Car rental in Tokyo: drive yourself, or rent a car with a driver?
Renting a car in Japan is easy if you have the right paperwork, and driving is calm and orderly once you are out of the city. Driving inside Tokyo is another matter. Here is what self drive really involves and costs, and when renting a car with a driver is the better deal.
What you need to drive in Japan
Japan does not accept a foreign licence on its own. Visitors from most countries need an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, issued in your home country before you travel, together with your national licence. Drivers from a few countries, including France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan, use an official Japanese translation of their licence instead. Italy and Spain use the International Driving Permit. You cannot get either document once you are in Japan, and rental companies will turn you away without it.
What self drive really costs
A compact rental car usually costs between ¥7,000 and ¥16,000 a day, and a seven seat minivan between ¥18,000 and ¥30,000. Then come the costs that do not appear in the headline: expressway tolls, which can reach ¥5,000 to ¥10,000 on a day to Fuji or Nikko, parking at ¥300 to ¥800 an hour in central Tokyo and often more at hotels, fuel, and an ETC card for the toll gates. If you return the car somewhere else, add a drop off fee.
What driving in Tokyo is like
Traffic drives on the left. The urban expressway, the Shuto, is a web of narrow lanes, short merges and junctions that split with little warning, and navigation apps lose signal in its tunnels. Streets in older districts are narrow and parking is scarce. Many visitors who drive happily in the countryside find Tokyo itself tiring. The common advice is sound: use trains inside the city, and rent a car only for the days you leave it.
Car rental with driver: how it works
With a car and driver you do not need a permit, you never look for parking, and tolls, parking and fuel are included in one price. In Japan this is a licensed service: the car has green number plates and the driver works for an authorised operator. With Driven Tokyo you book by the hour, from ¥16,000 per hour with a two hour minimum, for a full day from ¥126,000 for eight hours, or as a fixed price airport transfer. The chauffeur can speak English, Italian, Spanish, French or Japanese, and waits while you visit.
Which one should you choose?
Rent a car and drive yourself if you have the right permit, enjoy driving, are travelling for several days in the countryside, and want to keep costs low. Choose a car with driver if the day starts or ends in Tokyo, if you are arriving at Haneda or Narita with luggage, if nobody in the group wants to drive on the left, or if the point of the day is to look out of the window rather than at the road. For a family of four, a day with driver often costs less per person than people expect once tolls, parking and the minivan are added up.
A middle way
Some visitors combine both: a car with driver from the airport and for the Tokyo days, then a rental car picked up outside the city for a few days in the Alps or Hokkaido. If that is your plan, we can drop you at the rental office at the start of the self drive part.
Frequently asked questions
Can tourists rent a car in Japan?
Yes, with an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, or an official Japanese translation for drivers from countries such as France, Germany and Switzerland, plus the national licence. It must be obtained before you travel.
How much is car hire in Tokyo per day?
A compact car is roughly ¥7,000 to ¥15,000 a day and a minivan ¥19,000 to ¥30,000, before tolls, parking and fuel, which can add ¥10,000 or more on a day trip.
How much is a car with driver in Tokyo?
From ¥16,000 per hour with a two hour minimum, or from ¥126,000 for an eight hour day, for the whole car with tolls, parking and fuel included.
Do I need an International Driving Permit for a car with driver?
No. The chauffeur is licensed to drive you, so you need no permit and no Japanese licence.
Is it hard to drive in Tokyo?
Driving in central Tokyo is demanding: left hand traffic, a complex urban expressway, narrow streets and expensive parking. Most visitors find it easier to drive only outside the city.