Summary What is known and objective The use of cisplatin in the treatment of lung carcinoma is limited by nephrotoxicity. The aim of this study was to determine whether the incidence of nephrotoxicity in patients with lung carcinoma is affected by the infusion rate of cisplatin (rapid infusion of cisplatin in 1 hour compared to regular infusion in 3 hours). Methods This observational, retrospective study was performed on patients diagnosed with non‐small‐cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), small‐cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) or mesothelioma receiving a cisplatin‐containing chemotherapy regimen. Patients were divided into two cohorts (infusion of cisplatin in 1 hour vs 3 hours) based on the starting date of the chemotherapy regimen. The primary objectives were the difference in renal function after three cycles of chemotherapy and the incidence of nephrotoxicity. To assess nephrotoxicity, both the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) grade 1 and the maximum decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were determined. Results A total of 230 lung carcinoma patients with a cisplatin‐containing chemotherapy regimen were included. Baseline characteristics were similar for the rapid and regular infusion cohorts, except for type of lung carcinoma, chemotherapy regimen and prevalence of hypertension. There was no significant difference in renal function between rapid infusion of cisplatin and regular infusion of cisplatin (eGFR 86.1 mL/min [71.0‐96.3] vs 87.9 mL/min [71.6‐97.3]; P = 0.938). The incidence of AKI grade 1 was not significantly different between rapid and regular infusion of cisplatin (29.3% vs 29.8%; P = 0.932). The maximum decrease in eGFR was 14.8 mL/min in the rapid infusion cohort and 17.7 mL/min in the regular infusion cohort (P = 0.364). What is new and conclusion The incidence of nephrotoxicity after repeated infusion of cisplatin was not affected by the infusion rate of cisplatin. Therefore, a 1‐hour infusion of cisplatin is a safe and feasible method, which may potentially shorten duration of hospital admittance and enable treating patients in the outpatient setting.