Driving an electric vehicle (EV) in Ehime: rental car company EV rules, charging types and how to pay, and where the rapid chargers are

Of the 7 companies at Matsuyama Airport, 4 had EV rules on their official pages

The Matsuyama Airport official page lists 7 rental car companies (the list is in the article on renting a car). We looked on each company’s official pages for its rules on renting and charging an electric vehicle (EV).

Company	What the official pages say about EVs
Toyota Rent a Car (トヨタレンタカー)	There is a rental page for the bZ4X (models from October 2025 onward). It does not say which shops handle it
Nippon Rent-A-Car (ニッポンレンタカー)	The EV page has the Sakura, Leaf and Solterra and a list of shops that handle them. No office in Ehime Prefecture is on the list
Nissan Rent a Car (日産レンタカー)	It describes lending and settling charging cards for the Sakura, Leaf and Ariya. We could not get the text of the Matsuyama Airport shop page, so we could not confirm whether it handles EVs
ORIX Rent a Car (オリックスレンタカー)	The user guide says “for an electric vehicle, the customer manages the charge.” We did not find an EV model on the Matsuyama Airport shop page
Times Car (タイムズカー)	We did not find the word EV on the page of eco-car models
Budget Rent a Car (バジェットレンタカー)	We did not find any mention of EVs on the Matsuyama Airport shop page
Heisei Rent a Car (平成レンタカー)	We did not find any mention of EVs on the Matsuyama Airport shop page

We could not confirm, for any company, that you can rent an EV at a Matsuyama Airport shop. For Nippon Rent-A-Car only, we found that Ehime Prefecture is not on its own list of shops that handle EVs. For the other companies, check whether you can choose a car model on the booking screen, or ask the shop before you book.

We did not find any mention of chargers on the airport’s parking lot page or on its “car and motorcycle” page.

Battery level on the day you return: many companies say a full charge is not needed

A gasoline car is normally returned with a full tank (see the article on returning a rental car). For EVs, here is what the official pages say, company by company.

Toyota Rent a Car (bZ4X)

The bZ4X page has these 2 lines.

車両は80％以上充電の状態で貸出させていただきます。 満タン返却は不要です。

Translation: “The car is lent with a charge of 80% or more. You do not need to return it with a full charge.”

On settling the cost of electricity, the page says the following.

出発時、充電カードを店頭でお渡しします。 電気代は走行距離に応じてのご精算となります。

Translation: “We hand you a charging card at the shop when you leave. The cost of electricity is settled according to the distance driven.”

The page also says that you return the car to the same shop you left from (no one-way rental), and that choosing a car model when you book costs an option fee of 2,200 yen (tax included, once). This page covers the bZ4X only. We did not check the rules for other Toyota EVs.

Nippon Rent-A-Car

On the EV page, the Sakura section has this line.

充電料金：基本料金に含まれております。※満タン返し不要

Translation: “Charging fee: included in the base fee. *No need to return with a full charge.”

About the battery level at pick-up and the charging card, the lower part of the page says this.

前後のご予約状況によっては満充電でのお貸出しができない場合がございます。その場合80％以上充電の状態でご用意いたします。

Translation: “Depending on the bookings before and after yours, we may not be able to lend the car fully charged. In that case, we prepare it with a charge of 80% or more.”

You charge during your trip with the charging card in the car, and the card is free. There is one caution.

※車載の充電カードがご利用いただけない充電器が一部ございます。その場合の充電料金はお客様のご負担となりますので、ご注意ください。

Translation: “*There are some chargers where the charging card in the car cannot be used. In that case, the charging fee is paid by the customer, so please be careful.”

The page on cautions about the charging card says you pay a card compensation fee of 3,000 yen if the card is lost or stolen, or if you damage or deform it through carelessness in use or management. It also says not to use the card for any car other than the rental car (such as a private car). If the card does not work and you cannot charge, you pay the fee first, and it is settled when you take the usage statement to the office where you return the car.

If the battery runs out, the page says the following.

ご利用中に充電が無くなってしまった場合、安心コースをご選択いただいた方に限り、無料で最寄りの充電スポットまでレッカー搬送いたします。

Translation: “If the battery runs out during your use, only customers who chose the Anshin (peace of mind) course are towed to the nearest charging spot free of charge.”

The free tow is limited to once per rental. If you chose the standard course, you pay from the first time. One-way rental is not possible.

Nissan Rent a Car

In the FAQ section “About electric vehicles (Leaf and Sakura),” there is a question about charging at return.

レンタカーを返す時はフル充電にしなければなりませんか？

Translation: “Do I have to fully charge the car when I return it?”

The answer is “You do not need to charge fully.” The same item says that one full charge lets you drive about 320 km (this drops a lot depending on the road, the way you drive, and the use of air conditioning or heating). It also says that rapid charging takes about 40 minutes to reach 80%, and normal charging at 200 V takes about 16 hours to reach a full charge.

The charging card page says that charging cards for the Sakura, Leaf and Ariya are lent free of charge. If you borrow a card, there is an extra settlement based on the distance driven when you return the car.

Car model	Per km (as written in the source; the figure in parentheses includes tax)
Sakura	7(7.7) yen/km
Leaf	8(8.8) yen/km
Ariya	9(9.9) yen/km

The same table has this note: “However, if you do not rent a charging card and return the car charged to 80% or more, it is 0 yen.” You pay for any parking fee you incur for charging. If you lose the card, the reissue fee is 1,500 yen plus consumption tax.

ORIX Rent a Car

In the user guide section “What should I do about refueling and charging?”, it says the following.

電気自動車の場合は、充電量はお客さまで管理いただきます。充電施設につきましては GoGoEV などでご確認ください。

Translation: “For an electric vehicle, the customer manages the amount of charge. Please check charging facilities on GoGoEV or similar.”

The battery level at return, lending a charging card, and settling the cost of electricity were not on the pages we checked.

Times Car, Budget Rent a Car and Heisei Rent a Car

We did not find EV rules on the pages we checked. The Budget Rent a Car site has a PDF of EV cautions (BYD DOLPHIN), but its guide to charging spots points to Okinawa Prefecture, so we cannot tell whether it applies to the Matsuyama Airport shop.

Charging types: rapid charging is CHAdeMO, and normal charging uses a different port

EV charging comes in two kinds: rapid charging and normal charging. The e-Mobility Power page “How to use the chargers” explains them like this.

• Rapid charging: high output, short time. It is found at expressway service areas, convenience stores, roadside stations and similar places. The output is mainly 50 kW to 150 kW.
• Normal charging: low output, several hours. It is found in home and workplace parking lots, shopping malls, sightseeing spots, hotels and similar places. The output is mainly 3 kW to 6 kW.

The name of the rapid charging standard is CHAdeMO (チャデモ). The CHAdeMO Association page says this.

CHAdeMO is a DC charging standard for electric vehicles. It enables seamless communication between the car and the charger.

As an example on the car side, the bZ4X page says the left side of the car has the rapid charging port and the right side has the normal charging port. About the rapid charging port, it says the following.

CHAdeMO規格に準拠し、一般社団法人チャデモ協議会の認証を受けた急速充電器（スタンド）を利用し、充電が可能です。

Translation: “You can charge at a rapid charger (stand) that follows the CHAdeMO standard and is certified by the CHAdeMO Association.”

The position and standard of the port may differ by car model. We did not check other models. When you pick up the car, ask at the shop where the charging port is and how to use the charging card, so that you do not get stuck on the road.

Examples of charging time from the companies’ pages are below (both are a guide for each car model, and the pages say they change with temperature and battery condition).

• bZ4X (Z FWD): with 150 kW rapid charging, about 28 minutes to about 80%. With normal charging (200 V, 6 kW, 30 A), about 13 hours to a full charge.
• Nissan Leaf and Sakura: with rapid charging, about 40 minutes to 80%. With normal charging (200 V), about 16 hours to a full charge.

How to pay: a charging card, or the app and a credit card

If you have a charging card

The e-Mobility Power page “How to use the chargers” explains the steps with a charging card as follows.

充電コネクタを車両に接続し、充電器（カード認証部）に充電カードをタッチすると、充電が始まります。

Translation: “Connect the charging connector to the vehicle and touch the charging card to the charger (the card reader part), and charging starts.”

The charging card that comes with a rental car is used in this way. But as noted in the earlier section, the Nippon Rent-A-Car page says there are some chargers where the card in the car cannot be used.

If you do not have a charging card (visitor use)

You can use e-Mobility Power chargers without a card.

e-Mobility Powerが設置・運営している充電器をビジター利用する場合は、スマートフォンでe-Mobility Powerアプリをダウンロードいただき、充電器に表示されているQRコードを読み取った後、クレジットカード情報等必要事項を入力してご利用ください。

Translation: “To use a charger that e-Mobility Power installs and operates as a visitor, download the e-Mobility Power app on your smartphone, scan the QR code shown on the charger, then enter the required information such as credit card details.”

For the expressway chargers, NEXCO West Japan gives this guidance.

株式会社 e-Mobility Power又は自動車メーカ等が発行する専用の「充電カード」をお持ちの方、もしくは、クレジットカード（VISA・Master・JCB・ダイナース・アメリカンエキスプレス）をお持ちの方は充電パスワードの取得によりご利用いただくことができます。

Translation: “People who have a dedicated charging card issued by e-Mobility Power, a car maker or others, or who have a credit card (VISA, Master, JCB, Diners, American Express), can use the charger by getting a charging password.”

The e-Mobility Power visitor terms of use say that when you apply, the card company does a check and a provisional payment, and for a credit card the maximum usage amount is temporarily held out of the credit limit. Besides credit cards, you can pay with Pay-type payment (cashless payment using a smartphone). The pages we checked did not say whether a credit card issued abroad can be used.

Visitor fees

The e-Mobility Power page (as opened on October 14, 2026) has a fee table in an image. The visitor fees for rapid chargers that eMP installs and operates are as follows (tax included).

Charging method (tax included)	Maximum output of one connector	Expressway	General road
kWh charge	No division by output	143 yen/kWh	110 yen/kWh
Time charge	50 kW or less	77 yen/minute	55 yen/minute
Time charge	Over 50 kW to 100 kW	99 yen/minute	77 yen/minute
Time charge	Over 100 kW	121 yen/minute	99 yen/minute

“Expressway” includes all charging spots at service areas, parking areas and Highway Oasis. The page says to check in the e-Mobility Power app which charging spots use the kWh charge. For chargers of partner companies, the visitor fee differs by charger, and the page says to look at the notice posted on the charger.

The output of the chargers on Ehime’s expressways was not on the pages we checked.

Where the rapid chargers are in Ehime

Expressway service areas and parking areas

The following are the Ehime service areas (SA) and parking areas (PA) in the “charging service started” list on the NEXCO West Japan page “Power supply stands: EV rapid charging facilities.”

Route	SA / PA	Number of connectors
Matsuyama Expressway	Ishizuchisan SA (石鎚山SA) (Saijo)	1 inbound, 1 outbound (both in the Highway Oasis)
Matsuyama Expressway	Iyonada SA (伊予灘SA) (Iyo)	1 inbound, 1 outbound
Kochi Expressway	Umatate PA (馬立PA) (Shikokuchuo)	1 inbound (barrier-free)

On the Matsuyama Expressway, the list includes only Ishizuchisan SA and Iyonada SA. Kamibun PA (上分PA), Irino PA (入野PA), Sakurasanri PA (桜三里PA) and Uchiko PA (内子PA) are not on this list. Not being listed does not mean there is none. The number of parking spaces and the shops at each SA and PA are in the SA and PA article.

The hours of use are “24 hours (open all year)” in the NEXCO West Japan FAQ.

For the Shimanami Kaido (Nishiseto Expressway), the JB Honshi Expressway page “EV rapid charging stands” lists Setoda PA (瀬戸田PA) (1 inbound, 1 outbound). Kurushimakaikyo SA (来島海峡SA) and Kamiura PA (上浦PA) in Ehime Prefecture are not on this page. The operator is e-Mobility Power, and the hours of use are 24 hours (open all year).

Central Matsuyama

The Matsuyama City page lists 2 rapid chargers installed by the city.

Place	Address	Hours of use
Kiyomachi Parking (喜与町駐車場) (Matsuyama Castle Parking, 松山城駐車場)	松山市喜与町1－6－12	8:00 to 18:00
Shiki Memorial Museum Basement Parking (子規記念博物館地下駐車場)	松山市道後公園1－30	9:00 to 17:00 (until 18:00 in summer)

Both have an output of 50 kW. The fee is 38.5 yen per minute (tax included), and the parking fee is separate. You cannot use them during periodic inspections. The Shiki Memorial Museum Basement Parking cannot be used on the museum’s closed days either. You need a smartphone, and there are 2 ways to use them: the “Terra Charge” app, or scanning the two-dimensional barcode for guest mode only that is stuck on the charger. For payment, the page says a registered credit card is used if you use the app, and various cashless payments if you do not use the app. The page was updated on April 14, 2025.

The parking lots at Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen are in the article on parking in central Matsuyama.

Roadside stations (Michi-no-Eki)

The Shikoku Regional Development Bureau page “Stations with EV charging facilities” lists 21 stations in Ehime Prefecture. The number of chargers and the output are not written on that page. The names of the stations, and the station whose official page gave the number of chargers (Mima, みま), are in “Stations Where EV Chargers Were Written” in the roadside station article.

Rules at charging spots

• Up to 30 minutes at a time: e-Mobility Power writes “Many charging spots set the upper limit of one use at 30 minutes,” and asks you to move your car promptly when you finish. If you charge again, give way to waiting cars.
• Parking spaces only for rapid charging: The NEXCO West Japan and JB Honshi Expressway pages ask cars that do not use the rapid charging equipment not to park in these spaces. They also say a car that has finished charging should move to another parking space.
• People with a pacemaker or similar device: Under “For people who use a pacemaker or an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator),” the NEXCO West Japan page says “Please do not go near the rapid charger.” If the charger needs to be operated, ask another person.
• Handling the connector: Remove it after charging has finished, and return the cable to its original position. The pages say that a cable sticking out into the parking space or the roadway may be run over by a car.
• Temporary suspension: The JB Honshi Expressway page says “A charger may be temporarily suspended for maintenance and other reasons.” The notices on the same page include one dated October 9, 2026, “Notice of charging spot reopening (E76 Nishiseto Expressway, Setoda PA inbound).” To check whether a charger can be used, the e-Mobility Power site has “suspension information” and “malfunction information” pages.
• If you do not know how to operate it, or it is broken: e-Mobility Power customer service, 0570-200-588 (24 hours, open all year). The NEXCO West Japan and JB Honshi Expressway pages give the same number.

What we could not confirm this time

• Whether you can rent an EV at the Matsuyama Airport shops (Nissan Rent a Car, Toyota Rent a Car, ORIX Rent a Car, Times Car, Budget Rent a Car, Heisei Rent a Car).
• The battery level at return and the charging card rules of ORIX Rent a Car, Times Car, Budget Rent a Car and Heisei Rent a Car.
• The number of chargers and the output at places other than the SA and PA in Ehime and the Matsuyama City chargers.
• Whether a credit card issued abroad can be used for visitor use.
• The locations of normal chargers in Ehime Prefecture (accommodations, sightseeing spots and so on).

About this article

We opened and checked the pages listed here on October 14, 2026. The companies’ EV campaigns, the shops that handle EVs, and charging fees change. Check the latest information with the company you rent from and on the booking screen before you leave. The Nissan Rent a Car FAQ and charging card pages show their text only after the screen is displayed, so we read them from the data inside the pages.

We read the e-Mobility Power visitor fee table by eye from an image on the page. “(Tax included)” is written in the charging method column in the image.