The Honda N Box has been Japan's best selling kei car for a fair few years, and it often outsells everything else on the road over there too. This 2017 N Box Custom G Turbo SS with the Black Style package has just arrived through our personal import service for one of our customers. It's graded 4 at auction, it has covered 68,000 miles and it's finished in pearl white.
Why the N Box sells so well in Japan
Kei cars are built around strict size limits, so they have to fit narrow Japanese streets and small parking spaces. Most manufacturers handle that by making their cars low and light, but Honda went the other way and made the N Box as tall and square as the rules allow. That gives it far more headroom and legroom than you'd expect from a car that's under 3.4m long, along with a cabin that feels closer to a small MPV than a city car.
It also had a lot of trust behind it from the start. Japanese buyers know Honda for reliability, and the N Box offers that alongside low running costs, which explains how it ended up on so many driveways.
Practical despite its size
The SS package gives you dual power sliding rear doors, which make the N Box much easier to live with in a tight car park. You can open them fully even with a car parked right next to you, and with no transmission tunnel and a low flat floor, getting in and out of the back is easy for anyone. The rear seats also fold completely flat, so a weekly shop or a trip to the tip fits in without much effort.
Custom G Turbo SS Black Style Package
The Custom trim gives the N Box a sharper front end and a more upmarket look than the standard car, and the Black Style package adds darker detailing that suits the pearl white paint. The G Turbo uses Honda's 660cc three cylinder turbo engine with 64PS, paired with a CVT. The turbo makes a noticeable difference in a car this tall. It pulls cleanly through town and copes with dual carriageways better than the non turbo models.
Like every kei car, the N Box is cheap to buy and runs on very little fuel. Parts and servicing cost much less than most UK equivalents too. If you want something small and practical for daily use, with a bit more character than a European city car, it makes a lot of sense.
How we brought this N Box over
This car was sourced through our personal import service, which we've been running since 2001. When a customer comes to us with a brief, they get a dedicated account manager who helps narrow down the right model, spec and budget, then keeps them updated until the car is handed over.
Our team in Japan physically inspects every car before we bid. We only bid, up to a budget agreed in advance, if the inspection report meets the customer's standards and ours. Once the car is bought, we deregister it in Japan, move it to our secure compound and book it onto a ship. The customer gets a detailed photo album of the car at that point.
When the car lands in the UK, we take care of the import paperwork, UK conversions, compliance testing and registration. We can also service it, fit upgrades, add underbody protection or have it detailed before handover, so it arrives ready to use.
The N Box is a good example of how much is available in Japan beyond the performance cars we're best known for. Kei cars, minivans, trucks and even European models all come through the auctions, and we can find most of them for you.
