Kei cars inspire new class of European EVs

Admin

December 24, 2025
3 min read

Kei cars inspire new class of European EVs

The EU’s legislative arm, the European Commission (EC) is taking inspiration from Japanese kei cars as it works on plans for a new class of small European-made electric vehicles (EVs), incentivising manufacturers by offering credits against emissions targets.

The EC has already agreed to work with manufacturers on the development of the new class, inspired by Japan’s kei-car classification of small cars. This comes following the postponement of an outright ban on fossil fuel vehicles.

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The new classification, the EC has revealed, will be for small EVs, no more than 4.2 metres in length. That’s still a little larger than the 3.4 metre maximum that Japanese regulations allow for kei cars. It would mean that cars, including the Renault 4 and 5, as well as Volkswagen’s upcoming ID Polo, will all be eligible for the category.

The EC has also said it aims to freeze requirements for the category for a decade to allow certainty to manufacturers. The rules will need still need to be approved by the European Parliament.

Japanese kei cars are a category of small vehicles that are subject to discounts and other incentives in the country. They notably wear yellow license plates in contrast to the white plates that regular cars in Japan are required to. The classification was introduced after World War 2 to boost mobility for the country’s population as well as helping its economy recover.

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