The 12 best Japanese cars to buy in 2025
Japanese cars are usually machines you respect more than you lust after. Your sensible side tells you to buy a Toyota RAV4 because it’ll run forever and sip fuel like a monk, but the inner child whispers Porsche Macan Turbo — the one that rockets to 62mph in under four seconds and empties your bank account even faster.
That’s a wildly simplistic argument, of course, because when Japan decides to build a performance car, it doesn’t mess around. The Toyota 2000GT, Honda NSX, Nissan Skyline, and Lexus LFA are proof The Land of the Rising Sun has been nailing the art of the driver’s car for decades. Here are some of the finest Japanese creations you can buy today, from a pragmatic electric runabout to a half-million-pound restomod masterpiece.
Nissan Micra
If the new Nissan Micra looks suspiciously like a Renault 5, that’s because it is — just with new badges and a slightly different nose. As the old saying goes: if you can’t beat them, join them.
The Renault 5’s mix of retro charm and electric tech has been a hit, and Nissan clearly wants a slice of the action. Trouble is, the Micra doesn’t ooze quite the same nostalgic cool. It’s more “maths teacher’s car park” than “Parisian café chic.” To its credit, Nissan has leaned into its sensible side with darker interior tones that make it feel a touch more mature, even if the design is basically a photocopy of the Renault’s.
The exterior could’ve used bolder tweaks; right now it looks like a Renault 5 squinting into the sun. Still, it offers a solid 200-mile range and nippy performance for a city EV. The price, though, matches the more charismatic 5, making it a tough sell — for now. Give it a few years and some depreciation magic, and the Micra might just make sense.
Built By Legends R34 GT-R
We owe Masaharu Kuji and Katsu Takahashi two things: the legendary Best Motoring VHS series (YouTube gold for car nerds), and now one of the coolest car-building outfits in Japan.
Their company, Built By Legends, takes inspiration from Singer, which they personally toured, but their canvas is far more exciting to JDM fans: the R32, R33, and R34 Nissan Skylines. Their philosophy? Keep the soul, perfect everything else. In the R34’s case, that means a Mine’s MB7 engine with a 24U N1 block making 650PS (478kW), paired to a six-speed Getrag manual, advanced engine management and a carbon-fibre intake. AP Racing brakes, Öhlins dampers, better sound insulation and an improved ventilation system round it out.
The cabin keeps its stock look but is wrapped in Ultrasuede with a discreet modern infotainment unit. The result isn’t just faster — it’s friendlier. With twice the power of the original and refinement to match, this R34 is equal parts beast and beauty. The price tag? Around £500,000. But for the ultimate Skyline, that feels almost reasonable.
MZR Sport-Design 240Z
The MZR Sport-Design 240Z is to Nissan what a Singer 911 is to Porsche — a restomod that catapults the legendary 240 straight into the 21st century. We’re stretching the rules slightly, since the 240Z is Japanese but MZR builds its masterpieces in the UK.
The craftsmanship borders on obsessive. MZR starts with the cleanest shells from America’s desert states, then massages the 240Z’s classic shape with subtly widened steel arches (no fibreglass fakery here) to house its gorgeous three-piece alloys. The engine grows from 2.4 to 3.1-litres and breathes through independent throttle bodies, producing 290PS (214kW). Coilovers, new suspension arms, uprated brakes, a rebuilt Subaru Impreza LSD, and a six-speed Nissan Silvia gearbox complete the transformation.
Inside, a half-cage stiffens things up, but it’s the craftsmanship that’ll floor you. The 1970s vibe remains, but everything’s swathed in Nappa leather, the seats are finished in stylish weave and the gear knob is shaped from maple and mahogany. The best part? At £120,000, it’s roughly a third of the price of a Singer Porsche. Bargain.
Toyota Corolla
The butt of many jokes, the Toyota Corolla was once a car completely devoid of character, even if we could all respect engineering that made it one of the most reliable models on the planet. The latest Corolla, however, is a completely different (but still excellently engineered) kettle of fish.
For starters, there are the looks. The new Corolla had a striking design when it went on sale in 2020 and the subsequent years haven’t much diminished this, it’s still a car you’ll find yourself glancing at as you walk by. It’s also much better to drive than a Corolla of old. OK, so it’s no Focus, but the Corolla’s tight body control and accurate steering make it easy to hustle.
Admittedly, the hybrid drivetrain and CVT gearbox dull the car’s reactions, but the payoff is phenomenal fuel economy that means you’ll struggle to dip below 50mpg. Factor in excellent standard equipment which includes auto-driving aids and phone mirroring, and this is a sensible hatchback currently on sale. We all need to be sensible sometimes.
Mazda MX-5
It’s quite incredible to think that this generation of the Mazda MX-5 is still going strong, let alone the badge – drop-top sportscars are all but extinct in every other carmaker’s line-up.
It could be argued that the fourth-generation ‘ND’ model’s reign as the king of modern small sportscars has been so convincing that other manufacturers have decided not to bother. The ND MX-5 introduced in 2015 just seems to keep going, and will almost certainly get a replacement when the time is right, given its special place in the Mazda range.
The current version is a car true to its original brief, keeping its footprint and ultimately its weight strictly in line with the original of 1989. A small, high-revving 1.5-litre entry-level engine plays off against the thrills of the more powerful 2.0-litre.
Toyota GR86 Trueno Edition
As we know, the Toyota GR86 is already perfect. Like fresh sushi, it delivers perfectly balanced mouthfuls of flavour that make it one of the best sportscars money can buy, despite it being one of the cheapest.
Unlike the old GT86, the GR86 has the power to be interesting on the straights, but like the GT86, it's also cry-your-face-off hilarious in corners in a way a car this well-priced has no right to be.
The Trueno Edition nods back to the equally slidey AE86 with a bonnet wrapped in black, Trueno black graphics and a black-wrapped duckbill spoiler with a set of spindly black alloy wheels completing the job. Best of all, buyers can add a Performance Package that includes Sach dampers and Brembo brakes. Now there's a thing.
Nissan Z Coupé Nismo
Nissan has handed its latest Z car to its Nismo motorsport wing to produce the Z Coupé Nismo. It gets more power, a stiffer chassis, and a sharp body kit, making it look like a far more serious proposition than the standard Z.
The Nismo's 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 produces an extra 20PS (15kW) and 46Nm (34 lb-ft) for 420PS (309kW) and 521Nm (384lb-ft) total. Nismo also works on the chassis, adding a load of stiffening from which it hangs new dampers with increased spring rates and 19-inch Rays alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlop SP Sport Maxx rubber.
It should be good for 0-62mph in around four seconds (Nissan doesn't quote a time), but Nismo's magic is felt most in the chassis' vast quantities of grip and tomcat-like composure.
Honda Civic Type R
The Honda Civic Type R has been a common sight on British roads in its 25 years as one of the best hot-hatchbacks out there. The latest one, codenamed FL5, aims to land a knockout blow on the current brigade of 300PS plus rivals. But unlike many of those adversaries, the Civic does it in the only way it knows – using front-wheel-drive, a manual gearbox, and VTEC power.
The new car is a strong evolution of the former-favourite FK8 model, the updated appearance combining with an engine developing 329PS (242kW), suspension and chassis revisions designed to introduce more grip, and an interior that’s heavily updated and brought into the modern world.
You’ll pay a pretty penny more for this Type R than its predecessor though, with prices starting from just under £47,000.
Prodrive P25
Built by Prodrive, the P25 aims its Cupid's arrow at anyone who was a teenager in the 1990s when hearing the approaching warble of a Subaru flat-four was as common as the whir of electricity is today.
People who couldn't afford fast Subarus now have the cash, which is good because the P25 requires lots of money – each of the 25 examples sold for more than £500,000. If you had the money to buy one then you'll be rewarded with arguably the best road-going rally car money can buy, with a carbon-fibre body and a 2.5-litre turbocharged flat-four producing 446PS (328kW).
The P25's biggest boast is that it's 100kg lighter and 100PS (75kW) more potent than the haloed 22B. That’s almost sacrilegious around these parts.
Toyota GR Yaris
The 1.8-litre supercharged Yaris GRMN was a difficult sell, in a hot-supermini market eagerly awaiting the superb value Fiesta ST due not long after it. But Toyota’s second attempt at a ‘GR’ badged hot Yaris – the aptly named GR Yaris – is a different ball game entirely.
It’s a curious car, because its development was originally undertaken to create a WRC car for Toyota’s works team. As it was, the Yaris WRC model based on the previous-generation supermini would continue in competition, but Toyota decided to build the homologation special road-going GR Yaris anyway.
For a short three-door hatchback, it requires several unique engineering solutions to package a permanent four-wheel-drive system, powered by a 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine developing up to 272PS (200kW). It finally made its competition debut in the 2022 World Rally Championship season as the basis of the GR Yaris Rally1 entered by Toyota Gazoo Racing, winning the manufacturers title.
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota's Land Cruiser adds cool retro looks to its famously rugged off-roader to compete with the trend-setting Land Rover Defender. The Cruiser's boxy shape and circular headlights pay tribute to a heritage tracing back to the 50s.
Formed on a reputation for bulletproof reliability, the Land Cruiser brings the car brand up-to-date with big infotainment screens and hybrid motors.
Its sophisticated four-wheel drive guarantees its offroading credentials as do its generous ground clearance, low-range gearbox, locking differentials and detachable anti-roll bars for outrageous wheel articulation.
Mitsuoka Buddy
Mitsuoka’s mad creations never fail to impress. There’s something uniquely Japanese about the weirdness of its miniaturised homages to classic British cars, but the brand also likes to push iconic American cars through its uncanny-valley design workshop.
The MX-5-based Rock Star evokes a Corvette Stingray, but the Buddy is the marque’s first SUV. It uses the technical basis of the latest Toyota RAV4, but with a boxy makeover intended to pay homage to the K5-generation Chevrolet Blazer, complete with BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres and ‘80s steel wheels.
It’s not available here in the UK, but Bookham-based TW White - Mitsuoka’s UK dealer - still advertises the Jaguar XK120 inspired Mitsuoka Roadster.
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