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An outlook, read 28 October 2026
Electric mini trucks, what Japan builds and what the law allows here
Japan's makers sell battery electric kei vans today, the Mitsubishi Minicab EV, the Honda N-VAN e: and the Daihatsu e-Hijet Cargo with its Toyota and Suzuki twins, with 180 to 257 km of range on a charge on Japan's WLTC test. A new one cannot come into the United States for the road, because federal law admits a road vehicle under 25 years old only when its maker built it to U.S. safety standards. An electric kei truck 25 years or older comes in under the same age rule as a gasoline one and pays the same 25 percent truck duty. Colorado is the first state to write a modern electric motor into its kei law, up to 56,000 watts from 1 January 2028.
The plain answer
What is true today.
This page is an outlook. Nothing on it is a truck we sell.
- Japan builds electric kei vans now, not trucks. Six battery electric kei vans are on sale in Japan from three body makers, Mitsubishi, Honda and Daihatsu, with Daihatsu's van also sold by Toyota and Suzuki.
- A new electric kei truck or van has no road import path. Under 25 years NHTSA needs the original maker's FMVSS label, and EPA's light duty rules cover vehicles powered by any fuel.
- The 25 year rule works the same for an electric truck. Old electric kei vehicles exist but are few.
- An electric goods vehicle pays 25 percent under HTS 8704.60.00 and Japan has no preference on it.
- No electric kei truck or van sold in the United States carries an FMVSS 500 label in any source read.
- Colorado names an electric motor of 56,000 watts or less in both kei classes from 1 January 2028. Minnesota and Ohio cap a mini truck's electric motor at 7,500 watts rated power.
What Japan builds
The electric kei vans on sale in Japan.
Suzuki, Daihatsu and Toyota each say the battery electric system, e-SMART ELECTRIC, was developed by the three together. None of the makers states a top speed on the pages read. Range is on Japan's WLTC test. Each row links to the maker's own page.
| Van | Body | On sale in Japan | Battery | Range | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Minicab EV | one box kei van, 2 or 4 seats | 21 December 2023 | lithium ion, 20.0 kWh | 180 km | mitsubishi-motors.co.jp |
| Honda N-VAN e: | kei van, e: G 1 seat, e: L2 2 seats, e: L4 and e: FUN 4 seats | 10 October 2024 | lithium ion, 82.7 Ah at 358 V, which multiplies to 29.6 kWh | 245 km | honda.co.jp |
| Daihatsu e-Hijet Cargo and e-Atrai | kei van, e-Hijet Cargo 2 or 4 seats, e-Atrai RS | 2 February 2026 | lithium iron phosphate, 36.6 kWh (160 Ah, 228.96 V) | 257 km | daihatsu.co.jp |
| Toyota Pixis Van, battery electric | kei van, four seats, an OEM vehicle based on Daihatsu's Hijet Cargo built at Daihatsu Motor Kyushu's Oita (Nakatsu) Plant | 2 February 2026 | lithium ion, 36.6 kWh | 257 km | global.toyota |
| Suzuki e EVERY | kei van, 2 or 4 seats, supplied by Daihatsu | 9 March 2026 | lithium iron phosphate, 36.6 kWh | 257 km | suzuki.co.jp |
What to watch
Laws and rules that could move.
An outlook is not a promise. Each card says whether it is adopted with a date or still only proposed.
Outlook
A federal small car class. On 3 December 2025 the President said he had authorized the Secretary of Transportation to approve production of very small cars of the Japanese kind. A Federal Register search of NHTSA documents from 1 November 2025 to 28 October 2026 found no rule or proposal for such a class. Nothing read says one would open the import of a Japan-built kei vehicle under 25 years.
The sourcefederalregister.gov, read 28 October 2026Outlook
No bill in the 119th Congress on kei or mini truck imports was found.
The sourcecongress.gov, read 28 October 2026Adopted, with a date
FMVSS 305a replaces FMVSS 305 for electric vehicles of 4,536 kg GVWR or less. It changes nothing for a kei import that is not certified anyway.
The sourceecfr.gov, read 28 October 2026Adopted, with a date
Colorado's kei vehicle and kei off-road vehicle classes open with an electric motor line of 56,000 watts, the first state law found that a modern electric kei van fits.
The sourcecontent.leg.colorado.gov, read 28 October 2026Outlook
The 25 year window rolls forward. On today's statute, counted from each van's own manufacture date, an electric kei van built in 2011 reaches 25 years in 2036, the Minicab EV of December 2023 in December 2048, the N-VAN e: of October 2024 in October 2049 and the 2026 e-Hijet Cargo, Pixis Van and e EVERY in 2051.
The sourcelaw.cornell.edu, read 28 October 2026Outlook
CARB's Off-Road Zero-Emission Targeted Manufacturer Rule would require off road equipment and engine makers to sell a share of zero emission equipment or powertrains in California.
The sourceww2.arb.ca.gov, read 28 October 2026Adopted, with a date
California's small off-road engine standards reach zero for new engines. Small engines only, not a kei truck.
The sourceww2.arb.ca.gov, read 28 October 2026Outlook
Suzuki's battery electric Carry farm trial runs about a year from February 2026. Suzuki says it will consider products and services from the results and announces no sale.
The sourcesuzuki.co.jp, read 28 October 2026Outlook
Massachusetts H4053, An Act to legalize Kei vehicles in the Commonwealth, filed 16 January 2025 and referred to the Joint Committee on Transportation with no later action shown. It defines the class by an engine of 660 cc or less and would not name an electric truck.
The sourcemalegislature.gov, read 28 October 2026Outlook
CBP said in H302977 that it will classify the kei-class minitrucks under separate cover. That ruling concerns gasoline trucks and would guide an electric one by analogy.
The sourcerulings.cbp.gov, read 28 October 2026Adopted, with a date
South Carolina opens public highways to registered UTVs defined by a 450 cc engine, so electric UTVs are not named.
The source, read 28 October 2026Questions
What people ask about electric.
Which electric kei vans does Japan build?
Mitsubishi's Minicab EV, on sale since December 2023 with a 20 kWh battery and 180 km of range. Honda's N-VAN e:, on sale since October 2024 with 245 km. Daihatsu's e-Hijet Cargo and e-Atrai, on sale since February 2026 with a 36.6 kWh battery and 257 km, sold also as the Toyota Pixis Van and the Suzuki e EVERY. Each is rated for 300 to 350 kg of cargo.
Is there an electric kei truck with a bed?
No maker sells one today. Suzuki began a year of farm trials of a battery electric Carry in February 2026.
Can I import a new electric kei van for the road?
No. A vehicle under 25 years old comes in for the road only with its maker's label certifying U.S. safety standards, and no Japanese maker certifies its kei vans that way.
Can I import an electric kei truck that is 25 years old?
Yes, under the same federal age rule as any other vehicle. It is declared on DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1 like a gasoline truck. They are rare. Daihatsu has built electric Hijets since 1970 and had sold just over 1,300 by 1999, mostly to government offices and companies.
Does an electric truck need EPA paperwork?
Yes. EPA's form is filed for every motor vehicle, whatever powers it. A truck at least 21 years old in its original configuration is declared under EPA's age provision.
What duty does an electric kei truck pay?
25 percent, under tariff line 8704.60.00 for goods vehicles with only an electric motor. A van built mainly to carry people can class differently, and your customs broker confirms it for each van.
Is an electric kei van a low speed vehicle?
Not today. A federal low speed vehicle tops out at 25 mph, is rated under 3,000 pounds fully loaded and carries its maker's FMVSS 500 label. No electric kei van is sold here with that label, and every current model is rated heavier than that in Japan.
Which states write electric motors into their kei laws?
Colorado, from 1 January 2028, for motors of 56,000 watts or less in both its kei road class and its kei off-road class. Minnesota and Ohio, whose mini truck laws stop at 7,500 watts rated power, well below any current electric kei van. Louisiana's mini truck law names no power source at all.
When does a modern electric kei van reach 25 years?
The years run from each van's own date of manufacture. An electric kei van built in 2011 reaches 25 in 2036. One built in 2026 reaches 25 in 2051.
Are there incentives for electric work vehicles?
The federal commercial clean vehicle credit ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025. California funds new zero emission farm UTVs through its FARMER program and reopens its CORE vouchers for off road equipment in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Every source read, 28 October 2026
- mitsubishi-motors.com/en/newsroom/newsrelease/2023/20231124_3.html
- mitsubishi-motors.com/jp/newsroom/newsrelease/2023/20231124_3.html
- mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/lineup/minicab_ev/index.html
- mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/lineup/minicab_ev/spec/spe_02.html
- global.honda/en/newsroom/news/2024/4240613eng-n-van-e.html
- honda.co.jp/N-VAN-e/common/pdf/nvan-e_spec_list.pdf
- daihatsu.com/news/2026/20260202-2.html
- daihatsu.com/jp/news/2026/20260202-1.html
- daihatsu.co.jp/lineup/e-hijetcargo_e-atrai/pdf/specifications.pdf
- daihatsu.com/jp/news/1999/19990423-01.html
- global.toyota/en/newsroom/toyota/43931758.html
- suzuki.co.jp/release/a/2026/0309
- suzuki.co.jp/release/d/2026/0317a
- nhtsa.gov/interpretations/09-001270as
- nhtsa.gov/importing-vehicle
- nhtsa.gov/importing-vehicle/importation-and-certification-faqs
- nhtsa.gov/importing-vehicle/status-pending-vehicle-import-eligibility-..
- vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetMakesForVehicleType/Low%20Speed%20V..
- vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetManufacturerDetails/daihatsu
- ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-571.3
- ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-571.305
- ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-571.305a
- ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-571.500
- ecfr.gov/current/title-40/section-85.1511
- ecfr.gov/current/title-40/section-85.1703
- ecfr.gov/current/title-40/section-86.1801-12
- ecfr.gov/current/title-40/section-1068.30
- epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-08/form3520-1-2024-08-secured-enab..
- epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-08/form3520-21-2024-08-secured-ena..
- 19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-02/documents..
- epa.gov/importing-vehicles-and-engines/learn-about-importing-vehicles-..
- hts.usitc.gov/reststop/search
- hts.usitc.gov/reststop/search
- hts.usitc.gov/reststop/search
- hts.usitc.gov/reststop/search
- rulings.cbp.gov/ruling/H021296
- rulings.cbp.gov/search
- rulings.cbp.gov/search
- federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2025/04/03/2025-05930.txt
- irs.gov/credits-deductions/commercial-clean-vehicle-credit
- content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025A/bills/sl/..
- colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_42-4-109.5
- colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_42-1-102
- colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_42-4-240
- revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/169.011
- codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4519.01
- legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx
- malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4053.Html
- ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1234/files/OHV%20Information%20Bulletin%2025-1%..
- ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/small-off-road-engines-sore
- ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/online2_1.pdf
- ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/ZEV_EO_Off-Road_Fact_Sheet...
- ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/2024farmerguidelines.pdf
- ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/clean-off-road-equipment-voucher-ince..
The public record as read on the date given, not legal advice. No prices. No private business named except the vehicle makers.
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