Japan Full Year 2025: Honda N-BOX and Toyota Sienta top market up 3.3%

The Honda N-BOX is the best-selling vehicle in Japan in 2025.

Discover 55 years of Japanese Historical Data here.

The Japanese new car market is up 3.3% year in 2025 to 4,565,777 units. This increase is solely due to Daihatsu rallying back up 46.2% on a scandal-ridden 2024 result. Daihatsu gains roughly 169,000 sales year-on-year vs. 144,000 for the entire market. Toyota (+3.6%) slightly outpaces the market and improves to 31% share. The podium is unchanged on last year, with Suzuki (+1%) and Honda (-7.3%) in tow although under performing. As mentioned above Daihatsu is up 46.2% and gains one spot to #4, overtaking Nissan (-15.2%) in great difficulty. Isuzu (+10%), Subaru (+7.5%) and Mazda (+5.3%) shine in the remainder of the Top 10. Mercedes (-4.4%) remains the most popular foreign brand at #11 and despite losing ground. It is followed at a distance by BMW (+1.4%) and Volkswagen (+36.2%). BYD is up 62.4% to #25.

In the regular cars ranking, the Toyota Yaris/Cross (+0.2%) is back above the Toyota Corolla/Cross (-16.8%) to #1. However we are now in a position to estimate Yaris/Yaris Cross and Corolla/Corolla Cross splits. Divided as such, the Yaris would rank #6, the Yaris Cross #8, the Corolla #11 and the Corolla Cross #16. This way, the real leader is the Toyota Sienta (-4.1%) ahead of the Toyota Raize (+96.9%), Roomy (+40.7%) and Honda Freed (+5.9%). Great performers below include the Suzuki Jimny Wagon (+60%), Subaru Forester (+37.9%), Mazda CX-5 (+26.2%) and Mitsubishi Delica D5 (+22.6%). The Suzuki Fronx (+274.5%) ends its first full year of sales at #35.

Looking at kei cars, the Honda N-BOX (-2.4%) easily holds onto the pole position (both as a kei car and overall model), a ranking it has now held for the past 11 years in a row (no interruption since 2015). The Suzuki Spacia (-0.1%) and Daihatsu Tanto (+32.9%) ensure the podium is identical to last year’s. The Daihatsu Move roars back up +191.3% and 7 spots to #4 after a horrendous 2024 result. The Suzuki Hustler (-5.2%), Wagon R (-9%) and Nissan Roox (+1.1%) are all pushed down one spot as a result. Excellent performances by the Daihatsu Mira (+30.4%), Taft (+28.3%) and Suzuki Jimny (+21.6%).

As for foreign models, the Mini lineup (+11.5%) remains the most popular followed by the VW Golf (+73.5%) up one spot to #2 and the VW T-Cross (+74.8%) up eight to #3. The Mercedes GLC (+14.4%) recedes 2 ranks to #4 despite a solid result. The Audi A3 (+100.6%) is the best performer in the Top 20, more than doubling its sales year-on-year and surging 14 spots to #5. The BMW X1 (+55%), X3 (#10) and 1 Series (+39.5%) also make themselves noticed while the Audi A5 (#17) and Land Rover Defender 110 (#18) crack the Top 20.

Previous year: Japan 2024: Toyota Corolla/Cross edges into #1, sales off -7.5%

Two years ago: Japan 2023: Honda N-BOX and Toyota Yaris on top again, Toyota places 8 models in Top 9

Full December 2025 Top 52 All brands, Top 50 regular cars, Top 31 All kei cars, Q4 2025 Top 20 foreign models, Full Year 2024 Top 57 All brands, Top 50 regular cars, Top 34 All kei cars and Top 20 foreign models vs. Full Year 2024 figures below.