What’s the Towing Capacity of a Kei Truck?

What is a Kei Truck?

Before discussing kei truck specs, it’s essential to understand what exactly a kei truck is, what constitutes a kei vehicle, and whether or not you want one. 

Kei vehicles, or “Keitora” in Japanese, come from the root word “kei-jidousha,” which roughly translates to “light vehicle.” These compact vehicles dominate the streets of Japan due to their utility and minute stature. Since much of the country’s infrastructure was never built to accommodate automotive travel, these vehicles can navigate small roadways and older villages with streets so narrow that conventional American sedans would have trouble navigating them. 

Kei vehicles fill that gap, often seen performing deliveries and other commercial tasks in areas where standard delivery services couldn’t reach. Learn more about these oddball vehicles in our Kei Truck overview.

What is Towing Capacity?

At its core, towing capacity is the maximum amount of weight a vehicle can pull safely and without causing damage, as determined by the manufacturer. While the term may sound straightforward, there’s more to it than just hitching up a trailer and hitting the road.

Towing capacity is influenced by various vehicle components, including the engine, transmission, axle ratios, suspension setup, and even the bed and cab configurations. All of these elements work together to determine how much your truck can handle under load.

It’s also important to remember that towing capacity includes more than just the trailer’s base weight. You’ll need to factor in the weight of any added cargo—like equipment, gear, water, and fuel. For instance, a trailer that weighs 2,000 pounds empty might exceed your kei truck’s towing limit once it’s fully loaded with supplies.

How Much Can a Kei Truck Tow?

With a thorough understanding of kei trucks and towing capacity under our belt, it’s time to determine the towing capacity of these unique little pickups. 

Given that Japan imposes a strict limit on kei vehicle towing capacity, these vehicles are never rated for loads exceeding 350 kilograms or just shy of 800 pounds. However, that’s not necessarily their mechanical limit, just the limitations outlined by Japan—in the same way that a vehicle may be mechanically capable of traveling at a certain speed, yet the manufacturer caps this speed well before for safety reasons. 

While rated at 350 kg, many kei trucks are mechanically capable of towing between 450 and 800 kg (1,000 to 1,760 lbs.) in stock form. While we wouldn’t suggest loading up that much weight and hitting highway speeds, lower-speed trips around the farm likely wouldn’t cause much issue.

Shop Towing Accessories for your Kei Truck

While you shouldn’t expect to tow a camper or boat with your recently imported kei truck, these mighty minis are more than capable of hauling a load to the landfill in a lightweight aluminum utility trailer.  

To make the process safer and more enjoyable, consider shopping our selection of high-end towing equipment, including ball mounts, hitch receivers, towing mirrors, and more.