Money Hub Japan > English > Tax > Car Ownership Cost
Japan Car Ownership Cost Calculator
Owning a car in Japan involves more than fuel and parking — there are several taxes, two kinds of insurance, and the biennial shaken inspection. Enter a few details to estimate your true annual cost, the 13-year total, and cost per kilometre (handy for comparing against car-sharing).
Inputs
An average private car drives ~8,000 km/year
Leave 0 to use the class default
0 if you park on your own property
Leave 0 to use the class default
Leave 0 for default. Oil, tyres, etc.
0 if paid in cash / paid off
Annual cost breakdown
Per year
255,238JPY
Per month
21,270JPY
| Automobile tax | 30,500 JPY |
| Weight tax (annualised) | 8,200 JPY |
| Compulsory insurance (annualised) | 8,760 JPY |
| Voluntary insurance | 65,000 JPY |
| Shaken inspection (annualised) | 25,000 JPY |
| Fuel | 77,778 JPY |
| Parking | 0 JPY |
| Maintenance & consumables | 40,000 JPY |
- 13-year total (excl. loan)
- 3,318,094 JPY
- Cost per km
- 31.9 JPY
Estimate. Tax and shaken figures are class-based averages (FY2026); actual amounts vary with engine size, vehicle weight, eco-car tax breaks and region. If you drive under ~5,000 km/year, car-sharing is often cheaper.
What makes up the cost
- Automobile tax (paid every May) — by engine size; kei cars are far cheaper.
- Weight tax + compulsory insurance (jibaiseki) — paid at the biennial shaken; shown annualised.
- Voluntary insurance (nin’i hoken) — optional but strongly recommended; direct-type is cheaper.
- Shaken inspection — every 2 years; the maintenance/agency portion varies a lot by provider.
- Fuel, parking, maintenance — parking can be the biggest line item in cities.
FAQ
- Q. Roughly how much does a car cost per year in Japan?
- A kei car runs about 200,000–300,000 JPY/year, a compact 300,000–400,000, a standard car 400,000–550,000, and a large car/SUV 500,000–700,000 — before parking. Monthly city parking of 20,000 JPY adds 240,000/year.
- Q. What is “shaken”?
- Shaken (車検) is a mandatory roadworthiness inspection every 2 years (3 years for a new car). It bundles weight tax, compulsory insurance and an inspection/maintenance fee. Costs vary widely between dealers, inspection chains and independent garages — get quotes.
- Q. Should I own or use car-sharing?
- If you drive under about 5,000 km/year, car-sharing or rentals are often cheaper because ownership has large fixed costs (tax, insurance, parking) regardless of use. Compare with the cost-per-km figure above.
Estimate for FY2026 using class-based averages. Actual taxes depend on engine size, vehicle weight, age and eco-car incentives. See the Japanese version for a savings guide.