Kei Cars

Kei is short for keijidōsha, a Japanese category of very small vehicles. An AAMVA best-practice paper describes a mini-truck in that class as having an engine of 660 cc or less, a length of 3.4 meters or less, a height of 2 meters or less, and a width of 60 inches or less. That paper is a U.S. association document. It is not the Japanese statute. This page did not verify those numbers against the Japanese legal text, so treat them as a description. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism sets the class. A kei label has no meaning in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. [3]

NHTSA's import FAQ states the general rule for a vehicle that was not certified to the standards: a vehicle at least 25 years old can be imported without regard to FMVSS compliance, and the period runs from the date of manufacture. A newer vehicle still faces 49 U.S.C. § 30112 unless another legal path applies, such as an eligibility decision and a registered importer. EPA import rules are separate. State titling rules also differ, and this page does not survey them. The AAMVA paper says states vary on mini-truck registration. It does not set federal law. [1] [2] [4] [3]