only recognises countries that adhere to the 1949 Geneva Convention, which are issued in a large number of countries. Please note that Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Switzerland and Taiwan do not issue permits based on the 1949 Geneva Convention, but instead have a separate agreement that allows drivers from these countries to drive in Japan for up to one year with an official Japanese translation of their driving licence.

Yes. It's possible to include an additional driver when booking a car hire in Japan with Auto Europe. Please note that with some car rental companies, the fees for adding an extra driver is already included in the price (please see out Free Additional Driver page for details), while others choose to charge a daily fee when you arrive to collect your vehicle, the amount of which is established by the supplier. In any case, additional drivers need to be registered in the rental agreement, equally importantly, will need to present the same documents as the primary driver at the time of pick-up (ie their driving licence and International Driving Permit where required, passport, etc.). The fees for adding a second or eve third driver are clearly stated on Auto Europe's website and can be accessed simply by clicking the blue and white info icon (i) where the relevant details can be found in the Driver Information section. The same information will also be included in the terms and conditions of the car hire voucher sent to you by e-mail once the reservation has been confirmed. Please note that if a friend or family member not included on the rental contract decides the drive the vehicle, they will be automatically excluded from the insurance coverage, thus making them liable for the total amount of any damage caused in the event of a collision or theft, hence it is essential that all drivers are properly authorised to drive the car prior to departing from the pick-up station.

Yes. Depending on which part of Japan you will be visiting, there's a good chance you will require extra equipment during your rental period. Many regions of central and northern Japan get covered in large amounts of snow during the winter months which can result in roads becoming quite slippery. Please note that some minor roads and tunnels might also be closed due to the snow. When booking a car rental in Japan during winter, it's important to make sure that the vehicle is suitable for icy and snowy conditions. Winter tyres are usually provided by default when renting a car in the colder and more elevated parts of Japan. Please note that drivers will need to confirm with the local rental car company in advance that the vehicle's tyres are not regular tyres when they arrive to collect their vehicle at the pick-up point. It's worth mentioning at this point that many of Auto Europe's offer free winter tyres in a number of popular locations around the world. Snow chains can also be purchased directly from the supplier subject to an additional fee, although it's always best to request them during the booking process. You can find more information in the Terms, Conditions & Local Fees, or by calling our number. Please consult our dedicated page about the various winter tyre regulations you will need to know about prior to your trip.