Kei Truck Guides by Topic

By Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks. Updated October 22, 2026. Our guides are written from Japanese factory catalogs, federal import rules, Texas law and what happens at our Houston lot. General information, not legal advice.

Every guide we have written for kei truck buyers and owners, grouped by topic. New guides also appear on the Kei Truck Guides blog as they are published.

Jump to: Start here · Importing · Texas · Kei truck or something else? · Models · Driving and parts · Work and weekends

Start here

New to kei trucks? These three cover what they are, what they cost and which model to pick.

• Kei Truck Buyer's Guide: How to Buy an Imported Japanese Mini Truck
  What a kei truck is, why they're 25 years old, how to pick a model, the paperwork you should get, and how titling works in Texas.
• How Much Does a Kei Truck Cost in Texas? 2026 Prices, Tax, Title and Delivery
  What kei trucks cost in 2026, Texas sales tax, title and registration fees, delivery from Houston and monthly financing.
• Hijet vs. Carry vs. Acty vs. Sambar: Which Kei Truck Should You Buy?
  How the Daihatsu Hijet, Suzuki Carry, Honda Acty and Subaru Sambar compare: engines, where the engine sits, 4x4 systems and low-range options.
• Kei Truck FAQ
  Short answers to the questions we hear most, plus a 25-year eligibility checker.
• How Buying Works
  Buying a vehicle that is already in Houston, reserving one that is still on the water, pickup and delivery.
• Kei Truck Financing
  How buyers pay with a personal loan, with a payment estimator.

Importing: the 25-year rule, shipping and paperwork

• The 25-Year Import Rule for Kei Trucks, Explained
  The statute, the month-by-month count, the HS-7 and EPA forms behind every truck we sell, what the exemption does not cover, and which build years open up in 2026 and 2027.
• Kei Trucks and JDM 4x4s That Become Legal to Import in 2027
  Month by month, which 2002 kei trucks, kei SUVs, vans and larger JDM 4x4s turn 25 in 2027, what changed in 2002 for each model, and why the Texas rules stay the same.
• From Japan to Houston: How Our Kei Trucks Get Here and How Long It Takes
  Step by step, how a kei truck travels from Japan to our Houston lot, with real timings from our recent containers and what you can do while yours is on the water.
• Kei Truck VIN Numbers: How to Read a Japanese Frame Number
  Kei trucks carry a Japanese chassis number, not a 17-digit VIN. Here is how to read the model code and prefix, where it is stamped, and how Texas handles it.
• New Off-Road Hijet or a 25-Year-Old Street-Legal Kei Truck? What You Get for the Money
  Why a new kei truck can only be sold in the U.S. as an off-road vehicle, what that means for a Texas title and road use, and what you give up or gain against a 25-year-old street-legal truck.

Texas law, titles and insurance

• Are Kei Trucks Legal in Texas? Yes. What Changed in 2025 and What You Need to Register One
  What Senate Bill 1816 says, the documents and VIN inspection you need, and where you can drive a registered kei truck.
• Kei Truck Insurance in Texas: What You Need and How to Get Covered
  What Texas requires, why the chassis number confuses insurers, which coverages matter on a 25-year-old import, and what to ask an agent before you buy.
• How to Title and Register a Kei Truck in Texas
  Step by step: insurance, the VTR-68-A VIN inspection, Form 130-U and the county tax office, with a cost breakdown.
• Kei Truck Laws by State
  An interactive 50-state map of where kei trucks can be titled and driven on public roads, with each state's statute.
• Kei Trucks Near You: Texas Cities and Nearby States
  Delivery estimates, the title office to use and where to get the VIN inspection, city by city.

Kei truck or something else?

• Kei Truck or Kei Van? How to Choose the Right Japanese Mini Work Vehicle
  Open bed or lockable box? Payload, seats, cargo floor sizes, 4WD and Texas paperwork for kei trucks and kei vans, with a job-by-job table to match the body to the work.
• Kei Truck vs. UTV for Texas Ranch and Farm Work
  Road use under Texas law, cab comfort, bed size, payload and price: how an imported kei truck compares with a new work UTV.
• Kei Truck vs. Golf Cart in Texas: Roads, Rules and Which One Fits
  Golf cart or kei truck for neighborhood and property errands in Texas? Where each can legally drive, what paperwork each needs, and how they compare on cab, payload, speed and price.
• Kei Truck vs. Compact Pickup: Mini Truck vs. Maverick, Ranger and Tacoma
  Manufacturer specs put a 660 cc kei truck beside the 2026 Maverick, Ranger and Tacoma: where the mini truck's bed wins, where the pickup does, and what each costs to run in Texas.
• Kei Truck vs. Polaris Ranger, Can-Am Defender and Kubota RTV: Specs Side by Side
  Manufacturer specs for the 2027 Polaris Ranger XP 1000, Can-Am Defender HD10 and Kubota RTV-X Cab next to a 1999 kei truck, plus Texas road use, insurance and which one fits which job.

Models and body styles

Every model page has its own guide to the generations, engines, 4x4 system and versions you will see, below the vehicles we have for sale. The body styles and grades decoder explains the names on the listings: Jumbo, three-way dump, panel van, Attack, Nouhan, Climber and more.

Kei trucks: Daihatsu Hijet, Suzuki Carry, Honda Acty, Subaru Sambar, Mitsubishi Minicab, Daihatsu Midget II and kei dump trucks

Kei vans: Daihatsu Atrai and all kei vans

Kei SUVs: Suzuki Jimny, Mitsubishi Pajero Mini, Honda Z and all kei SUVs

Larger 4x4s and SUVs: Mitsubishi Pajero, Mitsubishi Pajero iO, Isuzu Bighorn, Toyota Harrier, Nissan X-Trail and Honda CR-V

Vans and work trucks: Mitsubishi Delica, Toyota TownAce, Isuzu Elf and Toyota Dyna

Driving, parts and upgrades

• Driving a Right-Hand-Drive Kei Truck in Texas: Tips for New Owners
  No Texas law requires a left-hand seat. What changes in a right-hand-drive kei truck: stalks, passing, drive-throughs, electronic tolls, a km/h table, headlamps and child seats.
• Kei Truck Switches and Japanese Labels, Translated
  What the Japanese switches, stickers and plates on a kei truck say, with romaji and English, plus the radio-band and stalk quirks.
• How to Use a Kei Truck's 4x4: Hi-Lo, Diff Lock and Extra Low
  Model-by-model directions for kei truck four-wheel drive: how to engage it, when to use low range or the diff lock, and the one rule that saves the driveline.
• Kei Truck Top Speed and Gas Mileage: What a 660cc Mini Truck Can Do
  Catalog power, gearing and 10·15-mode fuel economy for the Hijet, Carry, Acty, Sambar and Minicab, converted to mpg, plus what Japanese and U.S. laws assume about speed.
• Kei Truck Tires: Sizes, Load Ratings and Where to Find Them
  Factory tire sizes by model, what 145R12 6PR LT means, load and pressure tables, wheel widths, tire age, and how to find the right tires in the US.
• How to Find Parts for a Kei Truck: Model Codes, Part Numbers and Where to Buy
  Identify your truck from its plate, decode JIS battery and NGK plug codes, and learn which parts come from Japan and which a US parts store can match.
• Kei Truck Upgrades: Lift Kits, Tires, Racks and Lights
  What owners add to kei trucks, how the parts work on a leaf-sprung truck, and which Texas equipment rules apply to lights, tint, exhaust and towing.

Work and weekends

• Kei Trucks for Landscaping and Property Maintenance Crews in Houston
  Bed size, payload, Texas road rules, business insurance and DOT thresholds for Houston landscaping and property maintenance crews, with sourced figures.
• Kei Trucks for Deer Leases and Hunting Camps in Texas
  What a kei truck hauls on a lease, how its 4x4 helps, getting it to camp, and TPWD vehicle rules.
• Can You Drive a Kei Truck on Texas Beaches?
  Texas beaches are public roads: 15 mph, street-legal vehicles only. Permit fees and rules for Galveston, Bolivar, Surfside, Matagorda, Port Aransas, Padre Island and South Padre.
• Kei Van Campers: Camping in a Japanese Mini Van
  Which kei vans work as a camper, what the catalogs say about the space inside, how to handle Texas heat and power, and where to take it.

Did not find your question?

Call or text (713) 385-9798, email contact@skylinekeitrucks.com, or come by the lot at 6100 Harvey Wilson Dr, Houston, TX 77020. Browse kei trucks for sale, see what is in Houston now or arriving soon.

General information only, not legal advice. All vehicles are sold by Wideway Motors LLC as is, with no warranty.