October 22, 2026 Farhad Musazada

New Off-Road Hijet or a 25-Year-Old Street-Legal Kei Truck? What You Get for the Money

By Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks. Last updated: October 22, 2026. Based on 49 U.S.C. 30112, NHTSA's import declaration and interpretation letters, EPA import rules, Texas SB 1816, Transportation Code chapter 551A and TxDMV bulletin RTB 001-24; federal and state sources checked October 22, 2026 (sources at the end). General information, not legal advice.

Key facts

Federal import: A new kei truck can enter as a road vehicle only if it is certified to every applicable federal safety standard (49 U.S.C. 30112) and EPA-certified, and no kei maker certifies to either (Covington; AAMVA).
How new ones are sold: As vehicles that aren't “motor vehicles,” the route declared on DOT Form HS-7 Box 8. Mini trucks imported that way had to be permanently governed to 25 mph (AAMVA, 2011).
Texas title: Paperwork that says off-highway use only gets a title with that remark, and the truck “is not eligible for registration” (TxDMV RTB 001-24).
Texas roads: Off-highway vehicles can't be registered for the road (Transp. Code 551A.052); road use comes down to narrow exceptions such as farm trips and city-approved streets.
A 25-year-old truck: Titles and registers as a “miniature vehicle” under SB 1816 and may use public highways.
What new doesn't add: Size or load. The current Hijet is 3,395 mm long and rated for 350 kg (Daihatsu), the same as a 1999 Carry (Suzuki), and its 46 PS falls inside the Carry's 42 to 56 PS.
Rule changes: No NHTSA rule on kei vehicles has followed the December 2025 announcement (Federal Register, checked October 22, 2026).

Why can't a new kei truck simply be imported and registered?

Federal law decides what can enter the country as a road vehicle before any state gets a say. Under 49 U.S.C. 30112(a)(1), no one may sell or import a motor vehicle built after a federal safety standard took effect “unless the vehicle or equipment complies with the standard” and carries the maker's certification. Kei trucks are built to Japan's rules, not the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which is why a December 2025 analysis by the law firm Covington & Burling concluded that “new Kei trucks designed for highway use are de facto banned” (Covington).

EPA runs a second gate. Its import form lists routes such as a U.S.-certified vehicle “bearing a U.S. EPA emission control label” and an exemption for vehicles at least 21 years old (EPA Form 3520-1). Mini trucks “are not certified by their manufacturer as meeting EPA on-road emissions standards,” the state motor vehicle administrators' association (AAMVA) noted in 2011.

The way through both gates is age. Section 30112(b)(9) exempts “a motor vehicle that is at least 25 years old,” counted from the build date, and that is the route every truck we sell takes. Our 25-year import rule guide explains the count and why the other routes don't work for newer kei trucks.

Could that change? On December 3, 2025, the President said he had “authorized [Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy] to immediately approve the production of” kei trucks and cars. Covington noted that “additional regulatory steps are required.” As of October 22, 2026, NHTSA has published no rule or proposal on kei vehicles: the newest NHTSA document in the Federal Register containing the word “kei” dates from 1998 (Federal Register search).

How are new kei trucks sold in the U.S., and what does “off-road use only” mean?

Federal safety rules apply to “motor vehicles,” defined as vehicles “manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways” (49 U.S.C. 30102). A vehicle that isn't one needs no FMVSS certification. At the border, that claim is HS-7 Box 8: not manufactured primarily for public roads, with the importer's statement explaining why. EPA has a similar split: off-road vehicles and engines go on Form 3520-21, and a vehicle that “cannot exceed a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour over level, paved surfaces” isn't a motor vehicle to EPA (40 CFR 85.1703).

AAMVA's 2011 advice to states described how mini trucks came in that way: an off-road import “must be permanently modified to have a maximum governed speed of 25 mph (40 kph),” usually with a plate welded at the shifter that allows only first gear and reverse. NHTSA, it added, “cannot endorse their use on public highways” (AAMVA, 2011).

Selling new Hijets this way isn't new. Daihatsu's own U.S. company marketed them from 1977 as “general purpose off-road utility vehicles” that couldn't exceed 25 mph and carried an off-road-only label (1991 request to NHTSA). Asked whether it could sell them to a city that wanted street-registered vehicles, NHTSA's chief counsel replied that it would be a violation “for a manufacturer or dealer to knowingly sell or offer to sell a HIJET vehicle” for use on public roads (NHTSA, December 3, 1991). NHTSA's factors include whether states or foreign countries register the vehicle for road use and whether the seller helps buyers get title documents.

So “for off-road use only” on a new truck's listing isn't fine print. It is the basis on which a new kei truck can be sold at all, and it follows the paperwork to your county tax office.

Can a new off-road Hijet be titled and registered in Texas?

Texas answers in two places, and neither gives a new off-road truck plates. SB 1816 (2025) defines a “miniature vehicle” as one that “is designed to propel itself with four or more tires in contact with the ground,” “complies with applicable federal law,” and is not a custom vehicle, street rod, neighborhood electric vehicle, golf cart “or an off-highway vehicle, as defined by Section 551A.001.” A titled and registered miniature vehicle that can comply with traffic laws may use public highways. The bill says nothing about age or new imports; our 25-year-old trucks meet the federal-law part through the age exemption.

TxDMV's April 2024 bulletin handles the paperwork: when the ownership or supporting documents indicate off-highway use only, “the vehicle must be titled with the off-highway use only remark applied to the record, but it is not eligible for registration” (RTB 001-24). Our Texas legality guide lists that remark first among the mistakes that stop a kei title; it sits on the title record, so a later owner gets it too.

Chapter 551A defines a “utility vehicle” as a side-by-side “designed by the manufacturer for off-highway use only” and “primarily for utility work” (Sec. 551A.001), and TxDMV “may not register an off-highway vehicle for operation on a highway” (Sec. 551A.052) unless a state, county or city owns it for public safety (Sec. 502.140). Road use then comes down to narrow exceptions, mainly daytime farm trips of up to 25 miles with an orange flag and streets a city has opened at 35 mph or less; our kei truck vs. UTV guide covers both.

One gap: the Hijet is a road-registered truck in Japan, so a new one sold here as an off-road machine doesn't fit either Texas definition cleanly, and we found no TxDMV guidance on new mini trucks. If you want road use, get the county tax office's answer in writing before you pay.

Do other states' mini-truck laws cover new trucks?

A few states' mini-truck rules have no age limit. None we found deals with a truck imported as an off-road vehicle, and state paperwork doesn't change how it was imported.

Oklahoma: the rule defines a mini-truck by engine size (1,000 cc or less), width, weight and “a top speed of approximately fifty-five (55) miles per hour,” with no age requirement. A new one needs “a properly assigned Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) and dealer's invoice” and registers like any light truck (OAC 260:135-7-126). A truck governed to 25 mph wouldn't match that speed.
Louisiana: R.S. 32:299.2 covers a small truck “that may not have a National Highway Safety Administration classification,” with no age limit, and the OMV's mini-truck policy lists a manufacturer's certificate of origin. It still registers as an off-road vehicle with a decal and is kept to roads posted 55 mph or less.
Michigan says the opposite: “Mini-trucks and microvans less than 25 years old aren't eligible for titling or registering on-road” (Michigan Secretary of State).

AAMVA's 2011 advice was to not register mini trucks for public roads “regardless of age,” and NHTSA's 1991 letter treats state registration as a sign a vehicle is really a motor vehicle. For 25-year-old trucks, our kei truck laws by state map covers every state, including Oklahoma, Louisiana and Michigan.

What do you give up, and what do you gain?

	New off-road Hijet	25-year-old kei truck, titled in Texas
How it entered the U.S.	As a vehicle that isn't a motor vehicle (HS-7 Box 8, EPA off-road paperwork)	HS-7 Box 1 (25 years or older) and EPA's 21-year exemption
Texas title	Off-highway use only remark; not eligible for registration	Regular title and license plates as a miniature vehicle
Texas roads	Off-highway vehicle exceptions only: farm trips, city-approved streets	Public roads, if it can keep up with traffic
Size, engine, load rating	3,395 mm long, 658 cc, 46 PS, 350 kg (current Hijet)	3,395 mm long, 657 cc, 42–56 PS, 350 kg (1999 Carry)
U.S. safety standards	Not certified	Not certified; exempt by age
Condition	New	25 years or older, sold as is
Price	New-vehicle price set by the seller	See our cost guide

The fourth row surprises most buyers: a new truck doesn't haul or fit more. Kei size limits and the 350 kg rating haven't changed, and the current Hijet's 46 PS sits inside the 1999 Carry's range (see our top speed and mpg guide for each make).

With new, you gain a truck nobody has used and no 25 years of wear. In Texas you give up road registration, a title without the off-highway remark and the buyers who want to drive the truck when you sell. Neither truck is certified to U.S. safety standards; the old one gets in because of its age, not its equipment.

We don't quote other sellers' prices, and we found no automotive-press report of what new off-road Hijets cost in the U.S. Our Texas kei truck cost guide shows what one of our trucks costs with tax, title and registration; for parts, see our parts guide.

Which one makes sense for you?

It will never leave your land: either can work. A new truck starts with zero miles; a titled 25-year-old one keeps the option of plates.
You need county roads, feed-store runs or trips between pastures: a titled and registered 25-year-old truck.
You may sell it later: a regular Texas title lets the next owner register it too.
You live outside Texas: check how your state treats a 25-year-old truck on our laws map before you buy either.

Every truck Skyline Kei Trucks sells is at least 25 years old and comes with the papers Texas counties ask for: the Japanese export certificate with translation, our bill of sale, CBP Form 7501, DOT Form HS-7 marked Box 1 and EPA Form 3520-1. See our Texas title guide and our Daihatsu Hijets for sale.

Frequently asked questions

Is a new Daihatsu Hijet street legal in the U.S.?

Not as a new vehicle today. Federal law admits a kei truck as a road vehicle only if it is certified to every applicable safety standard, which kei trucks aren't, or once it is 25 years old. A new one can be sold only as a vehicle that isn't a motor vehicle.

Did the federal government legalize new kei trucks in 2025?

No rule has changed. The President said on December 3, 2025 that he had authorized the Transportation Secretary to approve kei truck and car production, but as of October 22, 2026 NHTSA hasn't published a rule or proposal on kei vehicles. We'll update this guide if it does.

Can I drive an off-road Hijet on Texas farm roads?

If it is treated as an off-highway vehicle, Sec. 551A.057 allows trips on roads other than interstates and limited-access highways for work with agricultural products: daytime only, headlights and taillights on, a triangular orange flag at least six feet above the ground, and no more than 25 miles from origin to destination. No plate is needed for that use.

When will a new Hijet qualify under the 25-year rule?

Twenty-five years after the month it was built, because NHTSA counts from the date of manufacture, not the model year. A truck built in 2026 reaches it in 2051. Our 25-year rule guide has a build-date checker.

Sources

Written by Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks

Farhad imports more than 300 kei trucks a year to Houston and meets buyers at the lot at 6100 Harvey Wilson Dr. He writes these guides from the paperwork our buyers take to the county tax office and the official sources listed on each page. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we will check it.

Ready to look? Browse kei trucks for sale in Houston, see what is in Houston now or arriving soon, or call or text (713) 385-9798.

All vehicles are sold by Wideway Motors LLC as is, with no warranty.