Hello all, First post here. Hoping to find out some more information. I'm located in Madison, WI and have been eyeing up a Kei truck for a few years now as it'd be a great city car. However, I have still to find some concrete evidence that Wisconsin allows titling and registration of imported Kei trucks. I found this forum thread not too long ago from 2018 that says that Wisconsinites can register Kei vehicles under a collector title. https://minitrucktalk.com/threads/great-news-for-wisconsin-mini-truck-owners.18582/#post-108827 However, I've had a email chain going back and forth with the DMV and they're insisting that it's not legal. Is there any update to the previously mentioned thread? Perhaps an actual piece of legislation that I could reference to the DMV and jog their memory on? Just hoping for some more up-to-date information than some guy sharing emails with someone who might not work at the DMV any longer from 4 years ago. Thanks a bunch!
I sent an email to wi dmv and was told the vehicle has to 25 yrs old and then it will be titled with a hobbyist plate. I will look ans see if I still have the email. I received this email with in the last 60 days.
Here is the email Thank you for contacting the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. To apply for or transfer hobbyist plates: Complete and sign the application form MV2388 Hobbyist Registration Application: http://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/formdocs/mv2388.pdf Send the appropriate fee as indicated on the fee chart on the form Include a written description of how the vehicle was modified Send your original certificate of title If the vehicle is not title in your name with a Wisconsin title complete and sign form MV1 Wisconsin Title and License Plate application. (mail along with the MV2388 & Title to the address indicated on the MV2388 Hobbyist Application. Wisconsin Title & License Plate Application (wisconsindot.gov) Mail hobbyist applications to: WisDOT-Special Plates Unit P O Box 7911 Madison, WI 53707-7911 Please visit the DMV Online Services page for many self-serve web applications. Sign up to receive your license plate renewal notice via e-mail or text and pay your registration fees online! https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/online-srvcs/renew-licens/enotify-default.aspx
Unless it is 25-years old, it would have to be modified, and certified to meet the FHWA safety standards. Which I am fairly certain would be impossible. At 20-years it becomes exempt from having to meet EPA emissions standards, and at 25-years the vehicle safety standards fall off. Prior to that the vehicle has to be brought into compliance, to stand any chance of getting registered for Highway use. And, getting them into compliance would cost literally millions in testing.
So, sadly, after much back and forth, it looks like the state of Wisconsin has legal grounds to refuse registration to anyone trying to register a "kei class" vehicle. This is a screen snip of the Wisconsin DMV's Registration of Vehicles document. Specifically Section 341 Chapter 10.6 (341.10.6). Chapter 10 is entitled "Ground for Refusal of Registration" and subpoint 6 is the screen snip above. By this, it appears like the DMV can refuse you registration for a mini truck or kei car on WI roads. However, if you wanted to keep the vehicle as a farm vehicle or off-road use vehicle (as I'm sure plenty of people have done), you could do so because it doesn't require plates to drive a car off-road. This is my thinking: 1. Since there's no law against attempting to register a kei class vehicle in WI, I guess there's a super slim possibility that you could just bribe the DMV worker and have them "not refuse" you But I wouldn't bank on that. Odds: 1 in a million 2. Another possibility would be that maybe the DMV worker simply doesn't know about this "right to refuse registration" law. But, this is the government. So, they have people checking the people who check the people at the counter. Odds: 1 in a 950,000. 3. Registering a vehicle that's already been registered in another state and has plates. This sounds reasonable too, but you'd eventually have to switch over to WI plates and that's where you'd get caught up here. Odds: better, but still tiny. 4. Pull the "LLC from Montana" card and register the vehicle under the LLC and drive around with MT plates on and hope no one looks too deeply into it if you ever get in an accident. Odds: much better, but with a slim-looking outcomes if you get caught. 5. You could figure out what the WI definition of "kei class vehicle" is and convince the DMV that your Sambar/Hijet/Acty/etc isn't, for some reason, a "kei class vehicle". Odds: uhh, probably just as slim as 1 or 2. 6. Perhaps you could go down the "Hobbyist plate" route because you can register kit cars or cars built from scratch with Hobbyist plates. If you could get a kei car to classify as a "hobbyist car", then there's a shot at getting plates for it. But you'd most likely need an inspection of the vehicle prior to getting plates and I'm sure there's more legislation regarding what can be "built from scratch" for WI roads. Anyway you cut it, the chances of legally registering a kei truck with plates for WI roads is slim to none Needless to say, I'm quite disappointed. I'm gonna link the document just because. Hopefully the link stays good for awhile... https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/341.pdf
Gee whiz... this is getting confusing. I was at my local cars and coffee meet this weekend and there was a Suzuki Carry attending. Didn't get to catch the guy before he left or see the plates. But I'm going to keep digging into this.
