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Kei cars might be some of the smallest in the world, but they're some of the coolest, with epic cars such as the Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino

When it comes to the coolest cars, we all have different views on what’s cool and what isn’t. For many of us, the coolest cars are the fastest. The supercars and hypercars of this world, the ones that grab our attention the most. Maybe for some of us it is classic cars that are the coolest out there, and not anything modern. However, a car doesn’t have to be fast, powerful or particularly stylish to be cool. In fact, we think small cars can be very cool indeed.

Small cars can be fast. Small cars can be stylish. And small cars can, and most importantly, be a lot of fun. That is why we think Kei cars are very cool. Kei cars are only ever seen in Japan, from brands like Honda and Toyota, unless you import one, and they are some of the coolest cars out there. Small, agile, and full of character they really are unlike anything else on the roads today. Plus, there is a huge variety on what Kei cars are out there ranging from almost minivan style ones, to some sporty little Kei cars. Dismiss them at your peril. Kei cars are cool.

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We are sure many of you know what a Kei car is, but we are also sure that some of you don’t so allow us to explain it to you. A Kei car is also known as a Japanese microcar, and they are the smallest highway-legal passenger cars in Japan with restricted dimensions and engine capacity. They are the equivalent of the EU A-segment, also known as city cars. The regulations for Kei cars debuted in 1949, and have undergone several revisions since then, but fundamentally it's about having a small car in a tight space.

A minimum vehicle size, engine capacity and power output is naturally specified in the regulations, to allow owners to enjoy tax and insurance benefits. In rural areas, Kei cars are also exempt from the requirement in Japan to certify that adequate parking is available for them. Kei cars are ideal for cities like Tokyo, where a small house may only have a tiny area in front of it to park a car. They are the perfect size for those and the rural environment and make up nearly a third of domestic car sales in Japan.

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What helps to make Kei cars so cool isn’t just their size, or the tax and insurance benefits owners can enjoy. It’s the sheer wealth of options available to those who want one. Amazingly, sporty Kei cars exist like the Honda Beat, the last car approved by the legendary Soichiro Honda. Honda would succeed the Beat with the formidable S660, a turbo inline-three powered Kei car. Yes, you read that right, a turbo Kei car. Amazingly, the original Beat could rev at over 8,000 rpm, not something you would expect.

The Beat isn’t the only cool and sporty Kei car. The Suzuki Cappuccino defies its name with its three-cylinder turbocharged engine giving a punch convertible experience, while the Mazda Autozam AZ-1 is the very definition of a micro-supercar. Again, this was a three-cylinder machine. But other epic microcars have been available too, such as the Honda N Box, effectively a mini-minivan, and it might be a little box on wheels, but there is something very cute about its appearance. It's practical, has sliding rear seats and can even carry a wheelchair. And how about the Suzuki Mighty Boy, a micro-pickup truck that yes, only had 28 hp and wasn’t a huge success, but isn’t it just cool?

Part of the appeal of a Kei car is simply the character they all have. Whether it’s a sporty Beat or Cappuccino, or the N Box or the Toyota Pixis Mega, another little minivan, the Kei car in all its forms has a lot of character. It doesn’t matter if they are sleek or boxy but they pretty much all look good, and yet some of them are surprisingly spacious. Their small size is very refreshing in a world where cars just seem to get bigger and bigger, and they are great fun to drive, and throw around corners in rural Japan.

A Kei car might be small, but they are certainly perfectly formed. They really do back up the mantra that a small car can be a lot of fun. A Kei car is something totally different to practically anything else on the road, and we are also highly excited about the possibility of an electric Kei car one day, in the not-too-distant future. There have been some missteps in the Kei car world of course, there is bound to be. But we love them, and hope they are around for a very long time.

Sources: Honda, Suzuki, Cars And Bids

Covering anything from JDM cars to classic jets. Contributed to HotCars since the Autumn of 2018. Writes features, news and list articles.