Rice Car is a colloquial term used to describe a car in a number of different ways (often determined by context). It is usually derogatory.
- Some people will call any Japanese car a rice car, a usage based on the racial stereotype
- The most common meaning, however is a small, low-cost factory-standard car (usually Japanese) which has been modified to give the appearance of a customised performance vehicle. In many cases, modifications such as lowering the body are executed in such a way that they degrade performance rather than enhancing it. See rice burner.
- There is also some crossover with the term 'rice rocket' meaning a fast Japanese car, or Japanese sports car.
