I go down this rabbit hole every so often, but I finally found a list of states where kei trucks that are less than 25 years old can be used in the US. I get that they probably wouldn’t be that popular but they look super practical.
Unfortunately you can’t have a newer kei truck in Pennsylvania because they don’t meet US safety standards(of course they don’t give any specifics which means it’s bs).
I would love one some day even if it’s 25 years old. I think even a Chevy Colorado or santa cruz would be too big for and they get about 22 mpg. It was hard to find fuel economy for kei trucks but I did see one site listing a 1990 kei truck as 45 mpg. If that is the case how could they fail to meet US emissions standards(genuinely curious about this point)?
https://motorandwheels.com/mini-trucks-rules-per-state/ - showing rules by state
https://www.dmv.pa.gov/Pages/Mini-Trucks-FAQ.aspx - unconvincing explanation from Pennsylvania
https://www.motorverso.com/kei-truck/ - states 1990s kei truck mpg was 45mpg but does not give specifics
