ETC Card and Expressway Pass — Ask for Them When You Book Your Rental Car

Before you go

The ETC card is the card you pay tolls with on Japan’s expressways.

For travelers, there’s just one answer.

When you book your rental car, ask for an ETC card at the same time.

What does an ETC card do?

Rental cars in Japan usually come with an ETC車載器 (in-car ETC unit) installed.

With an ETC card inserted in it, your toll is recorded just by driving through an ETC lane at the toll booth.

There’s no need to stop and hand over money. You pay all the tolls together at the rental office when you return the car.

Can you drive without an ETC card?

Yes. You can pay by cash or credit card in the 【一般】 (“general”) lanes at the toll booth.

But there’s more to asking for one than convenience: with ETC, you can qualify for the weekend and holiday discount on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The savings are in “Japan’s Expressways”.

You can also use entrances and exits that only ETC can go through (see the “Getting Through the Toll Booth and Paying Tolls” article).

Can you get your own?

Japanese ETC cards are issued by Japanese credit card companies and others. Travelers don’t get their own; they rent one from the rental car company.

If you put your own credit card in the ETC unit, it won’t work as ETC.

How do you ask for one?

You ask for it as an option when you book.

Toyota Rent a Car and Nippon Rent-A-Car let you choose an ETC card on their English booking pages for overseas visitors.

Some companies have a limited number of cards, so the earlier you ask, the better your chances.

Once you’ve asked, check once more that the ETC card is in your booking details.

How much does it cost?

Renting one costs, for example, 330 yen for up to 7 days at Nippon Rent-A-Car. At Nissan Rent a Car, it’s 220 yen a day, capped at 15 days’ worth for rentals of up to 1 month.

On top of that, you pay the tolls for the distance you drive.

Once you have it

Put the card in as soon as you get in the car. The unit takes a few seconds after you insert it to be ready, so if you wait until just before a toll booth, it may not be ready in time.

Whether you can take the card out when you leave the car depends on the company. If you do take it out, put the same card back in before you drive off, because if the card is different at the entrance and the exit, the barrier at the exit won’t open.

Expressway passes for overseas travelers

Depending on where you’re going, there are unlimited-use expressway passes only for people with a foreign passport. Examples are the “Hokkaido Expressway Pass” for Hokkaido, and the “San’in-Setouchi-Shikoku Expressway Pass” for San’in, Setouchi and Shikoku.

You use a pass by renting a car and an ETC card from a rental car company that handles it. At the rental office, you show your passport.

What to ask when you book

Here’s what to ask the company you’re renting from. You can cover it all in one go when you book.

Whether you can rent an ETC card. If you’ll use a pass, tell them that too (you can also ask here whether other regions have a pass)

Which discounts work with the ETC card you rent

Whether you can take the card out partway through

Which credit cards you can pay with when you return the car

One check mark for the ETC card on the booking page

That alone means one less moment of confusion at the toll booth.

※ Whether ETC cards are available to rent, the fee, how to book and how tolls are settled differ by rental car company and rental office. When you book, check the guidance from the company you’re renting from.