# Car of the Year Japan

The annual Car of the Year Japan Award (日本カー・オブ・ザ・イヤー, nihon kā obu za iyā), also known as Japan Car of the Year (or JCOTY), is an annual Car of the Year award given for newly released or redesigned vehicles released in the car buying market in Japan in the twelve months beginning 1 November.
The award has been presented since 1980. The current recipient of the award for 2022 to 2023 is the Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi eK X EV.
The first non-Japanese car to win the award was the Volkswagen Golf in 2013, followed by the Volvo XC60 in 2017 and the Volvo XC40 in 2018. The highest-placed car from the United States was the Jeep Cherokee, which was eliminated in the final round in 2014 and was placed eighth. The supervisory board is made up primarily of Japanese automotive journalists.
The award is not associated with the more recent Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference (RJC) RJC Car of the Year Award, which has been issued since 1992.

## Recipients

Car of the Year Japan :
| Year | Winner | Special Award |
| 1980–1981 | Mazda Familia | |
| 1981–1982 | Toyota Soarer | |
| 1982–1983 | Mazda Capella/Ford Telstar | |
| 1983–1984 | Honda Civic/Ballade | |
| 1984–1985 | Toyota MR2 | |
| 1985–1986 | Honda Accord/Vigor | |
| 1986–1987 | Nissan Pulsar/EXA/Langley/Liberta Villa | |
| 1987–1988 | Mitsubishi Galant | |
| 1988–1989 | Nissan Silvia | |
| 1989–1990 | Toyota Celsior | |
| 1990–1991 | Mitsubishi Diamante | Toyota Estima |
| 1991–1992 | Honda Civic | Mitsubishi Pajero |
| 1992–1993 | Nissan March | Isuzu Bighorn |
| 1993–1994 | Honda Accord | Toyota Supra |
| 1994–1995 | Mitsubishi FTO | Honda Odyssey |
| 1995–1996 | Honda Civic | Nissan Terrano |
| 1996–1997 | Mitsubishi Galant/Legnum | Mazda Demio |
| 1997–1998 | Toyota Prius | Isuzu VehiCROSS |
| 1998–1999 | Toyota Altezza | Honda Z |
| 1999–2000 | Toyota Vitz/Platz/Fun Cargo | Honda S2000 |
| 2000–2001 | Honda Civic/Stream | Subaru Impreza |
| 2001–2002 | Honda Fit | Toyota Estima Hybrid |
| 2002–2003 | Honda Accord | Nissan Fairlady Z (Most Fun) BMW 7 Series (Most Advanced Technology) |
| 2003–2004 | Subaru Legacy | Mazda RX-8 (Most Fun) Nissan Teana (Best Value) Jaguar XJ (Most Advanced Technology) |
| 2004–2005 | Honda Legend | BMW 1 Series (Most Fun) Mazda Verisa (Best Value) Honda Legend (Most Advanced Technology) |
| 2005–2006 | Mazda Roadster | Suzuki Swift (Most Fun) Honda Civic/Civic Hybrid (Most Advanced Technology) |
| 2006–2007 | Lexus LS460 | Audi TT (Most Fun) Mitsubishi i (Most Advanced Technology) Honda Stream (Best Value) |
| 2007–2008 | Honda Fit | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X (Most Fun) Volkswagen Golf (Most Advanced Technology) Daihatsu Mira (Best Value) |
| 2008–2009 | Toyota iQ | Nissan GT-R (Most Advanced Technology) Subaru Exiga (Most Fun) Honda Freed (Best Value) |
| 2009–2010 | Toyota Prius | Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Most Advanced Technology) Nissan Fairlady Z (Most Fun) Subaru Legacy (Best Value) Honda Fit (Best Third Decade Car) |
| 2010–2011 | Honda CR-Z | Peugeot RCZ |
| 2011–2012 | Nissan Leaf | Mazda Demio |
| 2012–2013 | Mazda CX-5 | Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ |
| 2013–2014 | Volkswagen Golf | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Innovation) Mazda Atenza (Emotional) Suzuki Spacia/Mazda Flair Wagon (Small Mobility) Daihatsu Move Front Lift (Special Award) |
| 2014–2015 | Mazda Demio | BMW i3 (Innovation) Honda N-WGN (Small Mobility) Toyota’s approach to fuel cell vehicles (Special Award) |
| 2015–2016 | Mazda Roadster | Tesla Model S (Innovation) Suzuki Alto/Alto Lapin (Small Mobility) Yanase (Special Award) Toyota Mirai (Special Award) |
| 2016–2017 | Subaru Impreza | Nissan Serena (Innovation) BMW M2 (Emotional) Daihatsu Move Canbus (Small Mobility) Honda NSX (Special Award) |
| 2017–2018 | Volvo XC60 | Toyota Prius PHV (Innovation) Lexus LC (Emotional) Honda N-Box (Small Mobility) Toyota (Special Award) Takuma Sato (Special Award) |
| 2018–2019 | Volvo XC40 | Honda Clarity PHEV (Innovation) BMW X2 (Emotional) Daihatsu Mira Tocot (Small Mobility) Toyota Gazoo Racing (Special Award) Honda N-Van (Special Award) |
| 2019–2020 | Toyota RAV4 | Nissan Skyline (Innovation) Jeep Wrangler (Emotional) Nissan Dayz and Mitsubishi eK X/eK Wagon (Small Mobility) |
| 2020–2021 | Subaru Levorg | Mazda MX-30 (Design) Audi e-tron Sportback (Technology) BMW Alpina B3 (Performance) Nissan Roox and Mitsubishi eK X Space/eK Space (K Car) |
| 2021–2022 | Nissan Note | BMW 4 Series (Design) Mitsubishi Outlander (Technology) Chevrolet Corvette (Performance) Honda N-One (K Car) Toyota Gazoo Racing (Special Award) Honda (Special Award) |
| 2022–2023 | Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi eK X EV | BMW iX (Design) Nissan X-Trail (Technology) Honda Civic e:HEV/Type R (Performance) Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi eK X EV (K Car) |
| 2023-2024 | Toyota Prius | Mitsubishi Delica Mini (Design) Nissan Serena (Technology) |
| 2024-2025 | Honda Freed | Mitsubishi Triton (Design) Honda CR-V e:FCEV (Technology) |
Japan Import Car of the Year :
| Year | Winner |
| 1994–1995 | Mercedes-Benz C200 |
| 1995–1996 | MG F |
| 1996–1997 | Mercedes-Benz SLK |
| 1997–1998 | Renault Mégane Scénic |
| 1998–1999 | Mercedes-Benz A-Class |
| 1999–2000 | Rover 75 |
| 2000–2001 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
| 2001–2002 | Alfa Romeo 147 |
| 2002–2003 | None |
| 2003–2004 | None |
| 2004–2005 | Volkswagen Golf |
| 2005–2006 | BMW 3 Series |
| 2006–2007 | Citroën C6 |
| 2007–2008 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
| 2008–2009 | Citroën C5 |
| 2009–2010 | Volkswagen Golf |
| 2010–2011 | Volkswagen Polo |
| 2011–2012 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
| 2012–2013 | BMW 3 Series |
| 2013–2014 | None |
| 2014–2015 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class |
| 2015–2016 | BMW 2 Series Active Tourer/Gran Tourer |
| 2016–2017 | Audi A4 |
| 2017–2018 | None |
| 2018–2019 | None |
| 2019–2020 | BMW 3 Series |
| 2020–2021 | Peugeot 208/e-208 |
| 2021–2022 | Volkswagen Golf |
| 2022–2023 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 |
| 2023-2024 | BMW X1 |
| 2024-2025 | MINI Cooper |

## Most wins by manufacturer

| Total Wins | Manufacturer |
| 12 | Honda |
| 9 | Toyota |
| 6 | Mazda |
| 6 | Nissan |
| 5 | Mitsubishi |
| 2 | Subaru |
| 2 | Volvo |
| 1 | Lexus |
| 1 | Volkswagen |
| 1 | Hyundai |