In full-year 2025, Suzuki was the top mini-vehicle maker and the best-selling minicar brand in Japan, while the Honda N-Box remained the top-selling Kei model.
2024 (January to December): the market for mini vehicles and kei cars in Japan expanded by 7% to 1.67 million mini vehicles and by 8% to 1.3 million kei cars. Suzuki was the largest producer of mini vehicles and mini passenger cars. Daihatsu recovered strongly, but sales were still lower than in 2023. The Honda N Box was again the top-selling Kei car model in Japan in 2025.
Latest Japan Car Sales Statistics: 2025 — Brands, Models, Minicars; Data for 2025 – 2009.
Mini Vehicle Sales in Japan in 2025 (Full Year)
Mini vehicle registrations in Japan in the full calendar year 2025 increased by 7% to 1,667,360 mini vehicles compared to 1,557,868 sold in 2024 and 1,744,919 sold in 2023. The market for passenger minicars expanded by a fsater 8.4% to 1,302,857 minicars (1,202,05 kei cars in 2024; 1,341,330 kei cars in 2023; and 1,224,995 in 2022).
The market for mini vehicles in Japan saw strong recoveries by Daihatsu (and to a lesser extent by Toyota) following a collapse in sales after a test scandal came to light in December 2023.
Mini cars (kei-jidousya) in Japan are vehicles defined by amongst others being shorter than 3.4 m with a maximum height of 2 m and a maximum width of 1.48 m. The engine capacity is restricted to 0.66 l measured by the Japanese standard.
Best-Selling Mini Vehicle Brands in Japan in 2025 (Full Year)
The top-selling mini-vehicle producers by brand in Japan in 2025 (January to December), according to Zenkeijkyo were:
| 25 | Brand | Brand | 2025 | %24/25 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Total | 合 計 | 1,667,360 | 7.0 | 1,557,868 | 1,744,919 | |
| 1 | Suzuki | ス ズ キ | 568,547 | -3.6 | 589,924 | 531,707 |
| 2 | Daihatsu | ダイハツ | 511,799 | 46.2 | 350,186 | 565,928 |
| 3 | Honda | ホ ン ダ | 279,018 | -3.2 | 288,315 | 318,563 |
| 4 | Nissan | 日 産 | 165,203 | -12.5 | 188,846 | 189,627 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 三 菱 | 69,863 | -5.5 | 73,961 | 57,849 |
| 6 | Mazda | マ ツ ダ | 33,695 | -11.4 | 38,013 | 35,305 |
| 7 | Toyota | ト ヨ タ | 23,274 | 41.3 | 16,473 | 29,511 |
| 8 | Subaru | ス バ ル | 15,687 | 31.9 | 11,890 | 16,204 |
| Source: Zenkeijkyo |
Despite a strong recovery by Daihatsu, Suzuki remained the largest producer of mini vehicles in Japan in 2025 for the second consecutive year.
Best-Selling Minicar Brands in Japan in 2025 (Full Year)
The top-selling mini passenger car producers by brand in Japan in 2025 (January to December), according to Zenkeijkyo, were:
| 25 | Brand | Brand | 2025 | %24/25 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Total | 合 計 | 1,302,857 | 8.4 | 1,202,095 | 1,341,330 | |
| 1 | Suzuki | ス ズ キ | 454,308 | -2.6 | 466,641 | 402,379 |
| 2 | Daihatsu | ダイハツ | 356,266 | 62.3 | 219,497 | 400,198 |
| 3 | Honda | ホ ン ダ | 248,727 | -3.5 | 257,643 | 288,872 |
| 4 | Nissan | 日 産 | 135,271 | -10.0 | 150,251 | 151,905 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 三 菱 | 60,879 | -3.3 | 62,956 | 48,139 |
| 6 | Mazda | マ ツ ダ | 27,504 | -12.6 | 31,481 | 28,334 |
| 7 | Toyota | ト ヨ タ | 9,973 | 38.5 | 7,200 | 12,611 |
| 8 | Subaru | ス バ ル | 9,841 | 54.7 | 6,363 | 8,825 |
| Source: Zenkeijkyo |
Suzuki was again the best-selling mini passenger car brand in Japan in 2025. The only rank change was Daithatsu regaining the position as the second-largest producer of mini passenger vehicles in Japan from Honda in 2025.
Best-Selling Minicar Models in Japan in 2025 (Full Year)
The ten top-selling mini passenger car models in Japan in 2025 (January to December), according to Zenkeijkyo, were:
| R25 | Maker | Model Name | 通称名 | Sales 2025 | Sales 2024 | % 24/25 |
| 1 | Honda | N-BOX | Ｎ-ＢＯＸ | 201,354 | 206,272 | -2.4 |
| 2 | Suzuki | Spacia | スペーシア | 165,589 | 165,679 | -0.1 |
| 3 | Daihatsu | Tanto | タント | 124,619 | 93,759 | 32.9 |
| 4 | Daihatsu | Move | ムーヴ | 122,349 | 41,997 | 191.3 |
| 5 | Suzuki | Hustler | ハスラー | 87,972 | 92,818 | -5.2 |
| 6 | Suzuki | Wagon R | ワゴンＲ | 72,520 | 79,718 | -9.0 |
| 7 | Nissan | Roox | ルークス | 71,498 | 70,697 | 1.1 |
| 8 | Mitsubish | eK | ｅＫ | 58,916 | 60,001 | -1.8 |
| 9 | Suzuki | Alto | アルト | 57,553 | 68,139 | -15.5 |
| 10 | Daihatsu | Mira | ミラ | 55,777 | 42,758 | 30.4 |
| 11 | Suzuki | Jimny | ジムニー | 50,362 | 41,406 | 21.6 |
| 12 | Daihatsu | Taft | タフト | 49,019 | 38,204 | 28.4 |
| 13 | Nissan | Days | デイズ | 43,939 | 50,432 | -12.9 |
| 14 | Honda | N-WGN | Ｎ-ＷＧＮ | 27,628 | 33,537 | -17.6 |
| 15 | Honda | N-ONE | N-ONE | 19,744 | 17,830 | 10.7 |
| Source: Zenkeijkyo |
The Honda N Box was again Japan’s most popular minicar model in 2025 and also outsold the Toyota Yaris, which was, with 166,533 sales, the top-selling standard car model in Japan in 2025.
The Honda N-Box, Suzuki Spacia, and Daihatsu Tanto were in the same rank positions as in 2024. The Daihatsu Move, which was caught up in the testing scandal, had sales almost tripled in 2025 to regain fourth position.
Latest Japan Car Sales Statistics: 2025 — Brands, Models, Minicars; Data for 2025 – 2009.
