Rental car breakdown in Japan: what to do on the expressway

If your rental car breaks down on a Japanese expressway, move it to the shoulder if you can and turn on the hazard lights. Warn traffic behind you with a flare and a warning triangle, then get everyone out and wait behind the guardrail, not inside the car. From that safe place, call 110, use an expressway emergency phone, or dial #9910, and call 119 if anyone is hurt. After that, call your rental company’s road service.

What should I do if my car stops on the expressway?

NEXCO East and NEXCO Central give these steps:

1. If you can, move the car onto the shoulder.
2. Turn on the hazard lights.
3. Light a flare and put it on the road behind the car. Flares are usually kept near or under the front passenger seat. Strike the flare on its friction strip, then place it.
4. Set up the warning triangle behind the car. Walk outside the guardrail, away from the lanes, when you do this.
5. Everyone, driver and passengers, moves to a safe place behind the guardrail or another protective fence and waits there.
6. Report the breakdown from that safe place (see the next section).

Source: NEXCO Central, In case of an accident or breakdown; NEXCO East (Drive Plaza), If an accident occurs (checked on 26 October 2026)

Things NEXCO tells you not to do:

• Do not walk on the lanes or the shoulder. Do not stand in the road to make phone calls.
• Do not wait inside the car. NEXCO says the inside of the car is not a safe place, because following cars can hit it.
• Do not try to repair the car or take off tyre chains at the roadside.

Source: NEXCO Central, In case of an accident or breakdown; Driving manners guide (checked on 26 October 2026)

NEXCO Central says drivers are obliged to put out a warning triangle when they stop on the expressway because of an accident or breakdown, and lists a fine of up to ¥50,000 if you do not. Check that your rental car has a triangle and a flare when you pick it up.

Source: NEXCO Central, Driving manners guide (checked on 26 October 2026)

Who do I call after a breakdown or accident?

Call only after you have moved to a safe place. NEXCO says to report even if you have already called a tow service or can fix the problem yourself. Say where you are, what happened to the car and whether anyone is hurt.

When	Number	Notes
Someone is injured	119 (ambulance)	Call this first, then give first aid if you can
Accident, or the car is stopped on the expressway	110 (police)	You must report every accident to the police
Breakdown or object on the expressway or a national road	#9910 (road emergency dial)	24 hours, free. Cannot be used from satellite phones or 050 IP phones
On the expressway	Emergency telephone	Every 1 km on the main line and every 200 m in tunnels. Lift the handset to reach the road control centre
Road service (flat tyre, battery, towing)	Your rental company’s number	It is on your rental papers. See the table below
Road service	JAF: 0570-00-8139 (short number #8139)	24 hours. Free interpretation in English and 23 other languages

Source: NEXCO Central, In case of an accident or breakdown; Emergency telephones; Road emergency dial #9910; JAF, Emergency measures; Call road service (checked on 26 October 2026)

On the expressway, walk to the emergency phone along the outside of the guardrail. If the phone has buttons (breakdown, accident, first aid, fire), press the one that matches. If it is hard to speak, NEXCO says you can tap the handset to signal an emergency. Then go back behind the guardrail and wait for the road patrol.

Source: NEXCO Central, Emergency telephones (checked on 26 October 2026)

What should I do if the car breaks down on an ordinary road?

JAF gives this advice for ordinary roads:

1. Move the car out of the way of other vehicles.
2. If you must leave the car on the road after dark, you must turn on the hazard lights.
3. Move to a safe place, such as outside the guardrail. Do not stay in the car.
4. Call road service to move the car off the road quickly.

Source: JAF, Emergency measures (checked on 26 October 2026)

If there is an accident, JAF says to move the car to a safe place and turn off the engine, call 119 first if anyone is hurt, and always call the police on 110. If you cannot call, ask someone nearby to do it.

What do rental companies say to do?

Call the rental company as well as the police or road service. Each company has its own road service and rules. Two examples:

	Toyota Rent a Car	Nippon Rent-A-Car
Who to call	English Information: 0800-7000-815 (toll-free in Japan), 8:00–20:00, every day. From outside Japan +81-92-577-0091	Accident Reception Center: 0120-220-865. Roadside Assistance Desk: 0120-081-365
Road service	Provided by a designated insurance company; free within that insurer’s conditions	Free roadside services are listed in its recommended rate courses
Flat tyre with a spare	Use the road service or change it yourself	The road service puts on the spare tyre
No spare tyre	Ask for road service. The car is taken to the nearest repair shop	Free transport to the nearest garage
Puncture repair kit	Do not use it. If you use it, you pay for it	Do not use it. Actual costs are charged if you use it
New tyres	Contact the pick-up shop first. Keep the receipt	Contact the pick-up office first. Keep the receipt; you may be refunded on return. If you choose a more expensive tyre, you pay the difference
Non-operation charge (NOC) after a breakdown	¥20,000 if you can drive the car back to the shop; ¥50,000 if you cannot. Not charged with the Double Protection Package (DPP)	¥20,000 if the car is returned to the original office; otherwise ¥50,000. Waived with the ECO option

Source: Toyota Rent a Car, Important items; Nippon Rent-A-Car, Insurance and compensation (checked on 26 October 2026)

Toyota also lists tyre costs as your responsibility up to a limit, depending on your plan. Nippon Rent-A-Car lists “flat or damaged tires” among the things that insurance does not cover, while also offering spare-tyre fitting as a roadside service. Ask at the counter exactly what your plan includes. For more on plans, see rental car insurance.

Can I use JAF with a rental car, and what does it cost?

JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) is Japan’s national road service. It works 24 hours a day, every day.

Some rental companies give you a provisional JAF membership card with the car. JAF says that with this card, most help is free, such as flat tyres, flat batteries, keys locked in the car, and being stuck in snow or mud. You pay for towing of 20 km or more, parts, and the fuel itself if you run out. Show the card to JAF staff, tell the rental company that you used JAF, and return the card with the car.

Source: JAF, Road service for rental car users (checked on 26 October 2026)

Without a membership card, you pay JAF’s non-member charges. The basic charge alone is:

Where	8:00–20:00	20:00–8:00
Ordinary roads	¥15,700	¥19,630
Expressway main lanes (Rate A)	¥31,410	¥37,270
Reached via a service or parking area (Rate B)	¥19,630	¥23,540

Source: JAF, List of road service charges (revised April 2024, tax included; checked on 26 October 2026)

On top of this, non-members pay for the work, towing at ¥830 per km, parts and fuel, and expressway tolls. So call your rental company first and ask whether its road service or a JAF card covers you.