Kei Truck Japan is an independent buying guide written from Sapporo, Japan. Every price on this site comes from a complete count of Japan’s public vehicle market — 566 eligible trucks and vans measured, one by one, on the dates shown — not from estimates or dealer talking points. US guides tell you what a kei truck costs in America. This one tells you what it costs here, before anyone marks it up.
The Import Process
Eligibility, the real landed cost, customs, and whether your state will plate it. Start here if you have never imported a vehicle.
- How to Import a Kei Truck from JapanThe full walkthrough: the 25-year rule, every form, the three duty layers, and 327 measured Japanese prices.
- What It Really Costs, Landed460+ trucks priced in Japan, plus shipping, duty and fees — and three real builds itemized end to end.
- Street Legality, State by StateAll 50 states as of August 2026, with statute numbers: 8 register normally, 26 with conditions, 13 refuse.
- The 25-Year Rule, ExplainedHow the rolling calendar actually works, which models unlock next, and why newly-eligible trucks are mispriced.
Where to Buy
Choosing who handles the transaction on the Japanese side — and reading the one document that tells you what you are really bidding on.
- Best Exporters and Auction AgentsThree business models compared, Trustpilot scores checked on the date shown, and 205 industry-directory members verified by hand.
- How to Read a Japanese Auction SheetGrades, rust codes, inspector shorthand and mileage marks — the skill that decides whether a photo-only purchase works.
Model Guides
Every importable kei truck and kei van, priced from a complete count of Japan’s public market — 566 vehicles, drivetrain and configuration recorded for each.
- The Best Kei Truck, MeasuredAll five badges ranked on 394 measured trucks against real US sale averages.
- Suzuki CarryThe default choice: deepest supply (103 measured) and the best parts support.
- Daihatsu HijetThe workhorse, and the dump-bed economics that distort its price.
- Honda ActyThe driver’s kei truck, generation by generation.
- Subaru SambarCheapest in Japan, highest US sale average — the widest gap in the class.
- Mitsubishi MinicabThe one nobody bids against, and the cheapest honest entry point.
- Honda Acty AttackThe grail trim: what it includes, and what it actually costs in Japan.
- Kei Vans: the Class Guide172 vans measured across five badges — the fastest-growing corner of the market.
- Suzuki EveryThe van with the steepest newer-is-cheaper inversion I have measured.
- Hijet Van, Cargo and AtraiOne family, three names, and the cheapest box in the class.
- Acty Van, Street and VamosHonda’s two-tier van market: work vans at ¥190,000, collector trims at four times that.
- Sambar Van and DiasThe largest van pool, and where the supercharger really lives.
Owning One in the US
What the truck is like to live with once it lands: performance, service, upgrades, and the machines people compare it against.
- Top Speed, MPG and SpecsReal cruising speeds, measured fuel economy, and 4WD availability by model.
- Maintenance and Running CostsThe arrival service, then engine-by-engine schedules for all five families.
- Mods Worth Doing, in OrderTyres, lift and lighting first — and what to buy already fitted in Japan.
- Kei CampersThree ways to build or buy one, priced against each other.
- Kei Truck vs UTVLanded cost against sticker price — and the road-legality reversal most buyers get backwards.
Kei Truck Japan earns referral commissions on some purchases, disclosed on every page where a link appears. The measurements come first and do not change: the tables are dated, the counts are complete rather than sampled, and where a figure is a company’s own claim it is labelled as such. Found a number you think is wrong? Tell me — corrections are the point.