What is a Kei car?

K-car, or Kei Car is a category of car with an engine not bigger than 660cc, the size of the car is also restricted.

Currently the restrication are: No longer than 3.4 m (11.15 ft), not wider than 1.48 m (4.86 ft), maximum height 2 m (6.56 ft), maximum engine size 660cc and 47 kW (64 PS; 63 hp) Maximum Power.


This category of car is very popular in rural Japan and increasingly in cities as young generation is not much into big and costly cars.


The advantage of K-cars is that they are less taxed than other cars and there is no need of parking proof (you must have a parking proof signed by your local police in order to be able to purchase a car, used or new).

K-cars have yellow plate numbers with black numbers (Commercial k-cars have reverse color; black plate with yellow number, most often used by post office and courrier)