Identify Your Toyota Hiace: H100, H200 or H300 | CPM NZ | Car Parts Market
Which Toyota Hiace Do You Have? H100, H200 and H300
6 min read
Ordering the wrong Hiace part almost always starts with the wrong generation. Here is how to tell an H100, H200 and H300 apart in seconds, and what the chassis code on your plate means.
Toyota-Hiace-H100-H200-H300
Almost every wrong-part order for a Toyota Hiace starts in the same place: the buyer knew the year but not the generation. The Hiace has run for nearly six decades, and the three generations still on New Zealand roads share almost no body or lighting parts with each other.
This guide tells you which one you have, in about thirty seconds.
What are the Toyota Hiace generations?
Three Toyota Hiace generations are common in New Zealand, and Car Parts Market records fitment against all three:
Hiace H100 — 1988–2004 in the catalogue, chassis codes RZH and LH, cab-over layout.
Hiace H200 — 2005–2020, chassis codes TRH and KDH, cab-over layout.
The overlap between the H200 and H300 is real rather than an error. The H300 launched globally in 2019 while the H200 continued in some markets, and New Zealand saw both on sale and both arriving as used imports.
How do I tell an H300 from an H200?
Look at the front of the van. The Toyota Hiace H300 has a bonnet — a short one, but a clear panel ahead of the windscreen with the wheels set forward of the driver. The Toyota Hiace H200 has no bonnet at all: the windscreen drops straight to the bumper and the driver sits directly above the front wheels.
This is the single most reliable test, and it works from across a car park. It reflects a genuine engineering split rather than a styling change. The H200 is a cab-over van with the engine between and beneath the front seats. The H300 moved to a semi-bonneted body on Toyota's IMV ladder-frame platform, the same architecture as the Hilux and Fortuner.
That difference is why no H200 body panel, bumper, grille, bonnet, guard, mirror or headlight fits an H300. There is no shared mounting point in the front structure. If a part is listed for one, it will not fit the other, and no amount of trimming will make it.
How do I tell an H100 from an H200?
Both are cab-over vans, so the bonnet test does not help. Use the year first: the Toyota Hiace H100 ran to 2004 and the H200 from 2005, so a 2005-or-later van is an H200.
For an older import where the year is unclear, the headlights are the quickest visual tell. The H100 carries smaller, squarer headlights set high and close to the grille. The H200's lights are larger, wrap further around the corner of the body, and sit lower relative to the bonnet line.
Parts do not interchange between them either. The H100 and H200 are separate generations with different bodies.
What do TRH, KDH, GDH and GRH mean on a Hiace?
These are chassis codes, and they appear on the compliance or identification plate of a Japanese import. They identify the generation and the engine family, and New Zealand parts suppliers often catalogue Hiace parts by them:
RZH and LH — Hiace H100, 1989–2004
TRH and KDH — Hiace H200, 2005–2019. TRH denotes a petrol engine, KDH a diesel.
GDH and GRH — Hiace H300, 2019 onwards. GDH denotes a diesel, GRH a petrol.
If you have the plate in front of you, the code is faster and more reliable than guessing from the year, particularly for an import whose New Zealand registration year is later than its build year.
Car Parts Market organises its catalogue by generation rather than chassis code, so a van with a KDH plate is an H200 and its parts are on the Hiace H200 page.
Is the Toyota Commuter the same as the Hiace?
Yes, for parts purposes. The Toyota Commuter is the long-wheelbase, high-roof passenger version of the Hiace, sold as a twelve- to fourteen-seat minibus. It shares its generation, chassis codes and front-end panels with the van of the same era.
New Zealand and Australian parts suppliers routinely catalogue them together — "Toyota Hiace / Commuter" is the standard trade phrasing. A front bumper or headlight listed for an H200 Hiace fits the H200 Commuter.
Where the two differ is at the back and on the roof, because the Commuter is longer and taller. Body length, roof height and rear door parts are the areas to check carefully rather than assume.
The Toyota Granvia is a related case: it is the wagon derivative of the H300 platform, and some H300 lighting is catalogued against both names.
Why does the generation decide which parts fit?
Because a van body is a structure, not a set of interchangeable covers. Each generation has its own lamp apertures, mounting brackets, bumper mounting points and panel profiles. A part that is five millimetres out will not mount, and one designed for a different reflector shape will not seal.
Two further things narrow the fitment beyond the generation:
Year range within the generation. The Hiace H200 ran for fifteen years and was facelifted during that run, and the front lighting and grille changed with it. Car Parts Market records a specific year range against each product for exactly this reason — check that range against your van's build date, not its New Zealand registration year, which for an import is often several years later.
Body width and roof height. The H200 was sold in narrow-body and wide-body forms, and in low, mid and high roof heights. These change the fitment of front panels and rear door parts independently of the year. Car Parts Market records both against each product where they apply.
Finding parts once you know your generation
Every Toyota Hiace part in the Car Parts Market catalogue is recorded against a generation, a year range, and where relevant a side, body width and roof height. The catalogue currently holds 157 Toyota Hiace parts: 14 for the H100, 106 for the H200 and 37 for the H300.
Start from the Toyota Hiace parts page, or go straight to your generation — H100, H200 or H300. Part-type pages such as headlights list every vehicle together, with the fitment stated on each listing.
One New Zealand-specific check before ordering: RH is the driver's side and LH the passenger's, because New Zealand is right-hand drive. Listings from overseas sites use the opposite convention.
If you are not certain which generation you have, send the registration or the chassis code through the parts inquiry form and Car Parts Market will confirm it. Where compatibility has been confirmed in writing before purchase, the Fitment Guarantee applies.
Car Parts Market is based at 11A Akatea Road, Glendene, Auckland, ships throughout New Zealand and to Australia, and offers click and collect from the Glendene warehouse. New aftermarket parts carry a three-month warranty; terms and conditions apply. Email support@carpartsmarket.co.nz or phone 09 243 1350.
Frequently asked questions
What years is the Toyota Hiace H200?
The Toyota Hiace H200 ran from 2005 to 2020, and Car Parts Market records fitment across that full span. It was facelifted during the run, so the front lighting and grille are not the same throughout. Check the year range printed on each listing against your van's build date rather than assuming any H200 part fits.
What years is the Toyota Hiace H300?
The Toyota Hiace H300 launched in 2019 and remains current, with Car Parts Market recording fitment from 2019 to 2026. It overlapped with the H200 on sale, so a 2019 or 2020 van could be either generation. The bonnet is the reliable test: the H300 has one, the H200 does not.
Will an H200 headlight fit an H300?
The Toyota Hiace H300 moved to a semi-bonneted body on a ladder-frame platform, while the H200 is a cab-over. The front structures share no mounting points or lamp apertures, so no H200 headlight, grille, bumper, bonnet or guard fits an H300. Order against the generation your van actually is.
What does KDH mean on a Toyota Hiace?
KDH is a chassis code identifying a diesel-engined Toyota Hiace H200, built between 2005 and 2019. Its petrol equivalent is TRH. The code appears on the compliance plate of a Japanese import and is a more reliable guide than the registration year, which for an import is often later than the build year.
Is the Toyota Commuter the same as the Hiace for parts?
For front-end parts, yes. The Commuter is the long-wheelbase, high-roof passenger version of the Hiace and shares its generation, chassis codes and front panels. Rear door parts, roof parts and anything length-dependent differ, because the Commuter is longer and taller, so check those individually.
