What is the best first car to buy in Kenya?
Last updated · Cada car guides
A good first car in Kenya is small, common and simple: a Toyota Vitz or Passo, Honda Fit, Nissan Note or Mazda Demio, or a Toyota Axio if you need a boot. They are cheap to insure and fuel, every garage can fix them, parts are easy to find and they resell quickly. Avoid rare imports, big engines and cars without service records for a first purchase.
| Look for | Common model, ≤1500cc, service records, automatic or manual as you drive |
|---|---|
| Avoid | Rare models, big engines, no history |
First-car favourites: KRA values and import estimates
| Model | Engines (KRA) | Import estimate, newest year | Import estimate, oldest year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Vitz | 1496cc | 2026: KES 2,750,000 – KES 2,950,000 | 2019: KES 1,150,000 – KES 1,250,000 |
| Toyota Passo | 996–998cc | 2026: KES 1,950,000 – KES 2,300,000 | 2019: KES 840,000 – KES 970,000 |
| Honda Fit | 1317–1496cc | 2026: KES 1,900,000 – KES 3,200,000 | 2019: KES 830,000 – KES 1,350,000 |
| Nissan Note | 1198cc | 2026: KES 2,750,000 – KES 3,200,000 | 2019: KES 1,150,000 – KES 1,350,000 |
| Mazda Demio | 1298–1498cc | 2026: KES 2,600,000 – KES 3,250,000 | 2019: KES 1,100,000 – KES 1,400,000 |
| Toyota Axio | 1496cc | 2026: KES 2,750,000 – KES 3,150,000 | 2019: KES 1,150,000 – KES 1,350,000 |
Landed and registered in Kenya, from KRA CRSP schedule, effective 1 July 2025; exchange and freight rates checked 2026-10-21. Estimate — final KRA assessment may differ.
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Sources
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the authority named in the sources before you pay.