Oregon Might Finally Overturn Its Several-Year-Long Ban On Legally Imported Cars

The enthusiasts and owners of Japanese Kei trucks in America have a lot to cheer about this year. Colorado enshrined the rights of Kei trucks in its laws, and Texas just passed the most pro-Kei truck law yet. The movement seems to be only gaining momentum as a lawmaker in Oregon has introduced a bill to protect Kei trucks in law. Here’s what will happen if Oregon’s longstanding ban on Kei trucks is finally lifted.

Since 2021, several states have announced bans on imported vehicles. The bans were kicked off by the state of Maine enacting a law that instructed the state’s version of the DMV to classify everything not originally built to America’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as being off-road vehicles, and thus unable to get registration. The dust didn’t even settle before Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas joined in on the nightmare with either heavy limitations on Japanese Kei vehicles or outright bans. Later, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Colorado joined in with their own bans.

The states in that list above followed recommendations issued in 2021 by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). The head of Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles was listed as co-authoring that manual on car bans. These recommendations, which I’ll get to in a moment, represented AAMVA’s heavy push to remove all classic imported vehicles from American roads.

But this wasn’t AAMVA’s first rodeo with imported vehicles. The organization pushed for the banning of mini-trucks over a decade ago, and many states obliged. Kei trucks and mini-trucks are not the same. A mini-truck is imported for off-road use, is limited to 25 mpg, and isn’t designed for road use. A Kei truck comes from Japan’s smallest class of road-legal vehicles and doesn’t have any restrictions. Many of the Kei vehicles that are legal to import right now can go as fast as 83 mph and have street-legal equipment.

North Carolina was one of the states that banned mini-trucks many years before the 2021 guidance, but enthusiasts managed to overturn that state’s ban in 2019 by getting a protective law passed.

Oregon’s Longstanding Ban

Oregon hasn’t been as lucky. The state has banned mini-trucks for over a decade and considers Kei trucks to be the same thing as mini-trucks. Thus, Kei truck owners in Oregon haven’t been able to drive their trucks on the road since before the AAMVA’s attacks in 2021. Oregon’s ban has had a public-facing explanation on its DMV website since at least 2020.

However, after digging through the extremely dry and ridiculously boring Oregon Vehicle Code, I’ve found no direct mention of Kei trucks or mini-trucks. The Oregon Vehicle Code has a definition for autocycles, golf carts, and low-speed vehicles, but no mention of mini-trucks or keis. But here is a law that does apply, emphasis mine:

ORS 803.210
Conditions precedent to issuance of title for certain vehicles
(1)The Department of Transportation shall not issue title for a vehicle described in subsection (2) of this section unless:

(a)An inspection of the vehicle identification number or numbers of the vehicle is performed in accordance with ORS 803.212 (Inspection of vehicle identification numbers); and
(b)The fee established under ORS 803.215 (Fee for inspection) is paid to the department for the inspection.

(2)Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the requirements of this section apply to all of the following

[…]

(f)Other than a racing activity vehicle as defined in ORS 801.404 (“Racing activity vehicle.”), any vehicle the department has reason to believe was not certified by the original manufacturer as conforming to federal vehicle standards.

In short, the Oregon DMV has decided that these vehicles are illegal because they were not originally built to FMVSS. Currently, the Oregon DMV says this:

Though many kei class vehicles can be imported, they cannot be titled or registered in Oregon because they were not manufactured for U.S. highways. Mini-trucks can be titled if they meet the definition of a class IV ATV (ORS 801.194[2]​).

The federal government allows for the importation of a non-compliant motor vehicle after it exceeds 25 years of age. It’s at that point that the feds no longer care about compliance. However, the states do reserve the right to dictate what vehicles can drive on their roads, and they are free to enact polices that are stricter than the federal government. In Oregon’s eyes, you can import a Kei and own one in Oregon, just not drive it on the road.

Sadly, some enthusiasts in Oregon claim that enforcement of this policy hasn’t always been universal. Some DMV offices have been willing to issue plates to Keis, while many have not. What’s worse is that if the state finds out that it put plates on your Kei, it will revoke those plates. Some other enthusiasts have claimed that the state has revoked license plates to Kei cars and Japanese imports that are larger than Keis, too, like the Mitsubishi Delica.

Sadly, this means that the enthusiasts in Oregon have been living the same nightmare as those of us in the Midwest and East Coast, but they’ve been dealing with it for longer. Efforts to overturn the ban have also failed thus far. However, support for Keis across America has perhaps never been better than it is right now. So, if there’s any shot for Oregon to right its wrongs, it would be now.

The Bill

First reported by KPTV, Senator Anthony Broadman (D-Bend) introduced Senate Bill 1213 on June 4. The summary of the bill states:

The Act makes laws about Kei trucks. Allows a person to title and register a Kei truck in Oregon. Amends and creates laws related to allowing Kei trucks to operate on highways in Oregon. Creates the offense of unlawfully operating a Kei truck on a highway. Punishes by a maximum fine of $1,000.

The bill establishes Kei vehicles as a class in Oregon:

SECTION 1. Section 2 of this 2025 Act is added to and made a part of the Oregon Vehicle
Code.
SECTION 2. “Kei truck” means a motor vehicle that:
(1) Was originally manufactured in Japan or South Korea;
(2) Has an engine that has a piston or rotor displacement of 660 cubic centimeters;
(3) Is 11 feet or less in length;
(4) Is 4.9 feet or less in width;
(5) Is 6.6 feet or less in height; and
(6) Has a model year that predates the current year by 25 years or more.

The bill then goes through some boring legalese, which includes wording that would prevent the state from using FMVSS compliance to ban Keis. It then goes on to state a yearly registration cost of $63 for the Kei class. The bill has only one catch, and it’s this part:

SECTION 7. (1) A person commits the offense of unlawfully operating a Kei truck on a highway if the person operates a Kei truck on a highway that has a speed limit or posted speed that is greater than 65 miles per hour.
(2) The offense described in this section, unlawfully operating a Kei truck on a highway, is a Class B traffic violation.

While that’s a bummer, it is a little less restrictive than the law that was just passed in Colorado. The good news is that the bill is hitting the ground with some steam. Support for the bill comes from Senator David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford), Representative Emily McIntire (R-District 56), and Representative Hai Pham​ (D-District 36).

Where Bans Are Born

Also, remember that the cause of your pain didn’t originate with the state, but the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). Officially, AAMVA is a non-governmental non-profit lobbying organization composed of motor vehicle administrators, law enforcement administrators, and executives from all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C. AAMVA does not have legislative power but its goal is to convince all members to adopt its ‘Best Practices’ to streamline driving laws across North America.

Back in the late 2000s, AAMVA was made aware that Americans were importing tons of mini-trucks. These trucks were the 25 mph speed-limited off-road-only rigs, and their owners wanted to drive them on the road. Some mini-truck owners even modified their trucks to go faster speeds. The states, which, again, are all AAMVA members, didn’t know what to do about this.

The answer came courtesy of an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety opinion published in 2010. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash-tested a mini-truck against a third-generation Ford Ranger and concluded that low-speed vehicles and mini trucks are unsafe and should be removed from the road. AAMVA agreed, issuing the recommendation in 2011 that led to states banning mini-trucks.

AAMVA would ramp up its efforts in 2021, targeting all imported vehicles (and any other vehicle not originally built to FMVSS) regardless of country of origin or size, but AAMVA specifically has a bone to pick with Keis. However, as I noted earlier, Oregon actually banned Keis before that guidance was announced.

Organizing Works

This bill didn’t come out of nowhere. Enthusiasts like John Heylin have been advocating for a Kei law in Oregon for years. Most recently, David McChristian, the founder of Lone Star Kei and the crafter of the strategy that has led to the overturning of import bans in Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Colorado has joined in the fight for Oregon. The strategy involves gathering as many enthusiasts as possible and reaching out to state lawmakers to educate them on why the bans are wrong. Enthusiasts are finding out that the way to go is to ally with the state to change policy and law rather than making the state an adversary.

Update: David just informed me that today, he learned of John Heylin, an enthusiast who has been begging for a bill like this for over three years. While David’s advocacy might have been the final push, Heylin and others did all of the hard work.

Something that I’ve also noticed is that these efforts have the most success when they have bipartisan support. As it turns out, it is possible to get both sides to agree on something, and it’s that Keis are cool.

This bill is a great step. However, now is not the time to let off the throttle. If you’re a resident of Oregon, reach out to your lawmakers and tell them to support Senate Bill 1213. The advocacy work in Oregon will not stop until this law or something like it is passed.

If you have a vehicle ban in your state and want to beat it, I also recommend the methods employed by these enthusiasts. Organize a strong group of car lovers, ally with your state lawmakers, and educate your state on why your favorite cars and trucks should not be banned. It’s what we plan to do here in Illinois. Hopefully, I’ll be able to write some more good news soon.