The Toyota Corolla was Japan’s best-selling car model in 2024, with 166,956 units, just ahead of the Toyota Yaris (166,162) and the Toyota Sienta (111,090). These figures come from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA) full-year ranking, which counts registered passenger cars and excludes kei cars and imported brands.
Key takeaways
- Top three in 2024: Toyota Corolla, Toyota Yaris and Toyota Sienta.
- The Nissan Note (4th) and Honda Freed (5th) were the best-selling non-Toyota models.
- Toyota had 18 of the top 50 models and 6 of the top 10.
- Japan’s total new-vehicle sales, including kei cars, were 4,421,234 in 2024, down from 4,778,861 in 2023.
How to read this ranking
JADA ranks cars by the model name on the Japanese registration certificate. That has a few effects you should know about:
- Kei cars are not included. Mini vehicles such as the Honda N-BOX are counted separately by the Japan Mini Vehicles Association (Zenkeijikyo).
- Imported brands are not included, but Japanese-brand cars built overseas are.
- One name can cover several body types. For example, “Corolla” includes every car sold under the Corolla name, including driving-school cars.
These are new-car sales in Japan. They do not show what is sold for export, but today’s popular new cars tend to become tomorrow’s common used cars at Japanese auctions.
The top 10 in 2024
Toyota took six of the top ten places. Minivans and MPVs were strong, with the Sienta, Freed, Serena, Alphard and Voxy all in the top ten.
- Toyota Corolla – 166,956
- Toyota Yaris – 166,162
- Toyota Sienta – 111,090
- Nissan Note – 101,766
- Honda Freed – 85,368
- Toyota Prius – 83,485
- Nissan Serena – 80,899
- Toyota Alphard – 79,374
- Honda Vezel – 75,424
- Toyota Voxy – 70,636
Some models grew strongly on 2023. The Alphard sold about one and a half times as many units as in 2023, as did the Toyota Crown (15th). The Vellfire (23rd) sold about two and a half times its 2023 total. The Honda Odyssey (40th) returned to Japanese showrooms at the end of 2023, so its 2024 figure is far above 2023.
You can browse our Toyota stock, Honda stock and Nissan stock, or all stock.
The full top 50 (2024)
| Rank | Model | Maker | 2024 sales (units) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corolla | Toyota | 166,956 |
| 2 | Yaris | Toyota | 166,162 |
| 3 | Sienta | Toyota | 111,090 |
| 4 | Note | Nissan | 101,766 |
| 5 | Freed | Honda | 85,368 |
| 6 | Prius | Toyota | 83,485 |
| 7 | Serena | Nissan | 80,899 |
| 8 | Alphard | Toyota | 79,374 |
| 9 | Vezel | Honda | 75,424 |
| 10 | Voxy | Toyota | 70,636 |
| 11 | Noah | Toyota | 70,611 |
| 12 | Roomy | Toyota | 67,698 |
| 13 | Harrier | Toyota | 64,181 |
| 14 | Aqua | Toyota | 64,180 |
| 15 | Crown | Toyota | 62,628 |
| 16 | Fit | Honda | 61,808 |
| 17 | Step WGN | Honda | 55,147 |
| 18 | Solio | Suzuki | 52,404 |
| 19 | Land Cruiser | Toyota | 51,288 |
| 20 | Raize | Toyota | 51,225 |
| 21 | ZR-V | Honda | 41,513 |
| 22 | Swift | Suzuki | 33,131 |
| 23 | Vellfire | Toyota | 33,105 |
| 24 | X-Trail | Nissan | 31,776 |
| 25 | Impreza | Subaru | 31,078 |
| 26 | RAV4 | Toyota | 30,599 |
| 27 | WR-V | Honda | 30,339 |
| 28 | Jimny | Suzuki | 25,848 |
| 29 | Forester | Subaru | 22,977 |
| 30 | Levorg | Subaru | 22,747 |
| 31 | MAZDA2 | Mazda | 21,649 |
| 32 | LBX | Lexus | 21,221 |
| 33 | Delica D:5 | Mitsubishi | 19,886 |
| 34 | CX-5 | Mazda | 19,418 |
| 35 | NX350h | Lexus | 17,460 |
| 36 | Civic | Honda | 15,573 |
| 37 | Kicks | Nissan | 14,346 |
| 38 | CX-30 | Mazda | 13,717 |
| 39 | Xbee | Suzuki | 12,592 |
| 40 | Odyssey | Honda | 12,006 |
| 41 | MAZDA3 | Mazda | 11,804 |
| 42 | Rocky | Daihatsu | 10,127 |
| 43 | Roadster | Mazda | 9,543 |
| 44 | 86 | Toyota | 8,802 |
| 45 | Outlander | Mitsubishi | 8,126 |
| 46 | JPN Taxi | Toyota | 8,103 |
| 47 | CX-3 | Mazda | 8,050 |
| 48 | Eclipse Cross | Mitsubishi | 7,632 |
| 49 | Hiace Wagon | Toyota | 7,087 |
| 50 | CX-60 | Mazda | 6,395 |
Source: JADA, passenger car ranking by model name, January to December 2024 (published 9 January 2025).
What this means if you are buying a used car from Japan
A model that sells well new in Japan usually means more choice at auction a few years later, and parts that are easy to find. It does not mean the model is right for your roads or allowed in your country.
Check two things before you choose. First, your country’s age rule: Kenya accepts only cars first registered on or after 1 January 2019, and Zimbabwe does not allow used vehicles 10 years or older from manufacture. Use our import age checker. Second, the individual car’s condition: read the auction sheet with our auction sheet guide.
For model advice, see our guides to the Toyota Alphard, Toyota Yaris vs Suzuki Swift and 2019+ crossovers for Kenya, or browse all car guides.
Frequently asked questions
What was the best-selling car in Japan in 2024?
The Toyota Corolla, with 166,956 units in JADA’s ranking of registered passenger cars. The Yaris was a close second.
Does this ranking include kei cars like the N-BOX?
No. JADA’s ranking excludes kei cars. Kei car sales are reported separately by the Japan Mini Vehicles Association.
How many new vehicles were sold in Japan in 2024?
4,421,234 new vehicles, counting registered vehicles and kei cars together, according to JADA and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association.
Sources
- JADA (Japan Automobile Dealers Association): Passenger car ranking by model name, January–December 2024 (published 9 January 2025; PDF)
- JADA and Zenkeijikyo: New vehicle sales, registered vehicles plus kei cars (accessed 1 October 2026)
