Taipei Car Rental: 5 Pickup Points Compared – Main Station, Songshan Airport (TSA), Nangang & More

Taipei Car Rental: 5 Pickup Points Compared – Main Station, Songshan Airport (TSA), Nangang & More

Renting a car in Taipei starts with one decision: where to pick it up. GoodCars has 5 pickup points in Taipei City – Taipei Main Station, Songshan Station, Songshan Airport (TSA), Nangang Station and Wenshan. Two of them have staff at a counter during the day; the other three are self-service parking-lot pickups. This guide matches each pickup point to where you are arriving from and where you are driving next, and walks you through the two most-asked-about options, Songshan Airport and Nangang Station, step by step. For day trips out of Taipei, see 5 self-drive routes from Taipei.

Taipei Main Station connects the TRA railway, High Speed Rail, MRT and the Airport MRT; our Taipei Main Station branch is a short walk north (Unsplash, photo by EJ Li)

The 5 pickup points compared

The five differ in three ways: staffed counter or self-service, when you can pick up and return, and which direction you are heading. How late you can book, and which time slots are still open, is whatever the booking page lets you select.

Taipei Main Station branch: easiest if you arrive by train

Taipei Main Station is where the TRA railway, Taiwan High Speed Rail, two MRT lines (Tamsui-Xinyi and Bannan) and the Taoyuan Airport MRT meet. Our branch is on Lane 26, Section 1, Chongqing North Road, north of the station and within walking distance. For the best exit and how to find the branch, see Taipei Main Station car rental.

• Hours: bookable online 09:00–21:00; to pick up or return outside business hours (21:00–09:00), call the branch in advance and they will arrange it for you.
• Arriving on a late train? For pickup after 21:00 or early in the morning, you can book Songshan Airport or Nangang Station instead – both can be booked online 00:00–23:55 – or call the Taipei Main Station branch in advance to arrange it. Online times are always as shown on the booking page.
• Heading out: Tamsui Old Street is about 32–37 minutes via Provincial Highway 64 (Google Maps, traffic dependent), and the Yangmingshan National Park Visitor Center about 34–42 minutes (Bing Maps). See our Yangmingshan self-drive guide.

Taipei Main Station is the city's biggest transport hub (Unsplash, location tagged Taipei Main Station East Gate 3)

Songshan Station and Wenshan: the east and south of the city

Songshan Station branch

At 松山車站店, No. 217 Songlong Road, Xinyi District, a 3–4 minute walk (220–240 m) from Songshan Station, served by both the TRA railway and the MRT Songshan-Xindian Line. Hours are the same as Taipei Main Station: bookable online 09:00–21:00; to pick up or return outside business hours (21:00–09:00), call the branch in advance and they will arrange it for you. It is on the east side of the city, so it is a good start for the northeast coast – Jiufen Old Street is about 39–49 minutes by Bing Maps. See the Jiufen and Jinguashi self-drive guide.

Wenshan

A self-service point in a designated parking lot. The registered address is 台北市文山區景豐街2巷10號, but the actual pickup and return spot is set by our on-site staff, so read your booking confirmation carefully or call +886-2-2749-1155 first. The address is not right next to an MRT station: it is an 18–19 minute walk (1.2–1.3 km) from MRT Jingmei Station. From Wenshan (Bing Maps, traffic dependent): Taipei Zoo about 15–18 minutes, Shenkeng Old Street about 19–23 minutes, Wulai Falls about 42–51 minutes on mountain roads. More about the district: car rental in Songshan, Wenshan and Da'an.

Songshan Airport (TSA) pickup: a city-centre airport

Songshan Airport sits inside Taipei City. According to the airport's published schedules, international and cross-strait flights serve Tokyo Haneda, Seoul Gimpo, Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong and several other mainland Chinese cities, while domestic flights go to Kinmen, Penghu (Magong), Matsu (Nangan and Beigan), Taitung and Hualien. Driving from the airport to Taipei Main Station takes about 14–17 minutes (5.7–6.9 km), compared with about 33–36 minutes from Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 (Google Maps, checked on a Friday evening off-peak; daytime rush hours take longer).

Songshan Airport is in the middle of the city – planes fly low over Taipei streets on approach (Unsplash, location tagged Taipei)

How TSA pickup works (self-service in the airport parking lot)

Our official instructions: staff will drive the car to the airport parking lot, and you walk to the lot to pick it up; when returning, leave the key inside the car and staff will lock it remotely.

1. Book online first: choose "松山機場站(TSA)" as the pickup point. Available pickup times are shown on the booking page, and same-day bookings may not get the slot you want, so book the car when you book your flight.
2. Upload your documents, pay and sign the e-contract before pickup, so there is no paperwork at the airport.
3. Check your booking confirmation for which parking lot and area the car is in. The airport has two outdoor car parks and one indoor car park (airport authority), so do not guess.
4. Walk to the parking lot: international flights use Terminal 1, domestic flights Terminal 2.
5. Photograph the car before you leave – all sides, wheels and the odometer – and check that the fuel card is in the car. Questions? Call +886-2-2749-1155.
6. Return: park in the designated lot, take photos, leave the key in the car.

Songshan Airport vs Taoyuan Airport: which one should you pick up from?

GoodCars has a pickup point at both airports and the process is the same; the difference is location and flights.

In short: flying into Haneda–Songshan or Gimpo–Songshan and staying in Taipei, pick up at Songshan. Landing on a long-haul flight at Taoyuan, or heading south first, pick up at Taoyuan – see the Taoyuan Airport pickup guide.

Nangang Station pickup: the northern end of the High Speed Rail

Nangang Station (南港車站) combines the High Speed Rail, TRA railway and MRT Bannan Line, and is the northern terminus of Taiwan High Speed Rail. Coming up from Taichung, Tainan or Kaohsiung, you can get off at Nangang instead of Taipei Main Station and join the freeway straight away, without driving through central Taipei. From Nangang Station (traffic dependent):

Starting point: No. 313, Section 1, Nangang Road (Nangang Station), checked on the evening of Friday 25 September 2026. Freeway 5 gets much busier at weekends and on public holidays.

Driving to Yilan? Nangang is the most direct start for Freeway 5. If you would rather not drive the Hsuehshan Tunnel yourself, take the train to Yilan and pick up there – compare the options in our Yilan car rental guide.

How Nangang pickup works

1. Book online first – available pickup times are shown on the booking page, so book the car when you buy your train ticket rather than on arrival.
2. Upload documents, pay and sign the e-contract online before pickup.
3. The car is in the parking lot in front of Nangang Station; follow your booking confirmation for the exact lot and area.
4. Photograph the car and check the fuel card is inside.
5. On return, park in the designated lot, take photos and leave the key in the car.

Nangang is a busy business district, so it also suits business trips (Unsplash, location tagged CTBC Financial Park, Nangang)

Driving in central Taipei: what to expect

• Lots of scooters – check your mirrors and blind spots before turning or changing lanes.
• Bus lanes run along some main roads; follow the road markings and signs, not just the navigation app.
• Plan parking before you go – street spaces are hard to find in busy areas. What red and yellow curbs mean, how street parking is paid and which apps help: parking in Taiwan.
• Traffic rules – speed limits, two-stage left turns for scooters and fines: driving rules in Taiwan.

Central Taipei has many junctions and lane markings – keep an eye on the road, not only the app (Unsplash, location tagged Xinyi District, Taipei)

Trucks and scooters in Taipei

Trucks: in Taipei you can rent a truck at Songshan Station, Songshan Airport, Nangang Station and Wenshan (one shared Taipei fleet); the Taipei Main Station branch currently has no trucks. The current range (official truck page) is the Mitsubishi Veryca (菱利) 1.3L manual, Veryca 1.5L automatic and Delica (得利卡) 2.4L manual (all with a frame and canvas cover), plus the Delica 2.4L automatic with frame, canvas and tail lift. Pick up from whichever of the four is closest to you; which model is available where and when is shown on the booking page. Trucks are charged like cars: rental plus fuel charge, with a fuel card included. One-way truck rentals are not available online – trucks must be returned to the branch you picked them up from. See truck rental.

Scooters: only the Taipei Main Station and Songshan Station branches offer scooters, and numbers are very limited, so book early. Unlike cars, you refuel scooters yourself and pay for the fuel; charges are shown on the booking page. See scooter rental for licence requirements and tips.

What does it cost? Rental + fuel charge + fuel card

• Rental: depends on the car, dates and length of hire (weekdays, weekends and holidays differ). Live rates for all five Taipei points are on the booking page.
• Fuel charge: you pay per kilometre driven, and there is no cap on how far you can drive.
• Fuel card: every car comes with a GoodCars fuel card. Use it at the pump – fuel is already covered by the fuel charge, and you don't need to top up before you return the car.
• Paid for fuel yourself by mistake? Keep the receipt from within your rental period; it can be deducted from that rental's fuel charge, up to the full amount.
• Freeway tolls (ETC) are settled separately according to our website.

Details: fuel charge explained and how much car rental costs in Taiwan. Car models: 5-seaters and 7–9 seaters.

One-way rentals

You can pick up at one GoodCars location and return at another – for example, pick up at Songshan Airport and return at Taipei Main Station (within that branch's bookable hours), or pick up at Nangang, drive to Yilan and return the car there before taking the train back. Select different pickup and return points on the booking page to see availability and price; for cars (5-seaters and 7–9 seaters), any one-way fee or minimum rental length is shown there. Trucks are the exception: one-way truck rentals are not currently available online, so trucks must be picked up and returned at the same branch; contact the branch for special requests. Popular routes: 10 one-way routes.

FAQ

What documents do I need?

Foreign visitors need a passport, their home driving licence and, for most countries, an International Driving Permit (IDP). Japanese visitors can use a Japanese licence with an official Chinese translation instead of an IDP. Foreign visitors also need a credit card in the renter's name. Taiwan residents need their ID card and a valid driving licence, and can pay by card or in cash (at self-service parking-lot stations, pay online during booking). You can upload documents as soon as your booking is confirmed.

How late can I book?

Each pickup point has its own booking cut-off, and the booking page only offers the times you can still book. For the self-service points such as Songshan Airport and Nangang, book as soon as your plans are fixed.

Can I pick up after 9 pm?

Yes. Taipei Main Station and Songshan Station are bookable online 09:00–21:00; to pick up or return outside business hours (21:00–09:00), call the branch in advance and they will arrange it for you. You can also book Songshan Airport, Nangang or Wenshan online – these self-service parking-lot points can be booked 00:00–23:55. Finish documents, payment and the e-contract in advance, then follow your confirmation.

Where exactly is the car at Songshan Airport?

In the airport parking lot given in your booking confirmation. If you cannot find it, call +886-2-2749-1155.

Do I pay for fuel myself?

Not for cars or trucks – fuel is included in the fuel charge and you pay at the pump with the fuel card. Scooters are the exception: you refuel them yourself.