Honda N-BOX tops Japan first-half new-car sales for fifth straight year
In short
Honda’s N-BOX kei car was Japan’s best-selling new car by model in the first half of fiscal 2026 (April–September), at 101,564 units, up 3.7% year on year, taking the top first-half spot for a fifth consecutive year, according to figures announced on October 6. Toyota’s bZ4X was the top-selling electric vehicle at 14,448 units, 88 times the year-earlier figure, while total EV sales reached a record 72,073 units, 2.5 times higher and 3.7% of passenger-car sales.
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Honda’s N-BOX kei car was the best-selling new car by model in Japan in the first half of fiscal 2026, covering April to September, with 101,564 units sold, up 3.7% from the same period a year earlier, Yomiuri Shimbun reported. It was the fifth consecutive year the model took the top first-half position, according to Yomiuri and the headlines carried by Nishi-Nippon Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The model-by-model figures were released on October 6 by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the National Light Motor Vehicle Association, Yomiuri reported. [ 3 ]
On the electric-vehicle side, Toyota’s bZ4X sport-utility vehicle was the top-selling EV at 14,448 units, 88 times its volume a year earlier, Yomiuri reported. Total EV sales came to 72,073 units, 2.5 times the year-earlier figure and a record, accounting for 3.7% of all passenger-car sales. [ 3 ]
Yomiuri reported that the government’s decision this year to raise the ceiling on EV purchase subsidies from 900,000 yen to 1.3 million yen worked in the segment’s favour. Sales of light EVs, for which the subsidy was kept unchanged, rose 11.5% to 13,301 units. [ 3 ]
The documents did not give total new-car sales for the period or the rest of the model ranking. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The figures show Japan’s EV segment expanding from a very low base, with the government’s raised purchase-subsidy cap cited as a factor. A model-level ranking dominated by a kei car and an EV share of under 4% indicates that electrified sales remain a small part of the passenger-car market.
Key facts
- Honda’s N-BOX was the top-selling new car by model in Japan in the first half of fiscal 2026 (April–September), at 101,564 units, up 3.7% from a year earlier. [ 3 ]
- The N-BOX took the top first-half position for a fifth consecutive year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Toyota’s bZ4X was the top-selling electric vehicle in the period, at 14,448 units, 88 times the year-earlier figure. [ 3 ]
- Total EV sales came to 72,073 units, 2.5 times the year-earlier level and a record, accounting for 3.7% of all passenger-car sales. [ 3 ]
- Yomiuri reported the government raised the ceiling on EV purchase subsidies this year from 900,000 yen to 1.3 million yen. [ 3 ]
- Sales of light EVs, for which the subsidy was left unchanged, rose 11.5% to 13,301 units. [ 3 ]
- The model-by-model sales figures were announced on October 6 by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the National Light Motor Vehicle Association. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The full model ranking and total new-car sales for the period. The documents give only the top model, the top EV and EV totals; no overall market size or other model positions are stated.
- How much the subsidy increase alone accounts for the EV sales rise. Yomiuri describes the higher subsidy cap as a tailwind but gives no attribution or estimate of its effect.
- The model sales ranking was released on October 6 by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the National Light Motor Vehicle Association. Reported by a single source so far