Transport & communication · code 7105
Kei-car (light vehicle)
軽乗用車
Key facts
As of August 2026, kei-car (light vehicle) prices in Japan are up 1.0% year on year and up 9.6% over five years. The official consumer price index stands at 110.1 (2020 = 100), up 13.6% versus January 1980, when the series begins.
Kei-car (light vehicle) sits in the transport & communication group of Japan's CPI basket, with 560 monthly observations from January 1980 to August 2026. The series peaked at 110.1 in August 2026 and bottomed at 96.0 in January 2014; the latest reading is at its highest recorded level. Against ten years ago it is +10.8%.
Latest CPI
110.1
2026-08 (2020=100)
YoY %
+1.0%
5y change %
+9.6%
Change since 1980-01
+13.6%
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 98.9 | +0.8% | 12 |
| 2016 | 99.2 | +0.3% | 12 |
| 2017 | 98.6 | -0.6% | 12 |
| 2018 | 99.1 | +0.5% | 12 |
| 2019 | 99.4 | +0.3% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2021 | 100.5 | +0.5% | 12 |
| 2022 | 101.2 | +0.7% | 12 |
| 2023 | 102.7 | +1.5% | 12 |
| 2024 | 105.7 | +2.9% | 12 |
| 2025 | 108.6 | +2.7% | 12 |
| 2026 | 109.6 | +0.9% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
- How much have kei-car (light vehicle) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +1.0% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have kei-car (light vehicle) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +9.6% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 110.1.
- When were kei-car (light vehicle) prices in Japan at their highest?
- Right now. The latest month, August 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 110.1 — a record high since the series began.
- What is the difference between the index and the yen price?
- This page carries two kinds of number. The index (2020 = 100) measures percentage change over time and is not a yen amount; the yen figure is an actual average retail price from the government's retail price survey. Source: 総務省統計局 消費者物価指数 (e-Stat table 0003427113, nationwide, monthly).