Decades ago, Japanese cars were renowned for their reliability but celebrated for little else. How times change. Today, cars from Japan blaze a trail for quality, performance, and even style. That would have seemed unthinkable in the age of Datsun Sunnys and Toyota Starlets, but the 1980s led to inspirational models like the Mazda MX-5 and Honda Prelude. From there, there was simply no stopping the Japanese as they developed luxury car brands and premium offshoots.
Today, Japan offers the world ten leading marques, from rally champions (Mitsubishi, Subaru) to premium marques (Lexus, Infiniti). You can have a subcompact, a supercar or an SUV – often from the same manufacturer. Few non-Japanese marques offer such diversity in their showrooms, and compiling our list of the best Japanese car brands has reflected the all-things-to-all-people ethos of manufacturers like Honda and Toyota.
Why you can trust Luxe Digital? With such riches across the different lineups, identifying the best Japanese cars can be challenging. Fans of each brand are also fiercely loyal, especially the marques with motorsports heritage. Instead of picking favorites, we’ve chosen to highlight the best examples of Japanese design and performance.
In doing so, we’ve had to overlook top Japanese car brands not currently in operation. That includes the all-electric Aspark brand – already a Guinness Book records-holder but awaiting production in Italy. Italian passion and Japanese engineering – it’s a mouthwatering proposition…
Mitsubishi
Having seen off domestic competitors like Suzuki, Mitsubishi can arguably claim to be the most affordable Japanese marque on sale in America. Their subcompact Mirage and compact Eclipse Cross undoubtedly live in the shadow of the flagship Outlander, available as a plug-in hybrid. We miss the days of mad Mitsubishis like the 3000GT and the Lancer Evolution series – the sworn enemy of the Subaru Impreza, and a road-going rally car with razor-sharp responses missing in today’s more family-friendly models.
| Founder: | Yataro Iwasak |
| Founded In: | 1870 |
| Types of car: | SUVs, subcompacts |
| Best-selling car: | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV |
Nissan
While Mitsubishi’s pared-down Stateside range is a fraction of its total manufacturing output, Nissan has given America everything bar kei cars (read: Japan’s smallest highway-legal passenger cars). Today’s 15-strong range extends from the all-electric Leaf and Ariya to the hairy-chested Z and GT-R, via trucks and sedans. The Maxima and Altima look near-identical, as do the cheaper Sentra and Versa, while the uppercase TITAN and Frontier bring some rugged go-anywhere to the range. Nissan isn’t the coolest Japanese car brand, but its undimming popularity has solid underpinnings.
| Founder: | Yoshisuke Aikawa |
| Founded In: | 1933 |
| Types of car: | SUVs, sedans, trucks, sports cars |
| Best-selling car: | Nissan Rogue |
Subaru
Subaru achieved global renown through its rallying heritage, though in America, the Japanese car brand is more widely associated with the late, great Ken Block. His ritualistic abuse of Imprezas built a huge online following, demonstrating that Subarus are drivers’ cars above all. The innovative Tesla-rivaling Solterra is a glimpse of electric dreams to come, but most Subarus remain resolutely gas-powered, from the best-selling Crosstrek and Outback to the Legacy and BRZ. There’s still an Impreza, but the WRX has stolen its high-performance mantle.
| Founder: | Merger of five Japanese companies |
| Founded In: | 1953 |
| Types of car: | 4x4s, SUVs |
| Best-selling car: | Subaru Crosstrek |
Honda
It seems almost impolite to refer to Honda as a car manufacturer. They make so much more, from motorbikes and watersports equipment to the iconic ASIMO robot. Honda’s car range has never been marginalized, though past masters like the NSX and Prelude have given way to a more family-oriented collection of CR-Vs and Accords. The all-electric Prologue will become Honda’s Solterra rival later in 2024, while the venomous Civic Type-R keeps the performance flame flickering in America’s best-selling passenger car.
| Founder: | Soichiro Honda |
| Founded In: | 1948 |
| Types of car: | Sedans, SUVs, minivans |
| Best-selling car: | Honda Civic |
Toyota
You’d have to visit Toyota City to understand how gargantuan this automotive brand has become, while Stateside dealerships are packed with everything from the prosaic Prius and Camry to the ground-breaking hydrogen-powered Mirai. The GR Supra (short for Gazoo Racing) is a frighteningly potent sports car, while the GT86’s super-skinny tires mean it can donut on your driveway.
| Founder: | Kiichiro Toyoda |
| Founded In: | 1937 |
| Types of car: | Sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, trucks |
| Best-selling car: | Toyota Camry |
Mazda
There’s always been something left-field about Mazdas – a refusal to follow the herd, embodied in the brand’s celebration of rotary engines and marvels like the Noughties RX-8 with its suicide doors. For our money, Mazda builds better interiors than other manufacturers on this list – more stylish than Lexus and more user-friendly than Honda. They know how to set up a chassis, too – even the 3 hatchback is a fine handler, while the MX-5 Miata single-handedly revived the roadster.
| Founder: | Toyo Cork Kogyo Co Ltd |
| Founded In: | 1931 |
| Types of car: | SUVs, sedans, sports cars |
| Best-selling car: | Mazda CX-5 |
Acura
If a Honda isn’t prestigious enough, some of its most popular models have been recreated as more exclusive and luxurious Acuras. At times the crossover is obvious – the Integra is clearly a lightly reworked Civic – though there’s less shared DNA between the Acura RDX and Honda’s CR-V. Acura has successfully carved its own niche through a focus on electrification and innovative design, and its forthcoming ZDX will also come in a high-performance Type S flavor.
| Founder: | A subsidiary of Honda |
| Founded In: | 1986 |
| Types of car: | Sedans, SUVs |
| Best-selling car: | Acura MDX |
Infiniti
Infiniti is to Nissan what Lexus is to Toyota – a premium brand with pricier products sporting greater specifications. Unlike Acura, there’s little evidence of shared architecture, reflecting Nissan’s determination to pitch its premium range at a different market. Excepting the high-performance Q50 sedan, you’ll be in an SUV (Infiniti claims the QX55 is a crossover coupe, but they’re not fooling anyone). These are luxurious SUVs, while the ownership experience extends to valet collection at service time – a luxurious touch we approve of.
| Founder: | A subsidiary of Nissan |
| Founded In: | 1989 |
| Types of car: | Sedans, SUVs |
| Best-selling car: | Infiniti QX60 |
Lexus
Toyota’s luxury arm is younger than Acura and no more established than Infiniti, yet it established a global precedent for mainstream marques launching successful premium divisions, including Genesis. Lexus tops our list because of its slavish devotion to perfection – the first-gen RX300 was ten years ahead of SUV competitors, making contenders like Jeep’s Grand Cherokee seem like dinosaurs. Today’s Lexus range includes sedans, coupes and SUVs, all with chiseled looks and exquisitely assembled interiors.
| Founder: | A subsidiary of Toyota |
| Founded In: | 1989 |
| Types of car: | Sedans, SUVs, sports cars |
| Best-selling car: | Lexus RX |
Frequently asked questions about Japanese car brands
While every Japanese car brand prides itself on manufacturing reliable cars, Honda has consistently topped reliability tables throughout this century. In a survey by RepairPal, Honda and Acura occupied the top two positions, even outstripping the legendary reliability associated with Subaru, Lexus, and Toyota.
Brand loyalists could argue the relative merits of different marques until the end of time, but for us, Mazda currently offers the best blend of vehicles. Beautifully assembled minimalist interiors are replicated across a range of roadsters, SUVs, hatchbacks and crossovers. Each model combines characterful design with bulletproof reliability and enviable specifications.
With an entire city named after its vast headquarters, and iconic models like Corolla, Camry, Land Cruiser and Prius in its current lineup, it’s no surprise that Toyota sells more cars worldwide than any other manufacturer.
If you look at sales figures, Toyota remains the favorite car brand in Japan. Its luxury Lexus arm also enjoys a prestigious reputation that rivals can only dream of replicating.
