Japan Vehicle Inspection (Shaken) Total Cost Calculator
Choose the vehicle type, eco-car tax category and compulsory insurance period to estimate total shaken (vehicle inspection) cost: the statutory fees (weight tax, compulsory insurance and the inspection fee paid in stamps) plus any maintenance and agency fees you enter.
What the shaken total cost calculator does
Shaken costs fall into two parts: statutory fees, which are essentially the same whoever handles the inspection, and maintenance and agency fees, which vary by provider. The statutory fees are the weight tax, compulsory insurance (jibaiseki) and the inspection fee paid in revenue stamps, and they depend on the vehicle type, its age and how the inspection is filed. This tool calculates those statutory fees from your inputs and adds any maintenance and agency fees you enter to give an estimated total.
Quotes are hard to judge because these two parts are added together. Since the statutory fees cannot be negotiated, knowing them first lets you compare only the maintenance and agency fees between providers. The annual vehicle tax and the recycling fee deposited once at purchase are not paid at each shaken, so they are not included in this estimate.
Sources used in this calculation
Statutory figures such as tax and insurance rates come from the public bodies listed below. They change when the law is revised, so please also check the primary source before relying on the result for an important decision.
- Vehicle inspection fees (shaken inspection fee, revised April 2026) — Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省) Effective from 2026-04 ／ Last checked 2026-10-17
- Standard compulsory motor liability insurance premiums by vehicle class and contract term (mainland Japan) — General Insurance Rating Organization of Japan (損害保険料率算出機構) Effective from 2026-11 ／ Last checked 2026-09-21
- Motor vehicle weight tax table for private vehicles by eco-car reduction band — Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省) Effective 2026-05 to 2028-04 ／ Last checked 2026-09-18
How to estimate your shaken cost
- Choose the vehicle type and weight Select regular or kei car; for a regular car, also pick the weight bracket shown on your vehicle inspection certificate. This sets the weight tax.
- Pick the eco-car reduction category The tax rate rises once a car passes 13 years since first registration. From the second shaken onward, standard rate or the aged-vehicle surcharge usually applies.
- Set the compulsory insurance period A 24-month policy is the usual choice at a continuing inspection. Check the expiry date on your current certificate to see whether you need 25 months so that coverage does not lapse before the new inspection expires.
- Enter maintenance and handling fees to compare Type in the figures from a quote to see the full total. Leave both at 0 yen to see only the statutory fees.
Tips for getting more out of it
- If you only want the statutory fees (weight tax, compulsory insurance and inspection fee), leave the maintenance and agency fees at ¥0 to see the pure statutory total.
- When comparing this estimate against a dealer or garage quote, check whether their "statutory fees" line matches this tool's statutory subtotal — that makes it easier to isolate how much you're paying for labor and handling.
- At a continuing inspection the compulsory insurance is usually taken for 24 months. Coverage must last until the new inspection expires, so depending on when your current policy ends you may need 25 months.
- The eco-car reduction category is decided only once, at first registration, so most cars pay either the standard rate or the aged-vehicle surcharge (over 13 / over 18 years) from the second shaken onward.
Ways to use the shaken cost estimate
Check whether a quote is fair
Matching a quote's statutory fees line against this estimate reveals exactly how much is being added for maintenance and handling — useful leverage if you want to negotiate.
Compare multiple providers
Since statutory fees are identical everywhere, only maintenance and handling fees differ. Line up several quotes under the same conditions to judge them fairly.
Weigh doing a user shaken yourself
Set the agent fee to 0 yen to see how much you'd save by bringing the car in yourself, then weigh that against the time and effort involved.
Save up ahead of your next shaken
Divide the total by the number of months until your next inspection to see how much to set aside monthly, so the bill doesn't catch you off guard.
Shaken cost glossary
- Statutory fees
- The total of the weight tax, compulsory insurance and the inspection fee paid in stamps. It cannot be discounted by the provider; only the inspection fee varies by a few hundred yen with the filing method (OSS online, designated garage or bringing the car in).
- Vehicle weight tax
- A national tax based on the vehicle's weight. The rate steps up once the car passes 13 and then 18 years since first registration.
- Compulsory insurance (CALI)
- The insurance every vehicle must carry. At a continuing inspection a 24-month policy is usual, extended to 25 months when needed so that coverage does not lapse before the inspection expires.
- Recycling fee
- A fee deposited once when a new car is bought to cover its eventual dismantling (with a used car it is taken over from the previous owner). It is not paid at each shaken, so this tool does not include it in the statutory fees.
- Aged-vehicle surcharge
- A mechanism that raises the weight tax once a car passes a set age, in two steps: over 13 years and over 18 years.
- Agent handling fee
- What a shop charges for bringing your car to the transport bureau and processing the paperwork on your behalf. It doesn't apply if you go yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Side Note — Why shaken renews every two years
Japan's vehicle inspection and registration system (shaken) requires a first inspection three years after a new car is registered, then renewal every two years after that. This cycle is set by the Road Transport Vehicle Act and exists to regularly confirm that a vehicle's safety and emissions performance hasn't degraded below the required standard as it ages.
What must be paid or renewed at every shaken is the weight tax, the compulsory insurance and the inspection fee. The recycling fee is deposited only once, when the car is bought new (or taken over from the previous owner when bought used), and is not paid at each inspection. The inspection fee goes to the national government (or the Light Motor Vehicle Inspection Organization for kei cars) and the National Agency for Automobile and Land Transport Technology; it was revised in April 2026, and a continuing inspection now costs ¥1,850 via OSS online filing, ¥2,100 through a designated garage, and ¥2,600 for a standard car or ¥2,500 for a compact or kei car brought in by the owner.
Agent handling fees vary widely between providers: dealer shaken tends to charge more in exchange for thorough inspection and genuine parts, while shaken specialist chains often keep fees low by focusing narrowly on clearing the legal minimum requirements. Which one suits you often comes down to whether you prioritize price or the depth of after-sales support.