Massachusetts Lifts Ban on Japanese Kei Vehicles — For Now

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has reversed a July decision to stop registering lightweight Kei-class cars and trucks. The Kei-class of miniature vehicles, primarily from Japan, raised safety concerns.

State House News Service reported that owners of Kei cars and trucks "can resume registering their autos in Massachusetts."

The News Service says the RMV had stopped registering Kei vehicles for the time being while it "investigated industry standards related to Kei-class mini trucks."

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SHNS reported the registry has wrapped up its "preliminary assessment" while "continuing to review safety implications of Kei Vehicles on the public roadways."

Road & Track's Fred Smith said, "Although Kei car owners are safe for now, this ruling may ultimately change again." Smith said the plans "are underway for a future formal study, the details of which will be announced later down the road."

"That study could lead to another change in the rules, once again putting owners of these cars in jeopardy of losing access to Massachusetts roads," he said.

Before the policy was reversed, Mercedes Streeter wrote for The Autopian  that "Massachusetts has no idea what a Kei car actually is, and in making the policy the state has effectively banned all Japanese imports."

"Keis are popular in Japan because they're smaller vehicles benefiting from lower taxes and overall lower costs of ownership," Streeter said.

According to Boston.com, the vehicles were banned from registration by the RMV because "they did not meet federal safety standards and usually lack safety features like airbags, bumpers and tempered glass."