What is a ‘Kei Truck’?
There are Japanese mini trucks, and there are kei trucks. At least that how it seems to be if you check Google. So what’s the difference (if any?) and what does this term ‘kei truck’ even mean?
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Perhaps you’ve seen the term ‘kei truck’ while exploring the internet, and so you may well have wondered what a kei truck even is? Maybe you have a hunch that kei trucks are what we call ‘Japanese mini trucks’ here in the USA – and you would be right. But let’s go deeper into what this “kei” truck is and where the term comes from and whether there could be any gap between kei trucks and Japanese mini trucks.
What Does ‘Kei Truck’ Mean?
Well, let’s start with “kei“. This is a Japanese word (軽), and it means ‘light’ (as in ‘not heavy’). Before we go further, let’s make sure we have the pronunciation straight. It’s not difficult, but it’s also not the same as ‘key’, which is how you will hear some English speakers say it. It’s actually said exactly the same as the English letter ‘K’, which can lead some people to think that there’s something called a ‘K truck’.
To delve a little into the history, kei vehicles were first introduced in the late 1940s as a new class of vehicle that was intended to be an affordable option for poorer workers trying to recover from the devastating loss of WWII. The Japanese government also figured producing and selling them in Japan would give a welcome kickstart to their still war-ravaged economy.
Of course, these new kei vehicles had their own set of rules. The most important of these was limited engine displacement, first to 550cc, and then to a not-much-larger 660cc. Not very big, but these are kei (‘light’) vehicles, after all. So now when you’re asked, ‘What does kei truck mean?’, you can answer that they are little truck-shaped vehicles from Japan with tiny 660cc engines.
'Kei Trucks' Or 'Japanese Mini Trucks'?
Which brings us to another question: kei trucks … or Japanese mini trucks? Is there a difference and, if so, what is it? Again, if you’ve been Googling these vehicles, you’ve probably seen both terms used, seemingly interchangeably. Although there aren’t any official rules for how the terms kei truck and Japanese mini truck are used (and Wikipedia simply says they’re both equally valid in the USA), there does seem to be a bit of a pattern that emerges if you look carefully.
It seems that fans of the older models tend to refer to them as kei trucks more often, whereas buyers of the newer off-road ones like you see here at Mini Truck Depot tend to call them ‘Japanese mini trucks’. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter.
If you’re a mini truck nerd, perhaps you want to demonstrate your more additional knowledge by referring to them in their original language — kei truck. But if you’re simply looking for a hardworking work UTV alternative and aren’t that interested in historical origins, then ‘Japanese mini truck’ gets the job done.
Who Makes Kei Trucks?
Leading Manufacturers
Popular Kei Truck Models
- Daihatsu Hijet: Available in several different configurations, Daihatu’s Hijet has ridden high at the top of the mini truck sales charts in Japan for quite a few years now. With evolutionary upgrades, particularly to the power train, the latest 11th generation is also extremely popular with US buyers as well.
- Suzuki Carry: More dated than the Hijet, the Carry is still a well-regarded mini truck option, and sells well in Japan. However, when it comes to US buyers, the fact that the Carry cannot be lifted as much nor wear the same size of off-road tires as the Hijet makes it a less popular choice.
Kei Truck Buying Options
Importing Directly from Japan
Your first option is to import a kei truck directly from Japan. This may sound daunting, as in fact it is. First of all, unless the kei truck in question is at least 25 years old, you will find your way barred by all sorts of licensing and other regulations, making importing essentially impossible for you as an individual. Of course, if you’re wanting a younger Japanese mini truck, then buying through one of our dealers creates an easy solution for you, as all these mini trucks pass the US import rules so that they can be sold legally in the US.
If it’s a 25+ year-old model that you’re interested in, then you certainly can import one yourself, but do remember that there’s still a lot of legal and regulatory hurdles to overcome even then. Make sure you partner up with a good customs agent to make sure you’re doing it right.
Purchasing Older Kei Trucks
Of course, you don’t have to import an older kei truck for yourself. For most people who want to go this route, the safest option is to buy one that’s already been imported and is here in the US. That said, even this is still not a completely risk-free proposition. You see, these older kei trucks must be at least a quarter century old by law to be allowed into the country, so you’ll want to weigh that age factor carefully against any savings you think you are making. We have a whole article about the pros and cons of these older kei trucks here if you want to go deeper into this particular topic.
Authorized Mini Truck Dealers
Mini Truck Depot sits at the head of the U.S. mini truck distribution and dealer network that specializes solely in newer Japanese mini trucks. Not those old 25+ year-old models, but literally brand-new and almost new used models. As mentioned above, getting these into the US legally is definitely not the easiest thing to do. However, we’ve done the hard work on this, and you can be sure that any kei trucks you see advertised for sale by our mini truck dealers have all come in the right way.
So, at the end of the day, if you’re looking for a mini truck for work – whether on a farm, ranch, work site, college campus or wherever – the peace of mind you get from buying a new or almost new model from one of our dealers really does outweigh any perceived benefit you may think you get by buying a 25+ year-old mini truck, or trying to handle the import for yourself. On top of that, these newer models hold up exceptionally well in any price / performance comparison with work UTVs and side-by-sides.
How to Buy a Kei Truck
Step-by-Step Quick Guide
- Research: What kind of off-road work are you planning on doing with your kei truck / mini truck? This includes things like figuring out cargo capacity and passenger capacity requirements, as well as what budget you have to play with.
- Model Selection: There are lots of different models that all have their own unique strong points. You’ll find our Daihatsu Hijets are by far the most popular brand, but even then there are a lot of different choices. Here’s a run down of those different models. If you need a more guided approach, then this guide will lead you through this part of the decision-making process in a clear, logical way.
- Budgeting and Financing: Beyond figuring out your budget, you may also want to look at options for financing your kei truck. To make it easier for you, any of our dealers can offer financing options (if that’s something you want to consider) so make sure you mention this when you ask about a particular mini truck.
- Finalizing the Purchase: Check out the kei trucks for sale here or on any of our many dealers’ websites. When you’ve found one you’re interested in, just click the button to ask for the final pricing – which can include a lift, specialist off-road rims and tires, a warranty, and trucking to your location.
We’re Here To Help
Not only does Mini Truck Depot have a whole range of kei trucks for sale, but also if you’re interested in any of them, we can refer you to your nearest dealer so you can ask them any questions you may have and complete your purchase. On the other hand, if you would prefer to just be referred to your nearest dealer to speak with them directly, please contact us here, tell us where you are located, and we’ll connect you.
How Much is a Kei Truck?
Convinced a kei truck could be the best off-road vehicle for you? Great. But that’s only going to work if the price is right and the kei truck is better value than the alternatives. Here are some factors to consider:
Price Range and Factors Affecting Cost
Rather than talking in generalities, the best way to think about pricing is to look at some of the actual kei trucks for sale that you can buy through any of our mini truck dealers. Take a look at any of these and you’ll notice that prices are ‘to the port in the USA’. To be clear, this means this is the kei truck, at the port, customs-cleared and ready to go.
Of course, that’s not the end of the story. It’s on the ground in the US, but it’s still at the port, which may be many miles from where you live. So, you’re going to need it trucked to your address and then on top of that you may want a lift and knobby off-road tires as well as a warranty, too. One of our dealers will give you a final price based on all these things, so click the ‘Get To-Door Delivered Price’ button and get a quote.
Are Kei Trucks Value For Money?
Price is important, but beyond whether you can afford it or not, the most important question is whether a kei truck is going to give you the best value for your money. One way to figure this out is to compare the kei truck with the alternatives. We’re here to help: In fact, we have a couple of in-depth articles that help you do just that. One looks at Japanese mini trucks v. side-by-sides, and the other looks at whether kei trucks are good work UTV alternatives for farmers.
As you can see, the most common cross-shopping comparison is going to be between the kei truck and some kind of UTV, whether a work UTV or a side-by-side.
What’s the best way to compare a kei truck against a UTV? After all, you need to make sure you’re doing a proper apples-to-apples comparison, or it’s not going to give you an accurate answer.
First of all, kei trucks have much larger beds than any UTV. If you’re looking for an off-road vehicle for work, then a 6’ 8” long kei truck bed is going to give you way more options for hauling than any UTV. So, first thing you need to do is to make sure you’re taking any features into consideration where there’s none that are comparable on any UTV model (scissor lift dump beds are another great example).
Next look at all the standard equipment the mini truck has that are extra cost options on the UTV. A good example of this is AC and heat. All kei trucks our dealers sell have these as standard, so AC & heat is baked into the price. But for most UTVs AC & heat is an expensive upgrade option. So make sure you add this and other option costs to any base UTV price to get the real cost to you.
Be careful with those UTV dealer prices for another reason as well: The small print will often slip in a ‘destination charge’ that can be an extra $995 or more. But not so with our dealers’ mini trucks. When they give you the final price, that really is the total price with everything with no ‘destination charge’, no hidden surprises.
Finally, last thing to consider is the overall cost of ownership. The big factor here is the cost of fuel. With a choice of two otherwise identical off-road vehicles at identical prices – but where one gets better mileage – you’d obviously choose the one that’s more fuel efficient and save money over years of ownership. With a typical UTV getting around 20 miles per gallon, and our popular Daihatsu Hijets getting 35+ miles per gallon, it’s easy to see how the long-term fuel costs of the UTV will stack up and add thousands of dollars extra to the real cost of ownership.
Because we’ve been digging into this market for a long time now, here’s a quick summary of what we expect your price research will most likely turn up:
- Our new and almost new kei trucks will almost always end up at a better price point than the equivalent UTVs.
- Depending on your use case, our kei trucks will also be better value purchases than the equivalent UTV the vast majority of the time.
- Our kei trucks always get better gas mileage than their UTV competitors (by a large margin, in fact) giving you significant lifetime savings in reduced fuel costs.
Conclusion
Japanese kei trucks are versatile, cost-effective, fuel-efficient vehicles that are ideal for off-road use on farms and ranches, in municipalities, on college campuses and in many other scenarios in industries — as well as for private use across the varied terrains and climates of the United States. On top of this, they are produced by leading Japanese manufacturers who have been well known for their quality, reliability and innovation for many decades. They are certainly worthy of your consideration as an alternative to your traditional UTV. If you’re ready to look into buying one yourself, why not take a look at the kei trucks for sale here.
