Honda Acty Buyer’s Guide (2026): Generations, Real Japan Prices, and What to Check Before You Import

Disclosure: this guide contains referral links, marked where they appear. All prices are independently measured from public data on the dates shown.

The Honda Acty is the kei truck Americans search for more than any other, and the one with the widest gap between what it costs in Japan and what it sells for in the US. On August 18, 2026 I measured every 25-year-eligible Acty truck publicly listed for sale in Japan: all 83 of them. The median asking price for the configuration US buyers want most — second-generation 4WD — was ¥420,000, about $2,642. The average asking price for an Acty already in the United States is $10,168 on Classic.com.

I research Japan’s used vehicle market from Sapporo. This guide covers which Acty to buy, what each generation actually costs on both sides of the Pacific, the Attack trim everyone asks about, and the specific checks that separate a good import from a rolling repair bill.

The 60-Second Verdict

For most buyers: a second-generation HA4 — 656cc, 4WD, 5-speed manual — with a clean underbody and documented timing-belt service. It is the proven configuration: mechanically simple, deeply supported by parts suppliers, and the one the US market already understands, which matters on resale day.

The contrarian play is the early third generation (HA6/HA7, built 1999 onward), which only began crossing the 25-year line in 2024. As of this writing, trucks built through mid-2001 are import-eligible, and a new production month qualifies every month. The US market barely has any yet, while in Japan my measured median for these newer, better-appointed trucks is actually lower than the second generation’s, because Japanese buyers don’t price the 25-year rule into anything. That mismatch will not last forever.

Generations and the 25-Year Calendar

Honda built the Acty across four generations from 1977 to 2021, as both a truck (HA chassis codes) and a van (HH codes). What makes it mechanically distinctive is the layout: the engine sits amidships, under the load bed, driving the rear wheels. That gives it better weight distribution than the under-seat layouts of rivals, a flat cab floor, and less engine noise in your ear.

Generation	Years	Truck codes	Import status (August 2026)
1st	1977–1988	TA/TB/TC era	Eligible, but a 545cc-class collector piece rather than a work truck
2nd	1988–1999	HA1/HA2 (547cc), then HA3/HA4 (656cc from 1990)	Fully eligible — the mainstream choice
3rd	1999–2009	HA6 (2WD) / HA7 (4WD)	Newly opening: builds through mid-2001 eligible now, rolling monthly
4th	2009–2021	HA8/HA9	Not until 2034+

Two details matter when you shop. First, the 1990 mid-generation update is the line that counts within gen 2: it brought the 656cc E07A engine, the version with enough power (roughly 40–45 hp, top speed around 65–70 mph depending on drivetrain) to keep up on modern secondary roads. The earlier 547cc trucks are noticeably slower and best left to collectors. Second, eligibility runs on the build month rather than the model year; the caution plate and export certificate are how you verify it, as covered in the import guide.

What Actys Cost in Japan Right Now — Measured, Not Guessed

These figures are the complete public dealer inventory of 25-year-eligible Acty trucks on Carsensor, Japan’s largest vehicle marketplace, measured August 18, 2026. Yen converted at ¥159/USD and rounded to the nearest dollar.

Configuration	Listings	Median asking price	Range
2nd gen (HA3/HA4, to 1998) — all	51	¥400,000 (≈$2,516)	¥210,000–1,250,000
2nd gen — 4WD only	32	¥420,000 (≈$2,642)	—
3rd gen early (HA6/HA7, 1999–2001) — all	32	¥385,000 (≈$2,421)	¥180,000–1,150,000
3rd gen early — 4WD only	26	¥395,000 (≈$2,484)	—

Notes: dealer retail “total payment” prices; auction prices typically run lower. The top of each range is low-mileage collector stock. Public listings skew toward higher mileage, so treat the medians as conservative.

The US side, with sources: Classic.com’s average asking price for landed Actys is $10,168 as of August 2026, and the largest JDM marketplace guide puts today’s US market range at $4,500–$22,000 with a median around $10,500. Set that against ¥420,000 in Japan plus roughly $2,900–5,300 of freight, duty and fees (full landed-cost math here) and the arithmetic explains why this site exists: the truck the US market prices above $10,000 lands from Japan at $5,500–8,000 all-in.

Note what the table says about the third generation: a newer truck, at a lower Japanese median. Japan’s domestic market prices these as ordinary old work vehicles; the 25-year premium exists only on the American side of the ocean. Buying the newly-eligible truck the US market hasn’t discovered yet is as close to a free lunch as this hobby offers.

How the Acty Compares With the Other Kei Trucks

Same measurement, same day, across the big four (25-year-eligible trucks, all-Japan medians):

Model	Listings	Median (Japan)	One-line character
Honda Acty	83	¥385,000–420,000 by configuration	Mid-engine balance, quietest cab, the enthusiast pick
Suzuki Carry	102	¥400,000 (≈$2,516)	Biggest US parts and community footprint
Daihatsu Hijet	61	¥450,000 (≈$2,830)	Jumbo-cab variants; priced highest of the four
Subaru Sambar	81	¥370,000 (≈$2,327)	Rear-engine layout, supercharged variants, cheapest entry

The honest read: all four are competent, supply is healthy across the board, and condition matters more than badge. (The full five-model comparison adds the Minicab, US sale prices and a verdict per use case.) The Acty earns its search volume with the layout — the mid-engine design is genuinely nicer to drive — but a rust-free Carry beats a rusty Acty every time.

The Attack, and Trims Worth Hunting

Ask any kei truck forum what to buy and someone will say “find an Attack.” The Acty Attack is the farm-spec 4WD truck: ultra-low gearing for crawling loaded up steep ground, built for Japanese hill farms and forestry tracks — which is precisely why American homesteaders prize it. Sources disagree on the details of its rear differential: some guides describe a locking diff on certain years, while others describe the Acty’s 4WD as a viscous-coupling system with no manual lock. The practical takeaway is the same either way: treat any diff-lock claim as equipment to verify on the specific truck, in the auction sheet’s equipment notes, before you pay an Attack premium for it. The dedicated Attack guide has the measured prices — including the finding that in Japan, the premium barely exists.

Hunting one from the US takes two things. First, the name: Attack (アタック) appears in the grade line of Japanese listings and auction sheets, so tell your agent to filter for it, or search exporter listings for the term. Second, restraint: a standard 4WD five-speed covers most real-world use, and the Attack premium buys capability many owners exercise twice a year. When a listing claims Attack spec, the auction sheet guide shows where equipment claims live and how to check them.

Known Issues and the Pre-Import Checklist

The Acty’s reputation for reliability is earned. The E07A is a simple, understressed engine, and manual-gearbox trucks routinely outlive their odometers. But every candidate is now 25 to 35 years old, and age has a shopping list of its own. The recurring issues, cross-checked across owner communities and import-dealer guides, with typical US repair costs where published:

Issue	What happens	Typical US cost	Your move
Timing belt overdue	The E07A is a belt engine; a snapped belt bends valves	$500–1,200 for belt, tensioner, seals (dealer-guide figure)	Assume it is due unless documented. Budget the job into every purchase.
Gearbox synchros	Grinding into 2nd/3rd on hard-worked trucks	Varies; gearbox-out job	Have the inspector’s notes translated verbatim before bidding.
Rust	Rockers, bed corners, frame rails — the real money pit	Open-ended	The only true deal-breaker. Reject any frame corrosion, whatever the price.
Radiator overflow tank	Sits under the bed in the debris path; gets smashed and rots	Cheap part	A destroyed tank hints at a hard off-pavement life — read the rest of the sheet harder.
ECU capacitors (later trucks)	Aging capacitors mimic a dozen unrelated faults	Inexpensive re-cap once diagnosed	Known fix; factor in the diagnostic patience.

My Acty-specific reading order on the auction sheet: underbody corrosion codes first (any C on frame or bed supports is a walk-away), the inspector’s free-text notes on gear engagement second, tire and 4WD engagement notes third, and cosmetic scratch codes last. A2 scratches on a farm truck are patina and price leverage rather than problems.

Truck or Van?

The HA-code trucks are what most US buyers want: an open bed, farm utility, the simplest registration story. The HH-code vans (HH3/HH4 in gen 2, HH5/HH6 in gen 3) trade the bed for weatherproof, lockable cargo space, and they have developed their own following as micro-camper conversions. That second life shows up in the prices: community pricing threads track US van prices from around $7,000 on early examples to $25,000 for clean later ones — consistently above equivalent trucks. If your use case is tools, feed and firewood, buy the truck. If it is a coffee pop-up or car camping, the van premium may earn its keep. The kei van market is growing fast enough — US search interest is up triple digits year over year in my keyword data — that it has its own buyer’s guide comparing the Every, Acty Van, Hijet and the rest with measured prices.

How to Import One

The process is identical to any kei truck import: verify the build month, budget duty at 25%, RoRo shipping to your coast, customs entry through a broker, then state registration — with the state check done before you buy, since roughly 14 states refuse kei road registration. The step-by-step import guide walks the whole sequence with real costs, and the exporter comparison covers who to buy through, on verified data rather than marketing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Honda Acty reliable?

Yes, by kei truck standards and most others. The 656cc E07A is a simple, durable engine, and manual-transmission Actys routinely outlive their odometers. The caveat is age rather than design: timing belt, synchros and rust come with the years, and a truck with documentation beats a shinier one without it.

What year Acty can I import in 2026?

Anything built 25 or more years ago, measured to the month. In practice that means every first- and second-generation truck, plus third-generation (HA6/HA7) trucks built through mid-2001, with later build months qualifying on a rolling basis. Verify the build month before you pay; model year is not enough.

How much does it cost to import an Acty, all-in?

Using measured August 2026 prices: a median second-gen 4WD at ¥420,000 (≈$2,642) plus roughly $2,900–5,300 in agent fees, freight, duty and port costs lands at about $5,500–8,000, against a $10,168 average asking price for Actys already in the US.

How fast can a Honda Acty go?

(Class-wide numbers live in the specs guide.) The 656cc trucks top out around 65–70 mph depending on drivetrain, and are happiest cruising at 45–55 mph. They are farm, town and back-road vehicles; nearly every state that registers them excludes interstate highways anyway.

Honda Acty vs Suzuki Carry — which should I buy?

Both are excellent, and my measured Japanese medians are close: ¥400,000 for the Carry against ¥385,000–420,000 for the Acty depending on configuration. The Acty’s mid-engine design gives it better balance and a quieter cab; the Carry counters with the largest parts-and-community footprint in the US — its own numbers are in the Carry buyer’s guide. Buy on condition rather than badge.

Can I get Acty parts in the US?

Service parts (belts, filters, brakes, gaskets) are stocked by US mini-truck specialists and general retailers; model-specific trim ships from Japanese parts exporters in about a week. The E07A’s long production run works in your favor.

The Short Version

Buy a 1990-or-later 656cc truck. For most people that means an HA4 4WD five-speed with a clean underbody and a fresh timing belt — about ¥420,000 in Japan today against a $10,168 US average. The sharp move is the newly-eligible early third generation, which Japan prices lower while the US market hasn’t caught up. Verify the build month, read the sheet, and treat rust as the only deal-breaker.