This analysis highlights the most popular cars brands imported from Japan, then delves into the top countries that import Japanese cars by both dollar value and quantity, as well as the average unit prices paid by major international buyers to Japan’s exporters.
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.
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 86.3% of Japan’s total car sales on international markets.
- United States: US$39.7 billion (down -4.3% from 2023)
- Australia: $8.2 billion (down -1.4%)
- China: $6.1 billion (down -9.2%)
- Canada: $5.6 billion (up 5.9%)
- Saudi Arabia: $3.5 billion (down -1.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: $3.3 billion (up 10.1%)
- United Kingdom: $3.2 billion (down -14.3%)
- Taiwan: $2.1 billion (down -3.3%)
- Germany: $1.83 billion (down -25.8%)
- Poland: $1.79 billion (up 6.5%)
- Mexico: $1.5 billion (down -13.1%)
- Russia: $1.4 billion (down -17.9%)
- Spain: $1.31 billion (up 2.5%)
- Malaysia: $1.29 billion (up 14.1%)
- Belgium: $1.26 billion (down -20.1%)
- New Zealand: $1.24 billion (down -17.2%)
- Kuwait: $1.17 billion (down -17.6%)
- Italy: $1.16 billion (down -19.7%)
- France: $960 million (down -17.7%)
- Qatar: $858 million (up 4.7%)
- South Korea: $857 million (up 30%)
- Mongolia: $834 million (up 43.9%)
- Israel: $829 million (up 16.5%)
- Netherlands: $825 million (down -25.3%)
- Indonesia: $738 million (up 23.2%)
- Oman: $672 million (up 12.2%)
Posting double-digit percentage growth in spending on imported Japanese cars were buyers in Mongolia (up 43.9% from 2023), South Korea (up 30%), Indonesia (up 23.2%), Israel (up 16.5%), Malaysia (up 14.1%), Oman (up 12.2%) and the United Arab Emirates (up 10.1%).
The severest year-over-year spending reductions belong to importers in Germany (down -25.8% from 2023), Netherlands (down -25.3%), Belgium (down -20.1%), Italy (down -19.7%) and Russia (also down -17.9%).
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 4.223 million cars from Japan in 2024 or 82.4% of total imported Japanese cars by quantity.
Prices Paid per Imported Japanese Car by Country
The global average price for Japanese car imports was $20,851 in 2024, inflating by 10.5% from $18,870 five years earlier in 2020 but flatlining by -0.9% compared to $21,031 one year earlier for 2023.
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 2024.
- United States: US$28,669 per car (up 4.3% from 2023)
- Australia: $21,161 per car (down -3.3%)
- mainland China: $30,715 per car (down -7.2%)
- Canada: $23,853 per car (up 4.3%)
- Saudi Arabia: $21,633 per car (down -7.8%)
- United Arab Emirates: $11,351 per car (up 0.1%)
- United Kingdom: $23,880 per car (up 0.7%)
- Taiwan: $24,106 per car (down -4.3%)
- Germany: $22,849 per car (down -4.5%)
- Poland: $28,316 per car (up 5.8%)
- Mexico: $20,126 per car (up 1.2%)
- Russia: $7,014 per car (down -12.4%)
- Spain: $25,675 per car (up 0.3%)
- Malaysia: $26,751 per car (up 4.4%)
- Belgium: $20,720 per car (down -4.9%)
- New Zealand: $10,197 per car (up 7%)
- Kuwait: $33,179 per car (down -0.8%)
- Italy: $21,084 per car (down -0.1%)
- France: $24,700 per car (down -17.5%)
- Qatar: $39,626 per car (down -10.1%)
- South Korea: $23,242 per car (down -10.2%)
- Mongolia: $7,587 per car (up 4.5%)
- Israel: $15,855 per car (down -13.6%)
- Netherlands: $27,246 per car (down -3.7%)
- Indonesia: $41,075 per car (up 21%)
Paying the highest average prices per imported Japanese car were buyers in Indonesia, Qatar, Kuwait, mainland China and the United States of America.
The lowest average unit prices among the listed countries were enjoyed by importers in Russia, Mongolia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Enduring the greatest percentage price increases for cars imported from Japan were Indonesia (up 21% from 2023), New Zealand (up 7%) then Poland (up 5.8%).
Average prices paid by Japanese car importers deflated the most for France (down -17.5% from 2023), Israel (down -13.6%), Russia (down -12.5%), South Korea (down -10.2%) and Qatar (down -10.1%).
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 November 24, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on November 24, 2025
Philip G. Lane for OPUMO magazine, Great Eastern: 10 best Japanese car brands. Accessed on November 24, 2025
Wikipedia, Automotive Industry in Japan. Accessed on November 24, 2025