5 Best Selling Kei Cars of 2023 in Japan: Rankings and Reviews

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Life In Rural Japan

Life In Rural Japan

Күн бұрын

You can support me by me buying a coffee on ko-fi.com/lifeinruraljapan
Kei cars, also known as Kei jidosha or K-cars, are a unique category of small vehicles that are popular in Japan. These vehicles have a specific set of regulations and characteristics that make them distinct from regular cars. Here are some key points about Kei cars in Japan:
Size and Dimensions: Kei cars are small in size, with strict regulations governing their dimensions. As of my last update in September 2021, the maximum dimensions for a Kei car are typically 3.4 meters in length, 1.48 meters in width, and 2 meters in height.
Engine Size: Kei cars are limited in engine displacement size, typically having engines with a capacity of 660cc or less. The engine's power output is also limited to around 63 horsepower (47 kW).
Tax and Insurance Benefits: In Japan, Kei cars enjoy certain tax and insurance benefits, which make them an attractive option for buyers. These benefits can result in lower ownership costs.
Fuel Efficiency: Kei cars are known for their fuel efficiency, making them a practical choice for urban driving. Their smaller engines contribute to their excellent mileage.
Classification: Kei cars are classified into different categories, including regular passenger cars, microvans, and trucks. There are also sportier Kei cars designed for enthusiasts.
Design and Functionality: Despite their small size, Kei cars are designed to maximize interior space and functionality. They often feature innovative interior layouts to make the most of the limited space.
Popularity: Kei cars are incredibly popular in Japan, especially in crowded urban areas where their small size and easy maneuverability are advantageous. They are also popular among older drivers.
Safety: Manufacturers of Kei cars prioritize safety, and modern Kei cars often come equipped with safety features such as airbags and stability control.
Electric and Hybrid Kei Cars: In recent years, there has been a growing interest in electric and hybrid Kei cars as a more environmentally friendly alternative.
Cultural Significance: Kei cars have cultural significance in Japan and are often seen as a symbol of practicality and efficiency. They are a part of Japan's automotive heritage.

Пікірлер: 83
@ringomoko3762
@ringomoko3762 2 ай бұрын
I owned kei car 18yrs.now. no problem,no stress and Iove it.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 2 ай бұрын
That’s great
@keithhooper6123
@keithhooper6123 2 ай бұрын
Me,forty years
@colinrenfrew48
@colinrenfrew48 7 ай бұрын
Most cities in the U.K. would benefit from this class of car. It’s not always about an £80k suv!
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 7 ай бұрын
I think most cities around the world would benefit. Good mileage, small easy to park, cheap and the list goes on.
@TokyoHomes
@TokyoHomes 4 ай бұрын
100% agree but SUV sometimes better in winter driving like in Canada lots of snow on Mountains but for warmer place I love to have Kei cars, I own few Kei cars in Canada before I'm thinking to buy it again.
@Mobik_
@Mobik_ 4 ай бұрын
every time I visit America and take an Uber... I feel like I have to climb a mountain to get into one of those SUV. It's crazy and unnecessary!
@eronedalessandria5914
@eronedalessandria5914 8 ай бұрын
I am Italian and I live in Rome. I have a 2004 Suzuki Wagon r+ and I love it. If I wanted to change it for a similar one I couldn't do it. In Italy they don't sell these types of small cars derived from Japanese kei cars. If there was one like this kei car. I would buy it tomorrow. It makes me angry that the diffusion of this type of car is limited by prejudices regarding their aesthetics. I find them marvels of technology and pragmatism. It makes me angry that I can't buy one because I don't like their shape. I hope that one day a Japanese car manufacturer will have the courage to export a kei car model to Europe and Italy. I looked into importing one into Italy but the problem is not getting it delivered but rather that it cannot circulate because it is not approved to European safety standards. How stupid. There are many videos on KZfaq that demonstrate the opposite. These cars are as safe as those on European roads. Suzuki! Nissan! Honda! Courage! Export these cars to Europe! Or make sure they are approved for the European Highway Code. Ah! I forgot! Put the driver's seat on the left.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 8 ай бұрын
It is crazy. They are great little cars. I don’t think they will ever make them left hand drive. Check out the new video on the Delica mini it’s a great car.
@DerpEye
@DerpEye 7 ай бұрын
I'm italian too. I used to own a Daihatsu Copen, the eurospec one with the 1.3l toyota engine. That car was incredible. Fast, nible, and very fun to drive in the mountains.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 7 ай бұрын
That would be fun one of them with a 1.3 engine in it. @@DerpEye
@gd131
@gd131 10 ай бұрын
I recently bought an N-WGN! Its not on the top 5 though but I love it very much.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 10 ай бұрын
I think they all good. Have fun with your N-WGN
@xporkrind
@xporkrind 9 ай бұрын
Outstanding video. Incredibly informative !
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 9 ай бұрын
Much appreciated!
@tron520
@tron520 Ай бұрын
Hi, thanks for the reviews, do like these, seem to have everything you need in a compact vehicle, wish they did these for the UK, would make parking a breeze and just so practical for every day driving.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan Ай бұрын
People from all round the world say the same thing.
@georgekrpan3181
@georgekrpan3181 6 ай бұрын
1.738 mil yen is $12,257 US. The average transaction price for a new car in the US is $48k. Americans are being bled.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 6 ай бұрын
That’s crazy. For big cars here like Prius that size car would cost about 28 - 35k US
@georgekrpan3181
@georgekrpan3181 6 ай бұрын
@@lifeinruraljapan Cheers!
@peterdavis1820
@peterdavis1820 7 ай бұрын
Why are these not available everywhere. I live in London and they’d be perfect.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 7 ай бұрын
Because they are built for the Japanese market. Some countries are importing good used ones don’t know about England.
@raymondramos7670
@raymondramos7670 3 ай бұрын
Is importing brand new one possible?
@deutschlanddendeutschen849
@deutschlanddendeutschen849 3 ай бұрын
@@raymondramos7670yes
@keithhooper6123
@keithhooper6123 2 ай бұрын
Certainly Honda N Box is available in the UK,from at least two suppliers.
@user-ub3ph8rq6h
@user-ub3ph8rq6h 8 ай бұрын
Damn I got to wait 25 years to get one of these sweet vans… we will be of the ground by then lol I got a 97 acty street I love it
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 8 ай бұрын
I had a feeling that they changed that law. You should check.
@nmatthews7260
@nmatthews7260 8 ай бұрын
The 25 year law only applies to our emissions and crash testing rules, but I’m pretty sure a lot of these fit those requirements. Not all tho.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 8 ай бұрын
Good to know. Probably is different from country to country.
@kaleygoode1681
@kaleygoode1681 4 ай бұрын
Mad that they don't sell these in the UK! They'd sell loads!
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 4 ай бұрын
I know
@keithhooper6123
@keithhooper6123 2 ай бұрын
Honda N Box is imported from around £11000
@laindienlily
@laindienlily 17 күн бұрын
I just was in Japan, great country with reasonable plans of mobility ! I wonder why we don't find those cars on the german market, but I guess why..... I'd buy a Kei Car immediately.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 17 күн бұрын
Me ,too. They would sell like hotcakes.
@daciamcv1026
@daciamcv1026 Ай бұрын
Should be the only car for cities
@user-ur6fp6tt8v
@user-ur6fp6tt8v 3 ай бұрын
Hello again! Please make a video about Honda N WGN!
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 3 ай бұрын
Okay
@RobinhooD.5
@RobinhooD.5 8 ай бұрын
Can u do video on affordable new ones! With basic models!.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 8 ай бұрын
I can do that.
@2fastGEO
@2fastGEO 7 ай бұрын
the tanto is quite the affordable. Only around 11.6k USD if you cash in usd for yen.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 7 ай бұрын
@@2fastGEO Really cheap if you use USD. The yen is so weak now.
@SpicyMatti
@SpicyMatti 3 ай бұрын
im in love with the suzuki special car, what is its exact name of the model? im very interested in looking it up and its prices.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 3 ай бұрын
Suzuki Spacia Custom
@KA9DSL
@KA9DSL 6 ай бұрын
The prices in the U.S. for cars has gotten stupidly high. Shame I wasn't living in Japan.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 6 ай бұрын
Every thing has got very expensive because the yen is so weak. Every time you turn around something has gone up.
@boris035..4
@boris035..4 7 ай бұрын
Best cars ever!!!! This is how all cars should look like!!!!
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 7 ай бұрын
They do look good
@boris035..4
@boris035..4 7 ай бұрын
@@lifeinruraljapan Actually they do look ok, but who the fuck cares about how vehicle looks like?!?!?! Why?!?!?! Or how much does it take from 0 to 60?!?!? If you wanna racing car buy a racing car!!!?!!! I mean bro, just look at the space they have!!! When i ride in audi, bmw, wv and alike I get claustrophobia!!!!The glass is right on my face and I need to lay down when I'm in a car like that... :(
@user-ur6fp6tt8v
@user-ur6fp6tt8v 3 ай бұрын
Good day! Why did you give 1st place to Honda? Is it somehow better than other options? Which one accelerates faster from a standstill? The dynamics are interesting to me. Thank you!😊
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 3 ай бұрын
Honda N BOX is the number 1 selling car for the last 8 years. It sold 231,385 car 2nd was Daihatsu Tanto selling 159,392 cars. Daihatsu sells the most cars Honda is number 3.
@user-ur6fp6tt8v
@user-ur6fp6tt8v 3 ай бұрын
@@lifeinruraljapan Thanks!
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 3 ай бұрын
You’re welcome
@player1tales
@player1tales 4 ай бұрын
I live in Japan and thinking of buying a kei. What do you think about EVs like Sakura?
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 4 ай бұрын
I think it is pretty good a bit expensive and you don’t have a lot of range. You can buy other Kei like the N Box of the Suzuki and save around 1 million yen that will buy a lot of petrol.
@ManFromYaksh
@ManFromYaksh Ай бұрын
My dream to purchase kei car
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan Ай бұрын
Good dream to have.
@jayce704
@jayce704 9 ай бұрын
Is it possible to buy one wirh a stearing wheel on the left for the European countires?
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 9 ай бұрын
No they are all right hand drive because they are made for Japan.
@2fastGEO
@2fastGEO 7 ай бұрын
you can import, but it can be expensive
@yansenmaruli7758
@yansenmaruli7758 7 ай бұрын
I wish this car available in Indonesia
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 7 ай бұрын
A lot of people wish they were available in different countries.
@PlatinumNath
@PlatinumNath 5 ай бұрын
Indonesia technically already got kei cars in the past, but the bigger internstional versions, not the kei spec ones. Think of the Suzuki Karimun's of the old which are basically international spec Suzuki Wagon R's and RR's.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 5 ай бұрын
@@PlatinumNath You might be right
@wenxichen7672
@wenxichen7672 4 ай бұрын
I wish I could get one of this kind of cute boxy car in Bolivia.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 4 ай бұрын
People all around the world wish they could get them.
@allnighterist
@allnighterist 8 ай бұрын
does these all kei cars have air bags?
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 8 ай бұрын
All new ones have air bags I think they have had for many years.
@mopar392V8
@mopar392V8 8 ай бұрын
日本語で申し訳ないですが、20年以上前から装備されています。 現代の軽自動車ならば全方位にエアバッグが装備された車種もあります。
@tktmc
@tktmc Ай бұрын
トランクの広さを紹介するならリアシートをスライドすべきです。
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan Ай бұрын
True but most of the time you would have the seats pushed back.
@AlexLopez-yk8xo
@AlexLopez-yk8xo 4 ай бұрын
What about the engines?
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 4 ай бұрын
They are 660 cc engines.
@charlespilkington8170
@charlespilkington8170 6 ай бұрын
I like but it won't drive over American speed bumps for snow over 4 in because it'll be a plow.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 6 ай бұрын
I don’t think they are suited for America they are great here in Japan. Small roads, tiny parking spots.
@Grahamplaysgo
@Grahamplaysgo Ай бұрын
The Suzuki was not a Kei car. The license plate was white
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan Ай бұрын
Some Kei cars do have white plates. You can choose.
@florianwagner7279
@florianwagner7279 Ай бұрын
Unfortunately those type of cars is not shipped to Europe anymore .
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan Ай бұрын
It is unfortunate they would sell.
@florianwagner7279
@florianwagner7279 Ай бұрын
@@lifeinruraljapan Those cars has been sold here, but not any longer. Last one was the Daihatsu Hijet Truck, sold as the Piaggio Porter. Vans and Panelvans has vanished years ago.
@midnightchannel7759
@midnightchannel7759 5 ай бұрын
You show no pictures of the back of the car, the most important area to women (and these cars would sell like wildfire in the US if the rear can be folded down for hauling stuff). The back is the only area I want to see.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 5 ай бұрын
I do open up the back door and have a look inside there is not a lot of room in there. The Honda N Box had the seats folded down. From what I have heard you can only import ones over 25 years old. I would not buy a 25 year old Kei car there are not made to last that long.
@stephenhall3515
@stephenhall3515 3 күн бұрын
What a miserable review! Name a car that isn't "1 BOX" -- unless it got stuck on a level crossing and cut in half by a train. Really, this man talks BS. But I shall subscribe in case he tells of wonders of rural life. He entirely fails to mention engine size, performance in town and countryside, transmission systems, MPG, emissions and is plain misleading about the Toyota. It is a 'mild hybrid', designed to supply extra power from an electric motor to smooth out some of the drawbacks of high revving low cc engines. MPG advantages are not significant but ride quality certainly is without making the suspension expensive. Tested in Nordic countries and the UK, the Spacia is deemed to have moderate off road capabilities and abilities in snow which many a grandiose EV SUV would fail in. Indeed, the presenter fails to show rear seat folding increasing boot/trunk space on all but one the cars. Manufacturers in north west Europe only seem to offer SUVs and 'executive cars' at silly prices and Asia is trouncing our motor industry -- rightly, because it forgot about real people and forgot about what private motor transport actually is. Asian attitudes are different and automotive economists a decade ago predicted that there would be a single generation of pure EVs only, followed by hybrids using the same body dies (naturally saving a lot in weight, battery costs and disposal) then some EVs would be made for strict urban utility use. Hybrids in the Report (commissioned by Japan, S.Korea, China and some BRICS funds) factored in colored hydrogen IC hybrids mainly on a Toyota set of patents licensed to China and S.Korea and the latter two countries are experimenting with ammonia as a fuel. GAC Group, China is 50% owned by Toyota and research into ammonia engines takes advantage of China's ammonia manufacturing targeted to be green, even where using the Haber-Bosch process -- which itself is being phased out. Ammonia engines favor haulage, plant and locomotive power units more than cars at present. The popular argument that supplying filling stations with 'new fuels' is fallacious because it is a matter of will, demand and supply and minor modifications to road tankers in the case of gaseous hydrogen. The fact that hydrogen is a by product of many industrial processes at scale would more than pay for refrigerated tankers from the point of production. Hydrogen fuel cell storage dates back to the 1930s in Japan and appears to be a separate development by Toyota Group for performance vehicles. Perhaps hydrogen fuel cells will find a place in KEI cars using the swap system in due course.
@lifeinruraljapan
@lifeinruraljapan 2 күн бұрын
In Japan they call these type cars one box for cars that look like a box. There are small ones like kei cars and big ones like Toyota and Honda have. I don't know what BS I was talking. It was not a review of the cars it was more a look at what the 5 best selling kei cars were. The hybrid systems in these cars is nothing like in the Toyota's. We have a Suzuki Solio it has a 1.2 engine in it the battery is under the front seat it's tiny they don't have an electric motor like the Prius. I hope this clears up a few points for you. I don't want to get into a fight over this. I have enough problems at the moment with a sick wife looking after her taking her to the hospital and doctors is draining me. If your interested have a look at this kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fMljaK98mceWZ30.htmlsi=H5g8x7GK7fGY-wp8
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