Kawasaki Is Bringing Back the Ninja 300

The proof comes to us via information from the California Air Resources Board, which has issued an executive order for a 2026 Kawasaki with the model code “EX300GT.” 

In Kawasaki-speak, EX is used for its two-cylinder Ninja models such as the Ninja 500 (EX500), and Ninja 650 (EX650). The previous Ninja 300 also went by the model code EX300AH, with “A” representing the model generation and “H” representing the 2017 model year. Therefore, the model code EX300GT tells us it is for a new generation Ninja 300, with “T” being the industry standard to indicate model year 2026.

Historically, Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. uses the commercial name when certifying returning models each year, and the model code for any new, or updated models. When we broke the news that Kawasaki is preparing a new Z1100, for example, we identified it by the model code “ZR1100HT” getting certified with the 2026 Versys 1100 SE, Ninja 1100SX and Ninja 1100SX SE. 

The executive order confirms the Ninja 300 will use the same 296cc displacement as the previous model in 2017, and that it will be a different iteration of that engine than the one currently powering the Versys-X 300. The 2026 Ninja 300 will be equipped with three three-way catalytic converters, whereas the 2026 Versys-X 300 continues to make do with just a single three-way catalyst. 

While the little Ninja has largely disappeared from North America and Europe, Kawasaki has continued to offer a Ninja 300 in India and other markets (or a 250 version in markets like Japan, where licensing rules favor a quarter-liter displacement). Just this May, Kawasaki announced an updated Ninja 300 for the Indian market.