"First Car" and "Driving with Children" Survey 2026 ~Harrier is the #1 car "given up on" for a first car. What was the #1 car actually purchased? And more (Part 2)

Sony Assurance Inc. (Representative Director and President: Takayuki Suzuki, Head Office: Ota-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter "Sony Assurance") conducted an internet research survey titled "Survey on First Car Ownership and Driving with Children" for five days from February 20 to February 24, 2026, targeting men and women aged 18 to 39 who purchased their first car within the last three years, obtaining 1,000 valid responses.

This release is an excerpt from the "Survey on First Car Ownership and Driving with Children 2026" announced by Sony Assurance on March 31. The full text of the survey can be viewed at the following URL:

https://from.sonysonpo.co.jp/topics/pr/2026/03/20260331.html

*Survey Summary

◆Top cars chosen for first car: 1st "N-BOX", 2nd "Prius", 3rd "Tanto" and "Freed"
1st for male respondents: "Prius", 1st for female respondents: "N-BOX"

◆Reasons for choosing a first car:
1st "Affordable price", 2nd "Just the right size", 3rd "Good exterior design"
"Easy to get in and out" was most common for "N-BOX", "Good fuel efficiency" for "Prius"

◆"Had a car they wanted to buy as their first car but gave up on" 20.9%
Top cars given up on: 1st "Harrier", 2nd "N-BOX" and "Mercedes-Benz"

◆"Gave a nickname to their first car" 13.2%
Nicknames given include "Akutan", "Senpai", "Hitoko", "Norimaki", etc.

When asked about the names of the cars actually purchased as their first car, the results were: 1st "N-BOX (Honda)" (40 respondents), 2nd "Prius (Toyota)" (30 respondents), 3rd "Tanto (Daihatsu)" and "Freed (Honda)" (25 respondents each), and 5th "Sienta (Toyota)" and "Lapin (Suzuki)" (24 respondents each).

Compared to last year's survey results (※2), "N-BOX (Honda)" rose from 5th place in 2025 to 1st place in 2026.

By gender, "Prius (Toyota)" (24 respondents) was 1st for men, followed by 2nd "N-BOX (Honda)" (15 respondents), 3rd "Aqua (Toyota)" and "Fit (Honda)" (14 respondents each), and 5th "Sienta (Toyota)" (12 respondents). On the other hand, for women, "N-BOX (Honda)" (25 respondents) was 1st, followed by 2nd "Lapin (Suzuki)" (21 respondents), 3rd "Tanto (Daihatsu)" and "Freed (Honda)" (14 respondents each), and 5th "Sienta (Toyota)", "Move Canvas (Daihatsu)", and "Move (Daihatsu)" (12 respondents each).

※2: "Survey on First Car Ownership and Driving with Children 2025" announced on March 31, 2025
https://from.sonysonpo.co.jp/topics/pr/2025/03/20250331.html

Next, when asked about the reasons for choosing their first car, the top reasons were: 1st "Affordable price" (24.0%), 2nd "Just the right size" (20.9%), and 3rd "Good exterior design" (18.9%).

Looking at the responses from those who purchased their first car due to "pregnancy/childbirth" (97 respondents), the top reasons were: 1st "Affordable price" (23.7%), 2nd "Just the right size" (19.6%), and 3rd "Spacious interior", "Easy to get in and out", and "Good maneuverability" (18.6% each). "Spacious interior" was 6.7 percentage points higher than the overall average. It suggests that many people prioritized interior comfort and sufficient space for baby seats and child seats.

By car model actually purchased as a first car, for "N-BOX (Honda)", the top reasons were 1st "Easy to get in and out" (32.5%) and 2nd "Spacious interior" (30.0%). For "Prius (Toyota)", the top reasons were 1st "Good fuel efficiency" (33.3%) and 2nd "Excellent driving performance" (30.0%). Furthermore, for "Tanto (Daihatsu)", "Affordable price" (40.0%) was most common. For "Freed (Honda)", "Just the right size" and "Spacious interior" (36.0% each) were most common. For "Sienta (Toyota)", "Easy to get in and out" (45.8%) was most common. For "Lapin (Suzuki)", "Good interior design" (37.5%) was most common.

When asked if there was a car they wanted to buy as their first car but gave up on, 20.9% answered "Yes" and 79.1% answered "No".

Among the 209 respondents who had a car they wanted to buy as their first car but gave up on, when asked for the names of those cars, the results were: 1st "Harrier (Toyota)" (13 respondents), 2nd "N-BOX (Honda)" and "Mercedes-Benz" (11 respondents each), 4th "Prius (Toyota)" (10 respondents), and 5th "Lexus" (9 respondents).

By gender, "Harrier (Toyota)" was 1st for men (8 respondents), and "Mercedes-Benz" was 1st for women (6 respondents).

When asked if they gave a name (nickname) to their first car, 13.2% answered "Yes" and 86.8% answered "No".

Among the 132 respondents who gave a name (nickname) to their first car, when asked for the names and reasons, male respondents gave answers such as "Akutan" (Aqua, Toyota, because it's cute), "Johnny" (Wagon R, Suzuki, because it's cool), "Senpai" (Corolla Sport, Toyota, out of respect), "Smile" (Lexus, from a pet's name), "Tomashige" (Impreza, Subaru, from grandfather's name). Female respondents gave answers such as "Hitoko" (Jeep, from an idol's nickname), "Kopan" (Lapin, Suzuki, because it's a small kei car), "Norimaki" (Volkswagen, because it's black), "Fit-chan" (Fit, Honda, because they thought they should at least add "-chan"), and "Ranmaru" (Audi, from a former pet's name).

※For the full survey results, please see below.

https://from.sonysonpo.co.jp/topics/pr/2026/03/20260331.html