Winds of change are hitting the American Japanese Domestic Market car import scene. States that passed policies against registering beloved tiny cars and trucks are reversing course, and legalizing fun cars for all. Michigan is now the next state to change its policy banning imported cars. Now, thanks to the efforts of state enthusiasts and an attorney, the owners of everything from Kei trucks to Mitsubishi Delicas can drive around the state without fear of title revocation.
This wonderful news comes to us from Michigan reader and Chinese car enthusiast Dogapult. The change in policy is not official yet, so you’re probably reading about this here first, thank you Dogapult! However, if the state took your on-road title, you should be getting it back.
The surprising part in all of this is that Michigan did not exactly take the route that has proven to be successful by enthusiasts in Texas, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
It’s Been A Rough Road
The past three years have been tough for owners of cars imported from Japan.
These people, much like myself, followed all of the rules of importing a car from another country. Our country says a foreign car is too unsafe and too dirty to import until it’s at least 25 years old, so these enthusiasts waited until their favorite cars were old enough. They filed the proper paperwork and paid the proper fees. They then got their vehicles registered in their respective states.
Then, in the summer of 2021, disaster struck. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a non-governmental group consisting of state DMV administrators and law enforcement from all states, Canada, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C., recommended member states start banning any every vehicle not built to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Mini trucks have been on the AAMVA’s radar since the late 2000s and prior to the 2021 recommendations, the organization had already been recommending the banning of 25 mph off-road-only mini trucks for a decade. What made the Regulation of Off-Road Vehicles: Best Practices recommendations different? This time, the AAMVA wasn’t just targeting mini trucks imported for off-road use. Instead, the organization specifically targeted over 25-year-old vehicles imported for road use. But then, it got worse as the organization recommended banning all vehicles that were not built to FMVSS.
Maine Director of Vehicle Services Nikki Bachelder authored part of the now-infamous recommendation document and her state was the first to kick off the new bans. Maine’s ban remains the most aggressive yet as the state passed a law that automatically reclassified any vehicle not built to FMVSS as an off-road vehicle. Suddenly, everything from imported BMW wagons and old Trabants to giant Japanese fire engines was illegal to drive on Maine roads.
Most other states were a bit gentler, choosing to target Japan’s smallest class of road-legal car, the Kei. Maine, Michigan, Rhode Island, Georgia, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania all banned Kei vehicles either in full or in part. Rhode Island banned all Keis, while most of the other states focused entirely on Kei trucks.
This sent waves through Kei owner communities around the country. You’d think that you’d only buy a tiny Japanese car for a toy, but the many people I’ve spoken to in various states say it isn’t so. Many Kei car owners daily drive their cars while countless small American businesses depend on Kei vehicles for deliveries, advertising, and as mobile business units. Some even turn Kei vans into micro food trucks! Farmers use their tiny trucks to get work done, off-roaders have a ton of fun with them, and you, like me, have probably seen tiny Kei vehicles in municipal fleets.
Legalizing Keis has never been about just keeping toys on the road.
Enthusiasts in each state have tried different ways to get their vehicles legal again. In 2019, enthusiasts in North Carolina were able to overturn a mini truck ban through working with their elected representatives. In early 2024, Texas became the first state to beat the 2021-era AAMVA ban. Enthusiasts in that state banded together with lawmakers, convinced the DMV to review its ban, and the ban was lifted. Earlier this year, enthusiasts in Massachusetts copied the lead set by the Texas enthusiasts, called up their representatives, and also succeeded in getting their ban lifted.
Enthusiasts in other states haven’t been so lucky. Over in Maine, a bill was proposed that would have reversed the law that banned all imports. As of writing, the bill is dead and thus, the law stands. Enthusiasts in Rhode Island launched individual disputes against the state DMV, but as of writing the ban in that state remains. Even worse, the state has even renewed its interest in revoking any registration it forgot to cancel back in 2021.
Enthusiasts down in Georgia employed a dual-prong approach. These Kei owners sued the state. However, they also got enough interest from lawmakers and a bill was proposed to legalize Keis. Sadly, things in Georgia are really messy right now. The lawsuit is currently stalled out and the bill? The actual text of the bill isn’t pro-Kei at all. Sure, the bill would give Kei owners their titles back, but the proposed law would treat their vehicles like golf carts, banning them from most roads, anyway. Is that really a win?
Despite all of this, Michigan’s enthusiasts went with a lawsuit, anyway.
Michigan’s Own Flavor Of Ban
Earlier this year, Dogapult sent me one of the letters being received by Kei truck owners in Michigan:
The letter says Michigan made a mistake in issuing a title for road use for the owner’s vehicle. The state then says that based on laws pertaining to “mini trucks,” the state cannot issue a title for road use. That law is MCL – Section 257.217i, Michigan Vehicle Code Act 300 of 1949:
257.217i Issuance of vehicle identification number and certificate of title for assembled vehicles; requirements; safety study; “assembled vehicle” defined.
Sec. 217i.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the secretary of state shall, upon an applicant’s payment of the proper fees and submission of all documentation required by the secretary of state, issue a vehicle identification number in the same manner as provided in section 230 and a certificate of title to an assembled vehicle that satisfies all applicable requirements of this act, if the assembled vehicle contains all of the following equipment:
The screenshot above shows all of the items a vehicle needs to be legal in the state of Michigan. The part that surprised us is that Michigan requires all road vehicles to have a differential gear. Does that mean electric vehicles with hub motors are technically illegal in Michigan?
Anyway, the important bit is here:
(5) As used in this section, “assembled vehicle” does not include either of the following:
(a) A military surplus vehicle designated by the federal government as off-road use only.
(b) A gray market off-road minitruck.
(c) An all-terrain vehicle that has 4 wheels and is equipped with a straddle seat.
I searched far and wide, but could not find any mention in Michigan law for the language regarding Kei trucks, just mini trucks, which aren’t the same. It seems many of the states with Kei bans do not understand that Kei trucks are not the same vehicles as 25 mph speed-limited mini trucks. A Kei truck can go or exceed the speed limit and was built and imported for road use.
What’s worse is that the state never even gave enthusiasts a chance to dispute the decision. The state just automatically canceled on-road titles.
The state of Michigan pointed to the Suzuki Carry, Subaru Sambar, Honda Acty, Mazda Scrum, and Daihatsu Hijet as examples of off-road mini trucks. While it’s true some of these vehicles have been imported as speed-limited mini trucks and often rode on off-road-only tires, over 25-year-old Kei trucks imported for road use have no such restrictions and should be treated differently.
Michigan Wins
Michigan enthusiast and attorney Kevin Burton agrees that JDM imports should be legal in the state and filed a lawsuit against the state. Thankfully, unlike the state in the Georgia case, Michigan took this case seriously. Now, we have great news to deliver courtesy of Dogapult:
“From Kevin Burton, Michigan attorney and kei truck lawsuit filer:
The MSOS and MDOS received our Complaint; they’ve evaluated and are rolling out a new Policy later this week that permits all JDM Grey Market Vehicles (including, but not limited to, Kei cars, kei trucks, Delicas, Jimnys) to be registered for on-road use, provided they are 25 years of age or older.
The policy is not public yet but you will be able to review it for yourself in the near future. Meanwhile, the State has rolled out 60 reinstatement letters (an On-road Title instead of ORV Title and a reinstatement of your registration, if it was revoked).Their goal is to have 120 letters out reinstating titles and registrations by weeks end.
They have advised me to keep my file open. In the event you or anyone you know has not gotten a reinstatement letter by the end of November. Please contact me. I now have a point of contact with the MDOS and they will ensure a reinstatement letter goes out to you and send me a copy. We expect those affected should see a letter within 2 weeks.”
Once the new policy goes live, Michigan will officially become the third state to beat the AAMVA’s recommendations since 2021. Those who had their on-road titles revoked will get their titles and registrations back. Those getting cars fresh off of the boat will be able to register their own cars, too. This is a full reversal from the state.
These wins are only the start. The enthusiasts in Massachusetts and Texas recognize that DMV policies are easy to change. If the makeup of their respective DMVs change, they could easily see the return of JDM import bans. So, the next step in their quest is getting the rights of Kei vehicles enshrined in law. The Maine ban has shown that it’s hard to reverse a law once it’s passed, so why not get pro-Kei laws on the books? For now, enthusiasts in Michigan just have a lot to cheer for.
It really does seem like grassroots organizing and befriending powerful people in government is working. My best recommendation to enthusiasts in other states is to follow the leads set by Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas. Band together, organize, befriend some politicians, and make your voice heard. With luck, I’ll be writing about you next.
As long as the threat of my state DMV deciding to be idiots about these things because of this AAMVA still exists, I am going to be hesitant to buy one.
Even though I think they would be great for my homeowner crap, especially one with a dump bed. Find me an affordable Silverado or F-150 with a dump bed.
There is a Honda Acty in my area that I see every now and then. It is plated. Virginia does have that JDM import guy Duncan Imports, maybe he throws enough money around to keep Richmond from doing something stupid.
Here in California they are banned due to emission reasons. Passing emissions doesn’t only rely on a clean tail pipe. The vehicle in question most pass several other hurdles first. This is why JDM replacement engines in USDA vehicles are hard.
Somewhat related, I recently saw a 1994 Delica and was able to talk to the owner at a stop light. One of the questions I asked was where it was registered. She laughed and said this is Oakland, it doesn’t need to be registered. True as I didn’t register my most recent vehicle for over 6 months (it was insured).
High-five!
The solution to all this madness is to just make recreational vehicles ($15k ATVs, $40k side by sides and so on) road-legal, so they can spend their lobbying budget on something else than the sudden concern of how dangerous Kei trucks are on the roads.
I suffer for them though, those brand new 4WD $20k Kei trucks imported and sold by the boatload as farm equipment have zero pretentions to ever become road legal, but must be biting in their sales somewhat. What with having the choice between a $22k real vehicle with AC and all, or a $30k glorified John Deere golf cart to drive on your farm and haul stuff with…
In Michigan, the person who oversees the registration of motor vehicles is an elected official, the Secretary of State. I don’t think that’s the case in most other states.
If the SoS enacts a policy that the citizens of the state disagree with, he/she literally risks losing their job.
Good.
There’s a reason why Michigan has no safety inspections — With the US auto industry still nominally based in Detroit, it’s well established via the strings of power (e.g. money) that Cars are Fundamentally Safe. They always have been and they always will. And even as Japanese imports once threatened the Big Three’s position, they never discriminated because legally, calling out some cars as potentially unsafe casts doubt on all cars, and no lawyer wants to venture into those dangerous waters. So all cars, big or small, domestic or imported, Are Safe. That’s been the position and they’ve stuck to it from one century into the next.
So, questioning the safety of Kei trucks and cars is essentially threatening the Natural Order of Things according to the legions of auto industry lawyers and the political donors they represent. A lawyer points this out, and magically, all is rectified. Funny how that works…
Its a secret but yea it does work. Kinda like how riots change policy too. Just gotta have the balls.
This is fantastic news! Other states beware!
Was at my dmv for indiana and asked about this as a hey why not, her and the supervisor both said they could only be used as offroad farm only.
HOWEVER, the state site itself has a plate specifically for mini trucks, so…. were good?
Because farm use, it can be used on roads if for business, just not highways, but it has its own plate. And I’ve seen several on the roads, including a roxor, so I’d gander we just don’t care, just pay the road tax
Glad people are pushing back. I do believe there is merit to not allowing old unsafe vehicles to clog up our roads. They are the caravan of the US. However, as a weekend or local runabout they should be legal. I say adopt the Hagerty rule legal but limited to 5,000 miles a year, and no highway usage if it can’t do the speed limit, on company property fine but a company running a fleet is not enthusiast use it is putting employees in a dangerous situation. See the solution is simple just ask me for the answer.
Your solution also sucks.
If I actually imported anything fun there’s no way you’d keep me from driving over 5,000 miles a year.
So says the fan of a 1978 ball of Italian tinfoil.