Want a Kei Truck in America? Scion KEI-01 vs. Import vs. UTV vs. Maverick
Toyota's Scion KEI-01 is legal but capped at 25 mph and fleet-only for now. Here's how it stacks up against an old import, a cab UTV, and a $29,990 Maverick.
The kei truck now has an official route into America. The Scion KEI-01 Toyota revealed this week is a 660cc, four-wheel-drive mini pickup that Toyota will assemble in Indiana and start delivering in the second half of 2027. It also tops out at 25 mph, goes to fleets first, and has no price yet.
So anyone who wants a tiny truck has four realistic choices: wait for the KEI-01, import a Japanese kei truck that is at least 25 years old, buy a utility vehicle with a factory cab, or skip the category and buy a Ford Maverick. Each solves a different problem, and each comes with different rules about where it can go. Here's how they compare on price, payload, road access, and paperwork, as of November 12.
The four options at a glance
| Scion KEI-01 | 25-year-old import (Carry, Hijet, Acty) | Cab UTV (Polaris Ranger XP 1000 NorthStar / Kubota RTV-X Cab) | 2027 Ford Maverick XL Hybrid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | TBA | About $7,400–$13,900 in recent importer listings | Polaris: $31,594 with $1,595 destination. Kubota: $30,899 MSRP | $29,990 with $1,845 destination |
| Speed / where it can go | 25 mph max; low-speed vehicle rules, usually roads posted 35 mph or less | Set by your state, from full registration to an outright ban | Off-highway vehicle; public roads only where state law allows. Kubota tops out at 25 mph | Any road, including interstates |
| Payload | 600 lb in the bed | Varies by truck; one Florida importer lists 800 lb for a 1999 Hijet | Polaris: 1,275 lb (1,000-lb box). Kubota: 1,558 lb (1,102-lb bed) | Up to 1,500 lb |
| 4WD | Standard, with push-button lock | Common, not universal | Polaris: on-demand AWD. Kubota: 4WD | FWD standard, AWD available |
| Cab / climate | Extended cab, heat and A/C, right-hand drive | Enclosed cab, right-hand drive; A/C on some trucks | Factory cab with heat and A/C (Polaris lists it on the NorthStar Premium) | Four doors, five seats, A/C |
| Registration | As a low-speed vehicle under state LSV rules | Depends entirely on the state (see below) | Off-highway registration or decal; street plates only in some states | Standard |
| Warranty | TBA | None from the factory; up to the importer | Polaris: 1 year, plus 12 months on current NorthStar promotions. Kubota: 2 years | 3 yr/36,000 mi basic, 5 yr/60,000 mi powertrain, 8 yr/100,000 mi hybrid parts |
Option 1: The Scion KEI-01, new and legal at 25 mph
According to Toyota's announcement, the KEI-01 pairs a 660cc three-cylinder with a CVT and standard four-wheel drive. It is just over 11 feet long and under 5 feet wide, and its bed carries up to 600 pounds. Toyota says the structure can pull small trailers but hasn't published a tow rating.
The bed drops on three sides for low loading. Toyota hasn't given horsepower, torque, or curb weight.
The trade-off is legal status. The KEI-01 is certified as a low-speed vehicle, which federal rules define as a four-wheeler whose top speed is above 20 mph but no more than 25 mph, with a gross vehicle weight rating under 3,000 pounds, under 49 CFR 571.3. Instead of the crash tests a pickup must pass, an LSV needs a short equipment list under FMVSS No. 500, the same route that turned the Fiat Topolino into a street-legal car for 2027.
Where an LSV may drive is up to each state. Rhode Island's rule is typical: its DMV registers LSVs for public roads posted at 35 mph or less. Check your state and city before you plan a route.
The KEI-01 also keeps right-hand drive. The cab gets heat, air conditioning, and seats that slide and recline, with storage space behind them.
Availability is the other catch. Toyota calls the truck intentionally low-volume and will start with a fleet pilot through a small group of existing Toyota dealers carrying the Scion by Toyota name. Limited retail sales may follow, depending on demand.
Option 2: Import a kei truck at least 25 years old
Federal law lets anyone import a vehicle that is 25 or more years old without proving it meets U.S. safety standards, under 49 CFR 591.5. EPA emissions requirements stop applying at 21 years, according to Commerce Department import guidance. As of this month, that means trucks built in late 2001 or earlier.
Clearing customs is not the same as getting plates. Registration belongs to the states, and a few have fought hard over kei trucks. We checked four that come up most often against the statutes and agency documents themselves:
| State | Can you register one? | What the rule says |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Yes | Senate Bill 1816, passed in 2025, titles and registers a "miniature vehicle" that complies with applicable federal law as a motor vehicle. It can use public highways once titled and registered, if it can operate in line with traffic laws. |
| Rhode Island | Only grandfathered trucks | State law tells the DMV to refuse kei car and kei truck registrations. Trucks validly registered before June 1, 2024 can renew, but the registration can't transfer to a new owner, and the trucks are limited to roads posted 35 mph or less. |
| Maine | No | Maine classifies vehicles that don't meet federal safety standards as off-road vehicles, which can't be registered or driven on public ways. A state working-group report names Japanese kei mini trucks as off-road vehicles. |
| Georgia | Not now | A 2025 bill, HB 308, would have created a registration class for "miniature on-road vehicles." Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed it on May 14, 2025, objecting to unrelated provisions, so no new registration path exists. |
Rules elsewhere range from full registration to off-road only, and some have changed more than once in the past five years. Ask your DMV or county tag office in writing before you buy. If your state won't register the truck, it is an off-road machine there.
Prices from specialist importers are lower than any new option here. In recent listings, Kei Truck King of Goshen, New York, asked $7,400 for a 2000 Suzuki Carry, $7,700 for a 1997 Honda Acty, and $9,000 for a 1993 Daihatsu Hijet. Northwest Mini Trucks of Vancouver, Washington, listed a 1998 Carry at $13,900. Budget for shipping, title fees, and parts for a right-hand-drive truck that is a quarter century old, with no factory warranty behind it.
Option 3: A UTV with a real cab
If the truck never needs to leave the property, a side-by-side with a factory cab does most of what a kei truck does and comes with a dealer network.
The 2027 Polaris Ranger XP 1000 NorthStar starts at $29,999 plus a $1,595 destination charge. It has an 82-hp twin, selectable AWD, three seats, a 1,000-pound dump box, and a 2,500-pound tow rating. Polaris lists 1,275 pounds of payload and factory heat, A/C, and defrost on the NorthStar Premium. The factory warranty is one year; Polaris is adding 12 months on NorthStar models through current promotions.
Kubota's RTV-X Cab costs $30,899. It uses a 23.3-hp three-cylinder diesel, a factory cab with heat and A/C, and a 25-mph top speed. Kubota rates its payload at 1,558 pounds, with 1,102 pounds in the bed and a 1,300-pound tow rating. The open-cab RTV-X1140 is $20,499 if you can live without walls.
Road use is where UTVs fall short. Arizona will register one as street legal if the owner certifies it carries the required equipment. Texas lets an unregistered off-highway vehicle use a non-interstate highway mainly for farm or utility work, in daylight, for trips of 25 miles or less, according to the Texas DMV. Neither machine meets federal car safety standards, and neither is an LSV.
Option 4: Or just buy a Maverick
The 2027 Maverick XL Hybrid starts at $28,145, or $29,990 with the $1,845 destination charge, as reported by Jalopnik and CarsDirect. That is less than either cab UTV. Ford rates the XL's payload at up to 1,500 pounds, more than double the KEI-01's, and it tows 2,000 pounds, or 4,000 with the 4K Tow Package. AWD is available.
It is also the only option here that is a full highway vehicle in every state, built to federal crash standards and backed by Ford's standard warranty. What you give up is size: at nearly 200 inches long, the Maverick is more than 5 feet longer than the KEI-01. If you want electric, Ford's Fathom lands at nearly the same price but not until late 2027, as our Fathom vs. Maverick comparison explains. Even so, the Maverick sits about $21,000 below the average new-car transaction price.
Which one fits
- Farm, ranch, or campus. Buy a cab UTV now; both are on sale and both are supported by dealers. A business that wants a fully enclosed, road-registered truck with Toyota service should ask a Toyota dealer about the KEI-01 fleet pilot.
- A town with low speed limits. The KEI-01 is the clean answer once it reaches retail buyers. An imported kei truck works only if your state registers it; Texas does, Maine doesn't.
- You need the highway. Buy the Maverick. In our view, a kei truck of any kind is the wrong tool for commuting at 65 mph.
What we don't know yet
- KEI-01 price, horsepower, torque, curb weight, and tow rating
- KEI-01 warranty terms and when, or whether, retail sales begin
- Which Toyota dealers will join the Scion by Toyota pilot
