Is The Honda Acty Mini Truck Street Legal In The USA?

If you're passionate about Japanese Kei cars and trucks, there's a good chance that you know what the Honda Acty is. A mini-truck manufactured and sold by Honda in Japan between 1977 and 2021, it is one of the several Kei trucks that have been trending in America in recent years. These vehicles — some of which are still popular in the Japanese market — never officially made it to the United States, primarily owing to concerns surrounding the lack of safety features and Americans' love for massive, obnoxiously sized pickup trucks.

America's love for Kei cars and the Honda Acty, in particular, is quite a recent phenomenon, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The chip shortage and supply chain issues that followed the contagion caused U.S. carmakers to jack up the prices of vehicles. These issues — combined with the fact that the popular 25-year-old import rule allowed most U.S. citizens to import older vehicles from other markets for relatively cheap — meant that for many people, these small Kei trucks made for a great, cost-effective investment.

While there is little denying the sheer value that Kei trucks like the Honda Acty offer consumers, importing these trucks to the U.S. must be dealt with carefully. This is because laws surrounding the street legal status of the Honda Acty and Kei trucks in general vary from one state to another and are dynamic — frequent changes are not uncommon. It is also pertinent to note that Kei trucks are currently not allowed on Interstate highways across all 50 states in the U.S, even in those where they're registered as street legal.

The Honda Acty is currently street legal in more than 20 states in the U.S, where citizens can import, register, and use old Japanese Kei trucks on public streets. In most states where the vehicle is street legal, the vehicle is subject to a speed limit. Alabama has the lowest at just 25 mph. Regions where the truck is legal but with a higher 35 mph speed limit include Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Florida, and Tennessee.

States with an even higher speed limit for Kei trucks include Arkansas, South Carolina, and North Dakota (55 mph), Missouri (45 mph), and Utah (50 mph). An exception to the speed limit caps is found in the states of Kentucky and Idaho, where the top speed of Kei Trucks is not capped. Some states made them street legal recently, including Texas and Massachusetts. 

Other states with special mandates for Kei trucks include Kansas, where they are barred from state highways; Montana, where they are only street-legal in regions that have passed ordinances in favor of them; and New Hampshire, where besides a 35-mph speed limit, they also need to be within a 25-mile radius of the owner's residence. In West Virginia, Kei trucks are only street-legal when used for transporting livestock or farm equipment, and they also need to be within 20 miles of their destination. In Wyoming, per its Department of Transportation, all multipurpose vehicles (which includes the Honda Acty and other Kei trucks) that can't maintain the speed limit "shall be operated on the extreme right hand edge of the roadway and shall be equipped with either a reflectorized flag or a slow moving vehicle emblem."

As of 2024, there are many U.S. states where the Honda Acty is still not street legal. These states include Colorado (where it can be used only as an off-roader), Connecticut, Georgia (where Kei trucks are restricted for farm use only), Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Vermont. In Pennsylvania, while Kei trucks are not street legal, buyers can register the vehicle as an antique vehicle for collectors, for farm use, or as an off-roader. Virginia also allows registration under the antique or special-use umbrella. 

There are several U.S. states which do not have specific laws surrounding Kei trucks. These include Delaware, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and Alaska. Among these, only Alaska currently allows Kei cars registered in other states to be temporarily used (for up to 60 days) within its borders, provided the driver is also a non-resident. And while Rhode Island doesn't explicitly prohibit Kei trucks, in 2024, it was drafting a law that calls for the banning of all Kei trucks. According to The Providence Journal, that same year, the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) began revoking registrations for current owners.

California is a state where the status of Kei trucks is not entirely known. While several sources claim that these mini trucks are street legal in the region, others dispute that claim, saying that it is currently notoriously difficult for anyone to register a Kei truck there. As you can see, whether the Honda Acty or any other Kei trucks are street-legal in the U.S. is not as simple as it sounds. For anyone wishing to buy these trucks for themselves, contact a Kei car consultant or your local DMV office for details surrounding specific local requirements.