Know the truck. Know the rules.
Any mini truck. Any state.
Japanese mini trucks and 660 cc utility vehicles, and where you can drive one.
This is a guide. We do not import, sell, source or broker vehicles. We are not a registered importer, customs broker or dealer.
PopularSuzuki Carry DA63THijetMini DumpK6AColoradoDelta County
Colorado opens the road to kei trucks on 1 January 2028Find your county
Your state. Your county. Your road.
Every one of the 3,143 counties has its own page with the rule for a mini truck there. Start with your state, or let us find where you are.
The road answer for you
Every state, by its own law.
Each state decides whether a kei truck can be titled and where it may drive. Switch between the 25 year road truck and the newer off road truck, then open your state.
Your guide to buying one
Six steps, in the order they happen.
- 01
Decide the use
The work decides the body. A dump for hay and gravel, a flatbed that loads from three sides, a Jumbo cab for a longer day, a van for people and cargo.
Compare bodies - 02
Pick the generation
Every generation by maker, with its chassis codes, its engine and the month its earliest trucks turn 25.
Every generation - 03
The papers to ask for
The export certificate, the bill of lading, the bill of sale and the entry papers, each carrying the same chassis number.
The papers - 04
Walk away when
The papers come only after the money, the chassis number does not match them, or a road truck is younger than 25.
Field guide - 05
Inspection
Photographs that tie the truck to its record, and the checks below, before any money moves.
Photos to ask for - 06
Getting it home
The port, the duty, the entry and the title office in your state, in the order they happen.
Import steps
Quality
What to check before any money moves.
Frame and underside
Rust on the frame rails, the cab mounts and the bed floor. Ask for photographs from underneath, taken safely by the person inspecting it.
4WD engagement
Four wheel drive going in and out on a video, with the front hubs turning with it.
The transfer case
No leak or knock at the transfer case under the cab, and the truck pulling away in four wheel drive.
Dump bed hydraulics
On a dump, the bed going up and down on its own pump, with no leak at the ram.
The papers and the chassis
The chassis number on the plate matches the export certificate and the bill of lading.
Every make, every engine
Eight makers, 114 generations.
DaihatsuHijet25 generations from 1960
SuzukiCarry35 generations from 1961
HondaActy10 generations from 1977
SubaruSambar13 generations from 1961
MitsubishiMinicab11 generations from 1966
NissanClipper5 generations from 2003
MazdaScrum11 generations from 1991
ToyotaPixis4 generations from 2011The engines
Trademarks belong to their owners. Mini Truck Guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by any maker shown.
What a fair deal looks like
What moves the price.
No prices are printed here. None is read from a source we can show, and a price nobody has checked helps nobody. These are the things that change what a truck is worth to you.
- Age and the lane
- A road truck must be 25 years old by its own build date, built in October 2001 or earlier today. A newer one comes in only as governed off road equipment.
- The body and 4WD
- A dump, a flatbed, a Jumbo, a box or a van, two wheel or four. The truck that fits the work is the one worth paying for.
- Condition and the record
- An auction sheet grade, the odometer with its units and photographs from underneath tell you what you are buying.
- The papers
- A truck whose chassis number matches its export certificate and bill of lading can be titled. One that does not may not be.
- The road home
- Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty at the port, and the port it lands at decides the drive home.
Upgrades
Lifts, shocks, tires and wheel wells.
What people change on a kei truck once it is home.
Every state's rules on lifts, tires, fenders and lights, in the Mini Truck RoadbookGear and kit
Mini Truck Roadbook
Get your county edition.
The 2026 to 2027 edition is ready. Every state's rules and laws for kei and mini trucks, as a digital download for your state or county. No price is set and nothing is charged.
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