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Lawmakers hear push to codify rules allowing 25‑year imported 'kei' vehicles to be registered in Massachusetts
Summary
Supporters including collectors and importers urged the Joint Committee on Transportation to back bills (H.3698 and H.4053) that would codify registration rules for 25‑year‑old imported vehicles — commonly known as kei cars — after a 2024 Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) action temporarily restricted registrations.
Representative Howitt told the Joint Committee on Transportation he filed three bills addressing different consumer concerns; one of them, H.3698, would amend Massachusetts General Laws and Chapter 90 to clarify that vehicles 25 years or older imported under 49 C.F.R. Part 591 (as referenced in testimony) may be registered in the Commonwealth.
"Following the events that transpired in 2024, there has emerged an evident need for this policy regarding k vehicles to become law in the Commonwealth to both protect the current and future k vehicle owners," Representative Howitt said, describing how the Registry abruptly reversed and then reinstated registrations for certain Japanese imports in 2024.
Multiple owners and enthusiasts testified in support. Raymond Moy, a Quincy resident who imports Japanese market vehicles under federal rules, said the RMV’s mid‑process change created confusion and hardship for owners: "They arbitrarily changed the rules on us with no warning… we found a lot of different information." Mike Miniman, another owner, described the utility and safety of kei trucks and vans and said several states reversed similar bans after the Massachusetts RMV’s action.
Proponents described kei vehicles as fuel‑efficient, widely used in Japan for commercial tasks, and compliant with federal import rules when more than 25 years old; supporters asked the legislature to place the definition and standards into statute so future registry policy changes would not leave owners and small businesses exposed.
Opposition in the hearing was limited in the recorded remarks; committee members and other speakers asked procedural and factual questions about the number of states that ban or allow kei vehicles and about safety standards. William Ellis of the Massachusetts Association of Automobile Clubs said the registry’s different handling of VIN formats had also created downstream problems for collectors and registrants.
No vote was taken; supporters asked the committee to report the bills favorably so the legislature — rather than a registry policy decision — would determine the registration standards for these imported vehicles.
