Japan's Adorable Obsession: What's a Kei Car?
Kei cars are enormously popular in Japan. So why don’t we see more of these micro vehicles in the U.S.?
Written by Andrew Koole
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Take a trip to
Japan
, or even watch a movie that takes place there, and you’ll likely notice that the streets are populated with the tiniest of cars. From pickup trucks to roadsters, these vehicles look more like toys than street-legal modes of transportation to Americans.They’re called kei cars, and Japan is obsessed with them. They’ve been part of the country’s auto market for so long that they have specific laws governing what models can be considered part of the category—like beer laws in Germany.
Kei cars: not a passing fad in Japan
Kei cars and their truck and van variants have been a staple in Japanese culture since after World War II when many families couldn’t afford a full-sized vehicle.
Noticing the convenience and savings these little cars gave their owners, the Japanese government set stipulations for their size and output and offered tax breaks and car insurance savings to encourage their production and use.
The incentives worked. Since the regulations were set in 1949, kei cars and other mini vehicles have continued to dominate the Japanese car market.
Best-Selling-Cars.com
says they make up almost 40% of the country’s vehicle sales. A large portion of those sales is for commercial trucks and vans used throughout the country to transport goods. These are the kei cars most often imported to the U.S.
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Should U.S. drivers follow Japan’s kei-car lead and go micro?
Looking at the regulations for kei cars alone, you’d be forgiven for thinking we were talking about motorcycles or scooters rather than four-wheeled machines.
Although their power limits have increased over the years, kei cars only qualify for incentives if their 660-cc engines offer 63 hp or less. Manufacturers also govern them to max out at 87 mph.
With EVs like the Tesla Model S offering over 1,000 hp and SUVs getting larger and more popular in the U.S., the thought of bringing these micro vehicles across the Pacific might sound counter-intuitive.
But the benefits Japan enjoys from kei cars could easily transfer to American drivers, especially in cities, where gas prices, smog, and space for vehicles are ever-growing problems.
MORE: Honda Vamos: The Strangest Vehicle Honda Ever Made
What it takes to own a kei car in the U.S.
It’s not easy to get your hands on a kei car this side of the Pacific Ocean.
MotorBiscuit
says kei cars don’t meet the U.S. Department of Transportion’s standards for new imports, which means they aren’t legal to drive here until after the 25-year mark. On the flip side, because of the 25-year restriction, any kei car that is legal to drive here can qualify for
classic car coverage
, making car insurance very cheap. Factor in their small engines, and you shouldn’t find it very hard to find affordable coverage for your kei car.That said, Jerry makes the search for
cheap car insurance
even easier. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and can even help you cancel your old policy. The average Jerry user saves over $800 a year on car insurance.
MORE: British Automaker Caterham’s New Car Weighs Less Than 1,000 Lbs.
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