Last updated: October 15, 2026. Based on the New Mexico MVD Vehicle Procedures Manual, MVD pages and the New Mexico Administrative Code (sources at the end). Shipping prices are published estimates, not quotes. General information, not legal advice.
Our kei trucks are on our lot in Houston, about 565 miles from Hobbs, 700 from Roswell, 790 from Las Cruces and 900 from Albuquerque. New Mexico is the one neighboring state where we can't tell you with confidence that a kei truck will be registered for the road, because the state has no law about them and the Motor Vehicle Division hasn't published a position. This page lays out what the MVD's own procedure for foreign-built vehicles requires, what the taxes would be, where the uncertainty is, and how to get the truck home, so you can settle the question with the MVD before you buy.
Quick facts
- Street legal: not settled. No New Mexico statute or rule mentions kei or mini trucks, and the MVD's foreign-vehicle procedure doesn't mention the federal 25-year exemption. Confirm with the MVD before buying if you need plates.
- What the MVD's procedure requires: for a foreign-built vehicle: a Customs and Border Protection vehicle release (CBP Form 7501), the DOT HS-7 declaration, proof of EPA compliance, a VIN inspection and an NCIC stolen-vehicle check, then the normal title package (MVD Procedures Manual, Chapter 8).
- Taxes: 4% motor vehicle excise tax on the price (or the NADA value if you declare less than 80% of it), due when you apply for the title; 50% penalty after 90 days.
- Fees: registration $38 to $207 a year for trucks by weight; title about $5; $1.50 tire fee.
- Insurance: New Mexico minimum 25/50/10.
- Emissions: only in Bernalillo County (Albuquerque), where vehicles under 35 years old must pass a test at change of ownership and every two years.
- Private land: none of this affects a truck used only on a ranch, farm or lease.
Are kei trucks legal in New Mexico?
There's no law either way. New Mexico has no statute or MVD rule that mentions kei trucks, mini trucks or vehicles that don't meet federal safety standards, and the 2011 AAMVA best-practice document that many states used to restrict mini trucks lists New Mexico as “no state law” (AAMVA, 2011). The state's title and registration rules (NMAC 18.19.3) require only seat belts meeting the federal standards and define who can do VIN inspections.
What the MVD has written is a procedure for “foreign-manufactured vehicles” in MVD Vehicle Procedures Manual, Chapter 8 (last revised 2018). It says owners of vehicles built for sale outside the United States “must conform to safety and emission standards … prior to applying for New Mexico Title and Registration,” and it lists what the applicant must provide: a vehicle release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP Form 7501 or DD 1252), the DOT HS-7 declaration, proof the vehicle meets EPA standards, a VIN inspection by a certified inspector and an NCIC clearance, and it tells clerks, “Do not process imported vehicle transactions without a Vehicle Release.” The procedure was written for vehicles brought into compliance by a registered importer: it talks about a 30-day hold and an NHTSA bond release letter, and it never mentions the 25-year exemption that a kei truck enters the country under (HS-7, Box 1). Whether an office accepts the Box 1 declaration in place of a bond release is the whole question, and it's decided at the counter or by the MVD's Title Bureau.
Secondary sources disagree, and none of them cites an MVD statement: some guides list New Mexico as “not legal,” one dealer says 2001-and-older kei trucks can be plated, one importer calls it “not settled,” and a forum thread mentions one Albuquerque truck registered for the street with no details. We've found no first-hand 2025 or 2026 report either way, no MVD bulletin, and no news story. Until the MVD says otherwise, treat New Mexico street registration as unconfirmed.
How to find out before you buy
Call the MVD at 1-888-683-4636, or take the document list below to a field office (first-time title and registration has to be done in person at an MVD field office anyway), and ask a specific question: will the office title and register a 25-year-old Japanese-market vehicle imported under the HS-7 Box 1 exemption, with a CBP 7501 release, EPA Form 3520-1 and a VIN inspection? Get the answer in writing if you can, or at least the name of the person who gave it. If the answer is yes, buy with confidence; if it's no, the truck is still a legal purchase for private land, but you shouldn't expect plates. Our Texas title guide lists the documents that come with each truck, so you can show the MVD exactly what you'd be bringing.
What the title application looks like
If the MVD does process it, the package follows the MVD register-your-vehicle page plus Chapter 8:
- Application for Vehicle Title and Registration, MVD-10002
- Proof of ownership: the Japanese export certificate (the MVD notes a foreign ownership document “may not be a Certificate of Title as we know it”) with a certified English translation, plus our bill of sale (MVD-10009 is the state's own bill-of-sale form)
- Affirmation Certifying Ownership, MVD-10010 (no liens)
- CBP Form 7501 showing the VIN, DOT Form HS-7 (Box 1) and EPA Form 3520-1
- A VIN inspection by an MVD agent at a field office (not every office does them; some need an appointment) or a certified VIN inspector, plus the NCIC check the MVD runs
- An odometer statement (MVD-10187); if a metric odometer has been swapped for a miles unit, a notarized statement is required (NMAC 18.19.3.15)
- Proof of New Mexico insurance (25/50/10), your ID and two proofs of New Mexico residency
New Mexico requires a VIN inspection for every vehicle coming from another state, so expect it regardless. No MVD rule we found requires a bond or a state-assigned VIN for a short chassis number; the surety-bond process is for missing ownership documents. Apply within 90 days or the excise tax penalty applies.
Taxes and fees
The Motor Vehicle Excise Tax is 4% of the price paid, due when you apply for the title (NM MVD, Taxation and Revenue). For a private sale the MVD uses the NADA value instead if you declare less than 80% of it, and Chapter 8 tells clerks to use “the greater of NADA value or purchase price” for imports; kei trucks have no NADA listing, so expect the bill-of-sale price to be used, possibly with an appraisal. Tax paid to another state is credited against the MVET, but Texas collects none on a vehicle that isn't titled in Texas. Miss the 90-day deadline and the penalty is 50% of the tax.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Motor vehicle excise tax (4%) | $320.00 |
| Title | about $5.00 |
| Registration (truck, lightest weight classes) | $38 to $62 a year (trucks run $38 to $207 by weight and model year) |
| Tire recycling fee | $1.50 |
| Total | about $365 to $390 for the first year |
Example for a $7,999.99 truck; registration ranges from the MVD's register-your-vehicle page, the title fee from the MVD's fee sheet. Albuquerque buyers add the Bernalillo County emissions test: vehicles 35 years old or older are exempt, so a 1999–2001 kei truck is not; it needs a certificate at change of ownership and every two years, by OBD-II for 1996 and newer vehicles or a two-speed idle test if the program manager finds the vehicle OBD-II incompatible (NMAC 20.11.100; Vehicle Pollution Management Division, (505) 764-1110). No other New Mexico county tests.
Getting it home from Houston
A kei truck can't be driven on Texas roads until it's titled and registered, so it leaves our lot on a trailer or a carrier whatever New Mexico decides. 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. These are long hauls: I-10 West through San Antonio and El Paso to Las Cruces is about 790 miles; Albuquerque is about 900 miles either by I-10 and I-25 or by I-45, US-287 and I-40 through Dallas and Amarillo; Roswell is about 700 miles by I-10 and US-285 through Fort Stockton; Hobbs about 565 miles by I-10, I-20 and US-180. Lot hours are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; call or text (713) 385-9798 to set a time.
| Destination | From our lot | Published open-carrier price (2026) | Transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Cruces | about 790 miles (I-10) | moveBuddha $849–$1,262 | 2–7 days |
| Albuquerque | about 890–905 miles | Freedom Auto Transport $634–$906; moveBuddha $911–$1,360 | 2–7 days |
| Santa Fe | about 875 miles | moveBuddha $908–$1,305 | 2–7 days |
| Roswell | about 670–725 miles | Freedom $499–$712; moveBuddha $772–$1,110 | 1–6 days |
| Hobbs | about 565 miles | No published Houston–Hobbs quote; ask for one | Ask |
Mapping sites differ by up to 40 miles on these routes, so check your own. Prices are for a running vehicle on an open carrier and are the carriers' own published estimates, not quotes; 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.
Where to go
New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (Taxation and Revenue Department): 1-888-683-4636, mvd.newmexico.gov. First-time titles are done in person at an MVD field office, not at the private partner offices (MVD field offices): Albuquerque has Eagle Vista (9651 Eagle Ranch Rd. NW), Montgomery Plaza (4575 San Mateo Blvd. NE, Suite G190), Rio Bravo (3211 Coors Blvd. SW) and Sandia Vista (11500 Menaul Blvd. NE); Las Cruces has Wyatt (308 Wyatt Dr.) and Del Rey (3291 Del Rey Blvd., Suite 10); Santa Fe is at 2546 Camino Entrada; Roswell at 200 E. Wilshire Blvd. Field offices are open 8 to noon and 1 to 4, most by appointment; Hobbs is served by partner offices, so ask the MVD which field office to use. Bernalillo County emissions: (505) 764-1110.
Kei trucks in New Mexico
New Mexico's farms average 1,865 acres, the largest in the region, and the state leads the country in pecans, with about 60,000 acres mostly in the Mesilla Valley around Las Cruces, alongside chile, dairies and cattle (USDA Census of Agriculture, 2022); add the Permian Basin lease roads around Hobbs and Carlsbad and there's plenty of private-land work for a 4x4 kei truck even if it never gets a plate. That's worth saying plainly: for a ranch, orchard or oil-lease truck that stays off public roads, New Mexico's uncertainty doesn't matter. For a truck you want to drive to town, settle the plate question with the MVD first.
Frequently asked questions
Are kei trucks legal in New Mexico?
There's no law for or against them, and the MVD hasn't published a position on 25-year-old imports; its foreign-vehicle procedure was written for bonded imports. Ask the MVD (1-888-683-4636) before you buy if you need plates.
What does the MVD require for an imported vehicle?
A CBP vehicle release (Form 7501), the DOT HS-7, EPA Form 3520-1, a VIN inspection and NCIC check, then the normal title package: MVD-10002, bill of sale, MVD-10010, odometer statement, insurance, ID and two proofs of residency, in person at a field office.
How much is the tax?
4% motor vehicle excise tax on the price: $320 on an $8,000 truck, plus about $5 title and $38 to $62 a year registration for a light truck. Apply within 90 days or the penalty is half the tax.
Does a kei truck need an emissions test in Albuquerque?
Yes, if it's registered in Bernalillo County: only vehicles 35 years and older are exempt, so a 1999–2001 truck needs a test at change of ownership and every two years.
Can I use a kei truck on my ranch without registering it?
Yes. Nothing about the registration question affects use on private land. Get it titled if the MVD will do it, since the title is your proof of ownership when you sell.
Can you ship to New Mexico?
Yes, through an independent carrier you pay directly; published 2026 prices run from about $500 to $1,360 depending on the city and carrier. These are two- to seven-day hauls.
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 guide to what a kei truck costs in Texas and the Texas title and registration guide. Questions? Call or text (713) 385-9798.
Other Texas cities: Houston (our lot) · Dallas–Fort Worth · Fort Worth · Austin · San Antonio · El Paso · Corpus Christi · Lubbock · Beaumont · College Station–Bryan · Waco · Tyler–Longview · Rio Grande Valley
Buying from a nearby state: Louisiana · Oklahoma · Arkansas · All locations
Sources
- NM MVD Vehicle Procedures Manual, Chapter 8: foreign-manufactured vehicles
- NM MVD: register your vehicle (documents, VIN inspection, insurance, fees)
- NM MVD: how to obtain a title, registration and plate
- NMAC 18.19.3: titles and registration rules
- NMAC 18.19.3.10: authorized VIN inspectors
- NM MVD: motor vehicle excise tax
- NM Taxation and Revenue: motor vehicle excise tax
- NM MVD: fee sheet
- NM MVD: field office locations
- NMAC 20.11.100: Bernalillo County vehicle emissions
- City of Albuquerque: Air Care program brochure
- AAMVA: best practice on mini-trucks (2011)
- Carmanji: New Mexico kei truck laws (secondary; says not legal)
- Kei Truck Direct: laws by state (secondary; says not settled)
- JPM Mini Trucks: Albuquerque (secondary; says can be plated)
- Mini Truck Talk: Albuquerque thread
- USDA: New Mexico state agriculture profile (2022)
- Visit Albuquerque: driving distances
- Freedom Auto Transport: Houston–Albuquerque
- Freedom Auto Transport: New Mexico routes
- moveBuddha: Texas to New Mexico car shipping
- Houston–Hobbs distance
- Texas SB 1816 (Transportation Code §545.429)
Written by Farhad Musazada, Skyline Kei Trucks. Sources checked October 15, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email us and we'll fix 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.