A bill designed to protect 25-year-old and older imported Japanese mini trucks in Texas passed today, the culmination of a years-long effort to change the law. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles had a policy banning the registration of these vehicles. However, it wasn’t evenly enforced across the state, even though the cars met federal import regulations.
Whimsical policy changes won’t be an issue in the future. This new law clarifies that the state must register “a miniature motor vehicle” that “complies with applicable federal law.” The version of the bill that passed is simpler than the one proposed, and it does not specifically define what a mini truck is.
One of the issues surrounding these bite-sized vehicles is a discrepancy between the federal law that allows people to import these vehicles while leaving the rules and regulations related to registration to the state or department policies. Massachusetts changed its policy last year.
The tide began to turn in Texas when David McChristian, founder of Lone Star Kei, a Texas-based advocacy group dedicated to protecting Kei truck ownership across the country, contacted every single state legislator to reverse the DVM’s policy. And it worked. The Texas DMV changed its policy in April 2024, but a policy change doesn’t change the law.
“After two and a half years of hard work, we’re thrilled to see our goal achieved with the passage of SB 1816, which codifies the ability to title, register, and operate Kei vehicles in Texas,” McChristian wrote in a statement to Motor1. “These compact, efficient cars offer an affordable and sustainable option for Texans, and the Texas Kei community is ecstatic.”
Texas is the latest state to codify protections for imported Japanese mini trucks that meet federal regulations. Colorado passed a similar law earlier this month, but it does not go into effect until July 2027. The Texas law can go into effect immediately without the governor’s signature because it garnered more than two-thirds vote in both chambers, and it’s unlikely the governor will veto it.