Rhode Island asks kei car owners to turn over their registration

There are about 30 kei cars registered in Rhode Island, according to DMV records, and lawmakers want to get them all off the road. State authorities began asking kei car owners to surrender their registration, which would make it illegal for the vehicles to operate on public roads.

Rhode Island lawmakers first floated the idea of ​​banning kei cars in 2021 and launched a second offensive in early 2024. DMV Administrator Walter Craddock argued that kei cars should be banned from Ocean State roads because they were “never manufactured in compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.” Federal law allows any vehicle at least 25 years old to be legally imported into the United States, but each state has the power to decide which drivers can and cannot drive on their roads.

While much talk surrounding the ban has focused on trucks, such as the Honda Acty (pictured), lawmakers have targeted any type of kei vehicle. If you want to register, say, a Suzuki Cappuccino or an Autozam AZ-1 in Rhode Island, you’ll soon be out of luck. However, there may be a faint, flickering light at the end of the tunnel. Rhode Island Senator Lou DiPalma and District 71 Representative Michelle McGaw proposed legislation This would allow enthusiasts who registered a kei vehicle before August 1, 2021 to legally keep their car on the road.

Although the registration would remain valid, it would not be transferable – driving a kei car would be legal; Selling one as-is wouldn’t be. And owners would not be allowed to drive a kei car on “limited access highways, state highways or highways…or on any public highway or highway with a speed limit exceeding [35 mph].” For context, you can go faster over 35 mph on a 125cc Honda SuperCub motorcycle.

The DMV opposes the project, according to local news channel WPRI.

Enthusiasts in other states are facing a similarly uphill battle. Maine began deregistering Mitsubishi Delica vans in 2021. It’s not a kei car, but it is a Japanese-market model that wasn’t developed with American regulations in mind. Texas began refusing to register kei cars in 2024, although a group of owners is actively reacting. Georgia and New York have banned drivers from registering a kei car.