Kei Trucks for Indiana Buyers

By Farhad Musazada, owner of Skyline Kei Trucks. Last updated: October 24, 2026. Statute and agency rules verified October 2026; fees, taxes and shipping estimates checked October 2026. Based on Indiana Code 9-13-2-103.1 and 9-21-8-46, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles' mini-truck pages and its Mini-Truck Title Application Packet (sources at the end). Shipping prices are published estimates, not quotes. General information, not legal advice.

Our kei trucks are on our lot in east Houston, about 871 miles from Evansville, 1,015 from Indianapolis, 1,139 from Fort Wayne and 1,144 from South Bend. Indiana has a law written for them: a “mini-truck” gets an Indiana title and its own license plate and may use any road except an interstate. The catch is the first title, which only the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) Central Office issues, by mail, and a definition whose engine-size, weight and top-speed numbers don't line up neatly with a kei truck's published specifications. This page covers the law, the definition, the paperwork, the taxes and getting the truck home.

Key facts

Street legal: yes, as a “mini-truck,” if the truck fits Indiana's definition and is titled and registered.
Road limits: no interstates (Ind. Code 9-21-8-46). We found no other road or speed limit.
How it registers: a first title from the BMV Central Office, by mail, then a mini-truck license plate at any BMV branch.
Paperwork: title application (State Form 205), the Japanese export certificate, our bill of sale, a physical inspection (State Form 39530), an odometer statement, a photo and proof of address; we add CBP Form 7501, DOT HS-7 (Box 1) and EPA Form 3520-1.
Taxes: 7% sales tax on the purchase price, paid with the title application; a flat $30 vehicle excise tax each year, plus county and city vehicle excise taxes where adopted.
Fees: $15 title ($30 more if you apply after 45 days); each year, $30.35 registration and a $15 Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Fee.
Insurance: minimum 25/50/25 liability.
Inspection: a physical (VIN) inspection, free at a BMV branch or up to $5 from a police officer; in Lake and Porter counties, an emissions-exempt Vehicle Inspection Report for the first registration.

Are kei trucks legal in Indiana?

Yes, as mini-trucks. House Enrolled Act 1047 of 2015 created the class, and its definition, title and registration rules and interstate ban took effect January 1, 2016 (enrolled act). The road rule is short: under Ind. Code 9-21-8-46, a person may not drive or operate “a mini-truck” “upon any part of an interstate highway.” When the law passed, a BMV spokesman said the plate gives owners “the right to drive on all public roadways except interstate highways” (TheStatehouseFile.com).

For an import, the BMV's Mini-Truck Title Application Packet says a vehicle with ownership documents from another country must follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's import guidelines, and it accepts an export certificate as proof of ownership. Our trucks come in under the federal 25-year exemption, declared on DOT Form HS-7 with Box 1 checked (see our 25-year import rule guide).

Off-road vehicle rules, which some websites apply to kei trucks, are the wrong frame: under the 2015 law, “instead of being titled as an off road vehicle they will be titled as a truck and registered with a ‘mini truck’ plate” (TheStatehouseFile.com). We found no 2025 or 2026 bill that changes the definition or the interstate ban, and the BMV's current pages use the 2015 wording.

Moving the truck to another state later, or want to see how Indiana compares? Our kei truck laws by state map covers all 50 states, with each state's status, statute and the 2026 changes.

Does a kei truck fit Indiana's mini-truck definition?

Ind. Code 9-13-2-103.1, which the BMV repeats on its mini-truck page, defines a mini-truck as a truck that:

is powered by an internal combustion engine with a piston or rotary displacement “of not less than six hundred sixty (660) cubic centimeters”
is 60 inches or less in width
has “an unladen dry weight of one thousand six hundred (1,600) pounds or less”
“can achieve a top speed of not more than sixty (60) miles per hour”
is manufactured with a locking enclosed cab and a heated interior
is operated on a highway

Width is easy: a kei truck is no more than about 4 ft 10 in (58 inches) wide. The rest is closer. Honda's announcement of its 1990 Acty Truck calls the engine a 660 cc, but the spec table lists 656 cc, and the engine grew from an earlier 550 cc one. The same table lists the trucks at 670 to 750 kg (about 1,480 to 1,650 pounds), the four-wheel-drive versions heaviest; that isn't necessarily the “dry” weight Indiana counts. Honda lists no top speed, but when the law passed, TheStatehouseFile.com reported that mini-trucks “can reach speeds up to 70 miles per hour” (see our top speed and mpg guide).

The BMV doesn't say how it measures displacement, dry weight or top speed, or what happens to a truck that misses a point; its page speaks only of a truck “that meets the definition of a mini-truck,” and we found no other published guidance. The Central Office issues every first mini-truck title, so that is where the definition gets applied. Before you buy, call the BMV at (888) 692-6841 with the truck's year, model, engine size and chassis number and ask whether it will be titled as a mini-truck.

Which roads can a mini-truck use?

Every public road except an interstate. The interstate ban groups mini-trucks with farm implements and special machinery, and the 2015 law added no other road rule: no posted-speed limit, no daylight-only rule and no local approval step. City streets, county roads and U.S. and state highways are open to a registered mini-truck; the 60 mph figure in the definition describes the truck, not the road. On a busy four-lane highway, though, a kei truck is a small truck in fast traffic.

How do you title an imported kei truck in Indiana?

By mail, not at a branch. The BMV says a first Indiana title for a mini-truck “must be issued by the BMV Central Office Title Processing department.” Apply within 45 days of the purchase date (BMV); the packet adds a $30 administrative penalty for an application received after that. The packet's list, plus what comes with every truck we sell:

Application for Certificate of Title for a Vehicle (State Form 205)
The Japanese export certificate, your proof of ownership, with our English translation
Our bill of sale, which shows the price the sales tax is figured on
Physical Inspection of a Vehicle or Watercraft (State Form 39530), required for a vehicle bought outside Indiana
Odometer Disclosure Statement (State Form 43230); kei odometers read in kilometers
A side-view photo of the whole truck and a proof of address (a driver's license may count if its address is current)
Collection of Payment Information (State Form 56163), covering the $15 title fee and the 7% sales tax
CBP Form 7501, NHTSA Form HS-7 (Box 1) and EPA Form 3520-1; the packet doesn't name them, but it requires NHTSA's import rules to be met

The physical inspection verifies the identification number on the truck, so have it done once the truck is in Indiana: it is free at any BMV branch or certified service provider, and a law enforcement officer may charge up to $5 (BMV). The chassis number on the export certificate is the VIN (see our VIN and frame number guide). The packet warns that an incomplete application is returned whole, and an optional $25 speed title fee buys faster processing. Questions go to the BMV at (888) 692-6841.

Registration comes after the title: “The title must be issued before the mini-truck can be registered” (BMV). Then register the truck at any BMV branch with proof of insurance; Indiana's minimum is 25/50/25 liability (Ind. Code 9-25-4-5). In Lake and Porter counties, which test emissions, the first registration also needs a Vehicle Inspection Report from an emissions test site declaring the truck exempt; renewals don't.

What are the taxes and fees in Indiana?

Indiana's 7% sales tax on a truck bought out of state is paid to the BMV with the title application; the packet says to “include 7% sales tax of the purchase price.” Texas doesn't charge its motor vehicle sales tax on a vehicle “purchased in Texas for use exclusively outside Texas” that isn't used here beyond the trip out or registered here; the buyer gives the seller Form 14-312 (Texas Comptroller). Indiana credits sales tax paid to another state and collects the difference (BMV; Department of Revenue Bulletin #28S), so with no Texas tax paid, the full 7% is due.

Each year at registration the truck also owes the registration fee, the Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Fee and a flat vehicle excise tax: “Mini-trucks are charged a flat rate vehicle excise tax of $30.00” (BMV). Counties and cities that have adopted their own vehicle excise tax add it on top (BMV).

Item	Amount
State sales tax (7%)	$560.00
Title	$15.00
Registration, mini truck, one year	$30.35
Vehicle excise tax (mini-truck flat rate), one year	$30.00
Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Fee, one year	$15.00
County and city vehicle excise tax	depends on your county and city; not charged everywhere
Physical inspection	free at a BMV branch; up to $5 from a law enforcement officer
Total	about $650.35 plus any county or city excise tax

Example for a $7,999.99 truck; title, registration and infrastructure fees from the BMV fee chart (revised January 1, 2026), the excise tax from the BMV's excise tax page and the sales tax from the mini-truck packet. Registration (the chart's mini truck rate), excise tax and the infrastructure fee recur every year. Add $25 for a speed title and $30 if the packet arrives after the 45 days.

How do you get it home from Houston?

On a trailer or a carrier. An unregistered kei truck can't be driven on Texas roads, and Indiana registers it only after the title is issued. Kei trucks are no more than about 11 ft 2 in long and 4 ft 10 in wide, so they fit a standard car-hauler trailer behind a half-ton pickup. Our lot is just off I-10 on the east side of Houston. Lot hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; call or text (713) 385-9798 to set a time.

Destination	From our lot	Published price range (2026)	Transit
Evansville	about 871 miles	Freedom Auto Transport $622–$888; moveBuddha $865–$1,240	2–3 days (moveBuddha: 2–7)
Indianapolis	about 1,015 miles	Freedom $696–$994; moveBuddha $837–$1,449	2–3 days (moveBuddha: 2–8)
Fort Wayne	about 1,139 miles	Freedom $773–$1,105; moveBuddha $911–$1,441	2–4 days (moveBuddha: 2–8)
South Bend	about 1,144 miles	Freedom $773–$1,104; moveBuddha $939–$1,412	2–4 days (moveBuddha: 2–8)

Prices are the brokers' own published estimates for a running vehicle, not quotes. Freedom and moveBuddha publish one range per route, and Freedom says open, door-to-door shipping keeps the price in the lower end of its range. A kei truck is smaller and lighter than the cars they price, but brokers don't list a separate rate for them. An enclosed trailer costs about 30% to 50% more (Homeland Auto Transport), and a vehicle that doesn't run costs more again, often $150 to $300 extra for winching (AmeriFreight). Prices change with season and fuel, so ask for a written quote. We help arrange an independent carrier and you pay the carrier directly; see delivery to your state.

Where do you go to title and register it?

The first Indiana title comes from the BMV's Central Office Title Processing, by mail: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Central Office Title Processing, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N411, Indianapolis, IN 46204; questions to (888) 692-6841. The physical inspection and, once the title is issued, the registration and plate are handled at BMV branches; the BMV's branch map shows the nearest branch, kiosk and service provider. In Lake and Porter counties, the emissions-exempt report comes from a Clean Air Car Check test site (888-240-1684, per the BMV).

Kei trucks in Indiana

Indiana had 53,599 farms in 2022 on about 14.6 million acres, averaging 272 acres, with about 5.7 million acres of soybeans and 5.4 million of corn for grain, plus about 4.4 million hogs and pigs (USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture). More than a third of them (35%) are 10 to 49 acres. Kei trucks fit that work: hauling seed, tools and fencing between fields and bins, chores on hog and cattle farms, and acreages and hunting ground. With the interstate the only road closed to it, a titled mini-truck can use the county roads and state highways between fields and town. For mud and snow, see our guide to 4x4, hi-lo and diff lock.

Frequently asked questions

Are kei trucks street legal in Indiana?

Yes, as mini-trucks. A truck that fits Indiana's definition is titled by the BMV Central Office, gets a mini-truck plate and may use any public road except an interstate.

Can I drive a kei truck on the interstate in Indiana?

No. Ind. Code 9-21-8-46 bars mini-trucks from “any part of an interstate highway.” We found no other road or speed limit.

Does every kei truck meet Indiana's mini-truck definition?

Not clearly. The definition asks for at least 660 cc, 1,600 pounds or less dry and a top speed of no more than 60 mph, and published kei figures sit close to or past those lines; Honda lists its 1990 Acty Truck engine at 656 cc. The BMV doesn't say how it handles that, so call (888) 692-6841 before you buy.

Do I need a VIN inspection in Indiana?

Yes. A vehicle bought outside Indiana needs a physical inspection on State Form 39530, free at a BMV branch or up to $5 from a law enforcement officer.

How much is the tax on a kei truck in Indiana?

7% sales tax, about $560 on an $8,000 truck, paid with the title application. On top of that come $15 for the title and, each year, $30.35 registration, a $30 excise tax and a $15 infrastructure fee, plus any local excise tax.

Can you ship a kei truck to Indianapolis?

Yes. We help arrange an independent carrier and you pay the carrier directly; published 2026 estimates from Houston run from about $622 (Evansville) to $1,449 (Indianapolis). Some buyers bring a trailer.

Shop kei trucks

Browse trucks in stock in Houston, or reserve one that is arriving soon from Japan with a $1,000 deposit that counts toward the price. New to kei trucks? Start with our kei truck buyer's guide, our comparison of the Hijet, Carry, Acty and Sambar and how buying from us works. Questions? Call or text (713) 385-9798.

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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.

All vehicles are sold by Wideway Motors LLC as is, with no warranty. We help arrange shipping through independent carriers; you pay the carrier directly, and we are not the carrier. Seller makes no representation that any vehicle can be titled, registered or driven on public roads in any state, and being unable to do so is not grounds to cancel a purchase. Laws and agency practice change; confirm with your state's motor vehicle agency before you buy. See our Terms of Sale and Shipping & Pickup Policy.