What happened to kei vehicles that were already registered?

They were not revoked. The statute says a registrant whose kei vehicle was validly registered before June 1, 2024 cannot be denied renewal based solely on the vehicle type. That protection covers ongoing renewal by that registrant only.

Can I buy a grandfathered kei truck from a Rhode Island owner and keep its registration?

No. The same subsection states that such registrations shall not be permitted to be transferred. When the vehicle changes hands the registration cannot follow it, and the buyer cannot apply for a new one because new registrations are refused.

Where can a grandfathered kei truck be driven?

On public roadways posted 35 mph or less. The statute also permits crossing an intersection with a road posted between 35 and 45 mph, but only where both the road you are on and the road you are entering are posted no higher than 35 mph and the intersection is controlled by traffic signals or stop signs.

Can I still import a kei truck into Rhode Island?

Importing is federal. A vehicle at least 25 years old clears NHTSA and EPA under the age exemption regardless of state law. Rhode Island controls registration, and it will not register the vehicle. You can own and store one; you cannot plate it.

Could I register it in another state instead?

Rhode Island generally expects residents to register vehicles in Rhode Island, and using another state's plates to avoid a state's own registration bar carries real legal and insurance risk. Because Rhode Island offers no pathway to convert to later, treat this as a question for a Rhode Island attorney rather than a workaround.

Is this likely to change?

The bar is statutory, so reversing it requires the General Assembly rather than a DMV policy change. We did not identify pending legislation to reopen kei registration as of this review. Check the General Assembly site before assuming anything has changed.

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Rhode Island · Kei truck guide

Rhode Island kei truck legality

New registrations refused by statute · narrow grandfather only

Rhode Island does not allow new kei trucks or kei cars to be registered. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-5(10) lists a kei vehicle as a mandatory ground for the Division of Motor Vehicles to refuse registration, and it also bars transferring any existing kei registration — so buying a kei vehicle in Rhode Island today gets you a vehicle you cannot plate.

Bottom line for Rhode Island

H8013 Substitute A (P.L. 2024, ch. 414 and ch. 415) took effect July 1, 2024 and added kei vehicles to the statutory refusal grounds in § 31-3-5.
A kei vehicle validly registered before June 1, 2024 may not be denied renewal based solely on vehicle type — that is the entire grandfather.
Grandfathered registrations are expressly not transferable, so the exemption dies with the current registrant. Buying a grandfathered truck does not buy you its plate.
Owners who may lawfully operate are limited to public roads posted 35 mph or less, with a narrow intersection-crossing allowance.

Last reviewed July 20, 2026

What the statute actually says

A refusal ground, not a vehicle class

Rhode Island did not create a kei vehicle class the way North Carolina or Oklahoma did. It did the opposite: H8013 amended § 31-3-5, the section listing the grounds on which the Division of Motor Vehicles must refuse registration, and added kei cars and kei trucks as ground (10). The same 2024 act added a definition of 'Kei car' or 'Kei truck' to § 31-1-3, the general definitions section.

The definition tracks the Japanese keijidōsha class: four wheels, engine displacement of 660cc or less, overall length 130 inches or less, overall height 78 inches or less, and overall width 60 inches or less, and it expressly names vehicles imported under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(b)(9) — the federal 25-year exemption. In other words, the statute is aimed squarely at legally imported 25-year-old kei vehicles.

Because the prohibition sits in the refusal-grounds section, it applies to registration and to any transfer of registration. That transfer bar is the provision most buyers miss.

The grandfather

What happened to vehicles already registered

Rhode Island did not revoke existing registrations, but it made them a dead end:

A kei vehicle validly registered before June 1, 2024 cannot be denied renewal based solely on the fact that it is a kei vehicle.
The statute states that such registrations 'shall not be permitted to be transferred.' Selling the vehicle ends its registered status.
This is narrower than it first appears: the grandfather protects a specific registrant's ongoing renewal, not the vehicle as a tradable asset.
Nothing in the section addresses off-road or private-property use, which is a separate question.

Road use for grandfathered vehicles

Where a lawfully registered kei vehicle may go

Permitted

Under § 31-3-5(10), a person lawfully operating a kei vehicle may use:

Any state highway, through highway, limited-access highway, or public roadway posted 35 mph or less
An intersection crossing of a road posted between 35 and 45 mph — but only where the road being travelled and the road being entered are both posted no higher than 35 mph, and the intersection is controlled by traffic signals or stop signs

Not permitted

Travelling along any road posted above 35 mph
New registration of any kei vehicle, regardless of age or condition
Transferring an existing kei registration to a buyer

Practical effect

What this means if you are buying

For a Rhode Island resident buying a kei truck today, there is no registration pathway. The DMV is directed by statute to refuse the application, and the grandfather clause cannot be acquired by purchase because the registration cannot be transferred.

Importing remains a federal matter and a 25-year-old kei vehicle clears customs normally. You can own one and keep it in Rhode Island. What you cannot do is put a Rhode Island plate on it.

We have not identified any pending Rhode Island legislation that would reopen registration. If that changes it would come through the General Assembly, since the bar is statutory rather than a DMV policy the agency could reverse on its own.

Official sources

Rhode Island law & agency links

Rhode Island H8013 Substitute A (2024) — enacted bill text
Official sourceLegislationwebserver.rilegislature.gov
The controlling enacted text. Section 2 adds kei cars and kei trucks as ground (10) for refusal of registration under § 31-3-5, sets the pre-June 1, 2024 renewal grandfather, bars transfer of those registrations, and sets the 35 mph and intersection-crossing rules. Effective July 1, 2024.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-1-3 — Types of vehicles
Official sourceStatutewebserver.rilegislature.gov
Definitions section carrying the statutory definition of 'Kei car' or 'Kei truck' (660cc or less; 130 in. length; 78 in. height; 60 in. width; vehicles imported under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(b)(9)). Amended by P.L. 2024, ch. 414 and ch. 415.
R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 31-3 — Registration of Vehicles
Official sourceStatutewebserver.rilegislature.gov
Chapter index containing § 31-3-5, Grounds for refusal of registration — the section that now includes kei vehicles.
Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles
Official sourceAgencydmv.ri.gov
State registration and titling authority. Confirm current practice here before making any purchase decision.
Rhode Island General Assembly — Title 31 statutes index
Official sourceStatutewebserver.rilegislature.gov
Full index of Rhode Island motor vehicle law, useful for checking whether § 31-3-5 or § 31-1-3 has been amended since this review.

FAQ

Common questions

Can I register a kei truck in Rhode Island?: No. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3-5(10), added by H8013 effective July 1, 2024, makes a kei car or kei truck a mandatory ground for the Division of Motor Vehicles to refuse registration. There is no application pathway for a newly acquired kei vehicle.
What happened to kei vehicles that were already registered?: They were not revoked. The statute says a registrant whose kei vehicle was validly registered before June 1, 2024 cannot be denied renewal based solely on the vehicle type. That protection covers ongoing renewal by that registrant only.
Can I buy a grandfathered kei truck from a Rhode Island owner and keep its registration?: No. The same subsection states that such registrations shall not be permitted to be transferred. When the vehicle changes hands the registration cannot follow it, and the buyer cannot apply for a new one because new registrations are refused.
Where can a grandfathered kei truck be driven?: On public roadways posted 35 mph or less. The statute also permits crossing an intersection with a road posted between 35 and 45 mph, but only where both the road you are on and the road you are entering are posted no higher than 35 mph and the intersection is controlled by traffic signals or stop signs.
Can I still import a kei truck into Rhode Island?: Importing is federal. A vehicle at least 25 years old clears NHTSA and EPA under the age exemption regardless of state law. Rhode Island controls registration, and it will not register the vehicle. You can own and store one; you cannot plate it.
Could I register it in another state instead?: Rhode Island generally expects residents to register vehicles in Rhode Island, and using another state's plates to avoid a state's own registration bar carries real legal and insurance risk. Because Rhode Island offers no pathway to convert to later, treat this as a question for a Rhode Island attorney rather than a workaround.
Is this likely to change?: The bar is statutory, so reversing it requires the General Assembly rather than a DMV policy change. We did not identify pending legislation to reopen kei registration as of this review. Check the General Assembly site before assuming anything has changed.

The specific uncertainty in Rhode Island is the grandfather clause: the statute protects renewal for pre-June 1, 2024 registrants and bars transfer, but it does not spell out how the DMV handles edge cases such as inherited vehicles, registrations that lapse and are re-applied for, or owners moving into the state with a kei vehicle plated elsewhere. Confirm your specific situation with the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles before purchasing. This page is informational only and not legal advice.

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