Japan has earned a reputation for excellence in quality automotive engineering and vehicle durability.
According to OPUMO magazine writer Philip G. Lane, Japan’s 10 best car brands are Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Lexus, Honda, Suzuki, Infiniti, Mitsubishi and Isuzu.
Overall purchases of imported Japanese cars totaled US$87.2 billion for 2022. That dollar amount results from a -12% decline compared to $99.1 billion in 2018 but a modest 1.9% annual gain from $85.6 billion during 2021.
Top Spenders that Import Japanese Cars
Listed below are the 25 major importers of Japanese cars as measured by dollar spend. These leading buyers accounted for 87.6% of Japan’s total car sales on international markets.
- United States: US$32.8 billion (up 0.8% from 2021)
- China: $7.7 billion (down -11%)
- Australia: $6.6 billion (down -6.8%)
- Canada: $3.1 billion (down -6.4%)
- Saudi Arabia: $2.7 billion (up 18.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: $2.4 billion (up 6.7%)
- Russia: $2.3 billion (down -18.3%)
- United Kingdom: $2.2 billion (up 17.3%)
- Germany: $1.7 billion (up 19.8%)
- Taiwan: $1.7 billion (down -14.8%)
- New Zealand: $1.4 billion (down -5.5%)
- Malaysia: $1.3 billion (up 79.6%)
- Kuwait: $1.1 billion (up 19.9%)
- Belgium: $1.1 billion (up 28.3%)
- Mexico: $1.1 billion (up 41%)
- Poland: $1 billion (up 52.1%)
- Spain: $853 million (up 16.6%)
- Qatar: $687 million (up 62.8%)
- Israel: $684 million (up 14.8%)
- France: $674 million (down -16%)
- Italy: $670 million (down -10.9%)
- Oman: $569 million (up 10.6%)
- Norway: $525 million (up 4.2%)
- Chile: $512 million (down -11%)
- Netherlands: $455 million (up 48.6%)
- South Africa: $444 million (up 9.5%)
Posting the strongest growth in spending on imported Japanese cars were buyers in Malaysia (up 79.6% from 2021), Qatar (up 62.8%), Poland (up 52.1%), Netherlands (up 48.6%), Mexico (up 41%) and Belgium (up 28.3%).
The severest year-over-year spending cutbacks belong to importers in Russia (down -18.3% from 2021), France (down -16%), Taiwan (down -14.8%), Chile (down -11%) and mainland China (also down -11%).
Major Countries that Import the Most Cars from Japan
Focusing on the quantity of imported Japanese cars rather than dollar value, below you will find the dominant 25 countries that bought the most cars. Also shown is each country’s percentage of total cars bought from Japan.
- United States: 1,302,124 cars (29.8% of all Japanese imports cars)
- Australia: 322,506 cars (7.4%)
- Russia: 220,992 cars (5.1%)
- China: 218,862 cars (5%)
- United Arab Emirates: 193,864 cars (4.4%)
- Canada: 146,856 cars (3.4%)
- New Zealand: 130,080 cars (3%)
- Saudi Arabia: 127,752 cars (2.9%)
- United Kingdom: 110,118 cars (2.5%)
- Pakistan: 78,358 cars (1.8%)
- Chile: 76,366 cars (1.7%)
- Germany: 73,281 cars (1.7%)
- Taiwan: 71,016 cars (1.6%)
- Mexico: 70,076 cars (1.6%)
- Tanzania: 60,267 cars (1.4%)
- Kenya: 55,908 cars (1.3%)
- Belgium: 54,107 cars (1.2%)
- South Africa: 46,494 cars (1.1%)
- Mongolia: 45,767 cars (1%)
- Malaysia: 45,632 cars (1%)
- Poland: 43,921 cars (1%)
- Israel: 42,890 cars (1%)
- Kuwait: 36,017 cars (0.8%)
- Spain: 35,440 cars (0.8%)
- Thailand: 32,865 cars (0.8%)
Collectively, the above 25 importers bought 3.642 million cars from Japan in 2022 or 83.4% of total imported Japanese cars by quantity.
Prices Paid per Imported Japanese Car by Country
The global average price for Japanese car imports was $19,981 in 2022, up by 8.2% from $18.464 five years earlier in 2018 and up 2.1% compared to $19,569 one year earlier for 2021.
The following list shows the average price paid per imported Japanese car for each of the 25 countries that spent the most on vehicles bought from Japan in 2022.
- United States: US$25,227 per car (up 4.6% from 2021)
- China: $34,958 per car (up 4.7%)
- Australia: $20,491 per car (down -2.8%)
- Canada: $21,300 per car (up 5.5%)
- Saudi Arabia: $21,010 per car (down -8.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: $12,148 per car (down -7.3%)
- Russia: $10,601 per car (down -13.9%)
- United Kingdom: $20,361 per car (down -2%)
- Germany: $23,582 per car (down -2.2%)
- Taiwan: $23,479 per car (down -3.1%)
- New Zealand: $10,906 per car (up 8.6%)
- Malaysia: $27,650 per car (up 12%)
- Kuwait: $30,732 per car (down -6.9%)
- Belgium: $20,308 per car (up 1.5%)
- Mexico: $15,615 per car (up 5.6%)
- Poland: $23,885 per car (up 7.5%)
- Spain: $24,074 per car (up 1.9%)
- Qatar: $39,082 per car (up 0.2%)
- Israel: $15,941 per car (down -8.6%)
- France: $26,023 per car (down -5.6%)
- Italy: $20,391 per car (up 14.4%)
- Oman: $33,303 per car (down -16%)
- Norway: $32,003 per car (up 2.3%)
- Chile: $6,704 per car (up 24.2%)
- Netherlands: $25,115 per car (up 14.1%)
Paying the highest average prices per imported Japanese car were buyers in Qatar, mainland China, Oman, Norway and Kuwait.
The lowest average unit prices were enjoyed by importers in Chile, Russia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.
Enduring double-digit average price increases for cars imported from Japan were Chile (up 24.2% from 2021), Italy (up 14.4%), Netherlands (up 14.1%) then Malaysia (up 12%).
Average prices paid by Japanese car importers fell the most for Oman (down -16% from 2021) and Russia (down -13.9%).
See also Japan’s Top 10 Exports, Car Exports by Country, Truck Exports by Country and Automotive Parts Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on December 9, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on December 9, 2023
Philip G. Lane for OPUMO magazine, Great Eastern: 10 best Japanese car brands. Accessed on December 9, 2023
Wikipedia, Automotive Industry in Japan. Accessed on December 9, 2023