Top 9 Most Popular Cars in Japan (2022)

Dependent on exactly where you stay and your certain taste in vehicles, there’s a good opportunity you own or have owned a car developed in Japan. There is no denying that Japan is a entire world leader in auto style and producing. Without a doubt, some of the most popular vehicles ever produced arrived from Japan, including the Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Legacy, and Mazda RX-7.

One particular query numerous car fanatics have is which cars are common in Japan. What do Japanese individuals push to perform, faculty, and on weekend excursions into the Japanese countryside? What are the ideal-marketing vehicles in Japan? We’ll solution these intriguing concerns below with our list of Japan’s nine most well-liked autos.

The 9 Best-Selling Cars in Japan

1. Honda N-Box

2012 Honda N-Box - Hong Kong
Honda N-Box – Hong Kong | Image Credit: Jones028, Wikimedia Commons CC SA 2.0 Generic
Manufacturer: Honda
Car Type: Kei
Hybrid Available?: No
First Year of Production: 2011

With over sixty,000 marketed in Japan in 2021, the Honda N-Box is a single of Japan’s most popular cars and has been for several several years. The N-box is element of the uber-well-liked Kei vehicle phase, which makes up about thirty% of their industry. Kei vehicles are the smallest autos legally authorized on the freeway in Japan.

These boxy vehicles get exceptional fuel mileage, which is crucial for most Japanese drivers. Also, every thing about the motor vehicle is connected to function fairly than kind. For such a little vehicle, the N-Box is astonishingly roomy inside of, has ample headroom and leg space, and more storage place than in some cars 2 times its measurement. These factors, plus the truth that the N-Box handles amazingly properly and is exciting to travel, have enamored it in the Japanese industry.

Pros
  • Delightful to drive
  • Ample head and leg room
  • Superb fuel economy
  • Well-designed with plenty of storage space
Cons
  • Slow acceleration on hills
  • Wind buffeting concerns at highway speeds
  • Cargo volume low with rear seats up

2. Toyota Yaris

Toyota Yaris
Image Credit: ajgpfotografia, Pixabay
Manufacturer: Toyota
Car Type: Subcompact
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 1999

With four entries on today’s list, you can be sure that Toyota is the undisputed champion of well-known auto brands in Japan. However, one of the biggest motives the Yaris is so well-known is that it’s the least expensive car Toyota helps make.

From our analysis, the Yaris has excellent fuel economy but lacks in other places exactly where subcompacts excel. Dealing with is instead numb, for illustration, and there is a great deal of highway sound when driving at large speeds. Acceleration is sluggish even on flat surfaces, and the entrance seats are mentioned to be considerably awkward. Still, it is a Toyota and thus extremely reputable. That simple fact, coupled with its minimal value, has created the Toyota Yaris one of Japan’s most well-known automobiles.

Pros
  • Lowest-priced Toyota model
  • Low operating costs
  • Excellent fuel economy
Cons
  • Sluggish acceleration
  • Uncomfortable front seats
  • Stiff handling

3. Daihatsu Tanto

Daihatsu Tanto 001
Image Credit: Daihatsu Tanto 001 | Image Credit: Tennen-Gas, Wikimedia Commons CC0 3.0 Unported)
Manufacturer: Daihatsu
Car Type: Kei
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 2003

One appear at the on-line testimonials for the Daihatsu Tanto, and you’ll see why it is this kind of a well-known auto in Japan. Like the Honda N-Box, the Tanto is about as boxy a car as you will uncover on the street. The Tanto is a aspiration to enter and exit, as abnormal as it may possibly be. Which is due to the fact, on the passenger facet, there’s no pillar!

You can open both the front and rear doors to create a massive entrance (the rear doorway opens to the rear). The Tanto also has a special update, its Welcome Switch Seat, which permits the seat to flip outwards. This exclusive seat makes getting in and out a lot less difficult for seniors and people with disabilities. When you consider it handles nicely, has outstanding fuel economy, and is incredibly roomy, it’s no surprise Japanese motorists really like the Daihatsu Tanto.

Pros
  • Excellent fuel economy.
  • Very easy ingress and egress
  • Spacious cabin
  • Plenty of storage
  • Easy to park
Cons
  • Noisy at highway speeds
  • Wind buffeting problems at highway speeds

4. Honda StepWgn

2009 Honda StepWGN
Image Credit: 2009 Honda StepWGN | Image Credit: Mytho88, Wikimedia Commons CC0 3.0 Unported
Manufacturer: Honda
Car Type: Minivan
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 1996

Though the Japanese aren’t acknowledged for having huge people (2.seven folks per family), they genuinely adore the Honda StepWgn. Made to seat 8, the reality is that the last two seats are rather not comfortable. Nevertheless, that leaves 6 seats, which is a lot of area for the normal Japanese household and their stuff. 1 of the ideal functions on the StepWgn is Honda’s ECON button, which routinely turns the motor off when stopped, an exceptional fuel saver.

Also, the final row of seats folds down entirely flat for further room for luggage on extended journeys. Numerous testimonials also cited the effectively-developed dashboard as a large plus, with all essential buttons inside effortless achieve.

Pros
  • The CVT gearbox makes gear changes super smooth
  • Honda’s impressive I-VTEC engine
  • Ample room and storage space
  • 3rd row of seats folds flat for more storage space
Cons
  • High cost to maintain the engine
  • Back seats are uncomfortable

5. Toyota Prius

toyota prius at gas station
Image Credit: bgstaiwan, Pixabay
Manufacturer: Toyota
Car Type: Hatchback
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 1997

Despite the fact that extremely common in Japan, the Toyota Prius has been losing ground to a number of other autos in its class. It is acquired excellent fuel economic climate, for example, but not almost as great as some. It doesn’t handle as nicely, and acceleration is lazy due to its low 121 horsepower. Nevertheless, some great information is that the Prius is the only compact hybrid that delivers all-wheel push, a large furthermore for a lot of Japanese drivers. The Prius has ample cargo place owing to its hatchback, and the shifter mounted on the sprint frees up storage room also. The Prius is also remarkably roomy for its dimension, even in the again seats. A single large in addition is that the Prius has an superb protection rating and arrives standard with driver-support tech.

Pros
  • Excellent fuel economy
  • Many popular features come standard
  • Only compact hybrid that offers all-wheel drive
Cons
  • Lazy acceleration
  • Not the most aesthetically pleasing
  • More expensive than its main competitors

6. Suzuki Spacia

Suzuki Spacia GEAR HYBRID XZ Turbo 2WD
Suzuki Spacia GEAR HYBRID XZ Turbo 2WD | Image Credit: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, Wikimedia Commons CC SA 4.0 International
Manufacturer: Suzuki
Car Type: Kei
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 2013

Although you won’t find Suzuki vehicles in North The us any for a longer time, they are nevertheless hugely well-known in Japan. That contains the Suzuki Spacia, yet another of Japan’s common Kei autos and a boxy-seeking delight. Like the other Kei automobiles on today’s listing, the Spacia might seem tiny (and humorous) outside the house, but inside of there’s more room than you might think about.

The Spacia arrives in a vast palette of colours, which amazed us, will get wonderful city and freeway mileage, and has many locations to retailer items like cups, wallets, and many others. It’s amazingly roomy up entrance and in the again and handles parks effortlessly, as predicted for a box on wheels. North America’s reduction is Japan’s acquire, and it is no ponder the Suzuki Spacia is so well-liked.

Pros
  • Very roomy for a Kei car
  • Excellent gas mileage
  • East ingress and egress
  • Handles well
  • Plenty of leg and headroom
Cons
  • Very similar to other models
  • Handles poorly at highway speeds

7. Nissan Note

Nissan note
Image Credit: nguyendungk51, Pixabay
Manufacturer: Nissan
Car Type: Subcompact
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 2004

The Nissan Note is equivalent to some of the other models on today’s record but with no the boxy seem. It’s modest but has related styling to a sedan, though the inside is nevertheless surprisingly roomy. The Note’s high roofline gives you much more headroom than you can envision for this sort of a modest automobile. A single downside, nonetheless, is that the Note’s inside is fairly dull, even if it is comfy. All dashboard buttons and dials are put in straightforward-to-achieve positions, but it lacks any actual pizzazz.

The Note is nicely-appreciated in Japan because it is really sensible. It is easy to park, sips gasoline, handles nicely, and even the again seats have lots of legroom. There are numerous cubby holes to put your stuff, and the normal model comes properly equipped with well-known attributes.

Pros
  • Very spacious interior
  • Excellent value for the money
  • Standard model is well-equipped
  • High safety rating
Cons
  • Jerky ride on the highway
  • Dull interior

8. Toyota Roomy

Manufacturer: Toyota
Car Type: Mini MPV
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 2003

One particular factor you may well have observed about today’s record of the most well-known vehicles in Japan is that several of them search remarkably comparable. They are boxy and quick, with a brief wheelbase and very small tires. The Toyota Roomy carries on the craze with a sq. body, substantial roofline, and big doors that make getting into and exiting the auto a satisfaction.

The simple fact that it is almost equivalent to several of the cars we’ve looked at nowadays tells us why it’s so well-liked, as the Kei autos seem to be to have the features everyone in Japan is seeking for. These functions incorporate roominess, higher gasoline economic climate, good handling, a short wheelbase, and a lot of headroom and legroom. Does it appear like a box on wheels? It confident does, but that has not stopped the Toyota Roomy from becoming 1 of Japan’s best-offering vehicles.

Pros
  • Excellent fuel economy
  • Plenty of interior room and storage space
  • Easy to park
  • Handles well at city speeds
  • Standard model comes with excellent features
Cons
  • Looks like many cars on the road in Japan
  • Handling suffers at highway speeds

9. Toyota Corolla

red toyota corolla car
Image Credit: Goodfreephotos_com, Pixabay
Manufacturer: Toyota
Car Type: Compact
Hybrid Available?: Yes
First Year of Production: 1966

Handful of automobiles can rival the Toyota Corolla for acceptance in Japan or a lot of other international locations. If there is one car that can be labeled a Japanese Icon, the Corolla fits the invoice perfectly. From excellent fuel financial system to a nicely-made inside, superior dealing with, an exceptional security rating, and a cozy ride, the Corolla has it all.

There are extremely few optimistic accolades you can give to the Corolla that haven’t been voiced quite a few occasions ahead of. Which is probably why, even though quite diverse from the rest of the cars on today’s list, the Toyota Corolla is still one of the most common autos in Japan. It’s a effectively-rounded auto with amazing functions and an affordable price, brought to the marketplace by a single of the world’s major vehicle producers. What much more could you question for?

Pros
  • Very comfortable ride
  • Impressive safety standards and tech
  • Upscale interior
  • Intuitive technology throughout
  • 5-star safety rating
Cons
  • Standard engine is slow and sluggish
  • Lacking back seat space
  • Relatively noisy at highways speeds
  • Trunk space is limited

Final Thoughts

Do you concur with the choices that the fine people of Japan are creating with their cars? Whether you do or not, we hope you loved today’s appear at the automobiles they like the most. From what we’ve witnessed nowadays, modest, affordable, and roomy cars that sip gas are what many family members in the Land of the Increasing Sunlight prefer.

They undoubtedly like boxy autos in Japan we consider you will agree. Numerous automobiles we’ve noticed these days seem eerily similar, with small wheels, a snub nose, and high headlines.


Featured Picture Credit rating: ajgpforografia, Pixabay

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