Cars from Japan

How ordering a car from Japan works

A search for a car to order starts with a brief rather than a specific lot. There are two ways to order a car: leave the search to the GTYRES team or send a car that has already turned up at auction.

What to send for a car search or a lot check

• The model you need, or several suitable models.
• The year, mileage and must-have equipment.
• The budget all the way to the city where you plan to collect the car.
• If a lot has already been found — a link to it or its full auction sheet.

A full auction sheet is needed because a cropped fragment may leave out the note that matters. The proposed car is checked, and the costs are calculated for that particular car. What gets checked on the sheet and in the photos is explained in detail in the article on how GTYRES checks a lot before bidding.

Before the auction, the maximum bid is agreed, a contract is signed — in the office or remotely — and the payment procedure is settled. The bid is placed on the agreed lot and within that amount, and if the car could not be bought, further options with the same requirements are selected or the requirements themselves are reviewed together.

After a successful bid, an invoice is issued for the Japanese part of the costs: the lot price, the auction fee and transport within Japan. To bring the car to Russia, it is shipped by sea to Vladivostok; there it goes through clearance and after that either waits for its owner or travels by car carrier to the owner's city. Both options appear in the order stories: the Irkutsk buyer of a Volkswagen Passat (in Russian) collected the car in Vladivostok in person, while a Toyota Premio (in Russian) was brought to Irkutsk by car carrier after arriving in Vladivostok.

What makes up the cost of a car from Japan

Compare offers by the cost through to handover. For a Japanese order, the calculator itemises each stage; the bid and additional work are agreed for the individual car.

In GTYRES estimates, “delivered” means the total up to collection of the car in Vladivostok or in the chosen city, not the lot price. The make-up and size of this total differ from car to car — some costs also depend on the exchange rate and the route — so the full estimate for the chosen car is agreed before it is bought, and the stage-by-stage payment procedure is set out in “How to buy”.

Japan → Vladivostok

Example amounts for collection in Vladivostok

These amounts were quoted for Japanese cars of different classes collected in Vladivostok. Each one applies to its own car and date and is not the auction lot price; the examples give no breakdown of the amounts.

The amount for another car is calculated afresh: it depends on the lot price, the production year, the engine and the exchange rate on the date of calculation.

Where to start when choosing a model

Which petrol Honda versions with a 1.5-litre engine stay within 160 hp, and which chassis codes identify them, is set out on the model pages: Honda Freed, Honda Vezel and Honda Fit.

Если модель ещё не выбрана, начните с catalog: сравните поколения, кузова и комплектации. Оснащение конкретного автомобиля проверяют по его документам и фотографиям. Для разных задач собраны подборки: five- and seven-seat family cars, all-wheel drive and models up to 160 hp. Versions within one model are easier to tell apart with the chassis code of a Japanese car. Устройство гибридных систем Honda и Nissan объясняем отдельно в справочном разборе.

Model guides

Once the choice narrows to one or two models, it helps to know in advance how their generations and versions differ. For four models this is covered in separate articles:

• Nissan Note and e-POWER: which engine in which generation — when the e-POWER hybrid arrived on the Note, in which years petrol versions ran alongside it and how the chassis code tells them apart.
• Toyota Sienta: choosing the generation, engine and number of seats — how the three generations differ: where the hybrid and E-Four electric all-wheel drive appeared and how many seats the cabin can have.
• Nissan Serena: C27 or C28, S-HYBRID or e-POWER, and why eight seats — how S-HYBRID differs from the two generations of e-POWER and which versions have eight seats.
• Honda Fit: telling the generation and version from the chassis code — what the chassis code says about the generation, engine and drive layout, and how the three Fit hybrids differ.

Which car to start with

Start by deciding what the car will carry every day: one driver, a family with luggage or several passengers. Petrol Hondas with a 1.5-litre engine and up to 160 hp come in different versions of the Fit, Freed, Vezel and Stepwgn. The number of seats, how easy it is to get in and the boot help narrow the choice, and the engine and specification are then checked against the documents of the particular car.

For family trips it is worth comparing the Stepwgn generations and layout. If a large minivan is more than you need, you can start with the petrol Yaris Cross or the compact N-ONE, N-WGN and N-BOX. A review helps you choose the version, while the auction sheet and photos show the condition of the particular car.

If your choice has settled on the petrol Yaris Cross, the next step is the budget all the way to the city where the car will be collected. What makes it up and how to calculate it together with the city of collection is covered in the article on budgeting for a Toyota Yaris Cross from Japan. How such a path looks for a particular car can be seen in the Yaris Cross Z order story: a black 2023 Yaris Cross Z was bought at auction in August 2026, inspected in Japan before shipping and costed up to Vladivostok, and on 28 September the car was sent on from there to Irkutsk.

In our Stepwgn order for Danila in August–September 2026 we looked for a Spada in the new body with low mileage. We bought a petrol RP6 first registered in July 2022 with 16,752 km on the clock, replaced the tyres and prepared the car for shipping. The total came to ₽2,194,420 to Vladivostok; insurance was not included in this amount. There was no onward car-carrier delivery in this order.

You can start with the selection of cars up to 160 hp, or, if space matters more, with choosing a family car (in Russian). For an estimate, it helps to name the city, the number of passengers and the equipment you would not buy a car without right from the start.

What to clarify before a cost estimate

A cost estimate starts with a specific vehicle: model, year, trim, engine and mileage. Photos of the body and interior, service history and inspection results help assess its condition and identify any work to discuss before shipping.

An estimate should show the purchase, transport and preparation in Japan, and shipping and processing in Russia. State the destination city at the start: onward transport from Vladivostok and additional work are agreed for the individual order.