This bill formally recognizes and regulates kei vehicles in Colorado, ensuring they are treated as motor vehicles under state law while imposing certain operational restrictions.
Key Provisions of the BillLegal Classification & Requirements
Kei vehicles are tested using a 2-speed idle test, NOT a dynamometer.
Vehicles must meet emissions standards for their manufacturing year.
Restrictions on Additional Inspections & Roadworthiness
No mandatory inspections just because a vehicle is a kei vehicle.
State agencies (Department of Revenue, Colorado State Patrol, and their contractors) CANNOT:
Require an inspection solely due to a vehicle’s kei design or manufacturing parameters.
Declare a kei vehicle not roadworthy based on its design.
Key Takeaways
Legalizes kei vehicles for road use with title, registration, and compliance with motor vehicle laws.
Restricts use on roads with speed limits over 55 mph and limited-access highways.
Simplifies emissions testing using a 2-speed idle test instead of a dynamometer.
Protects kei vehicle owners from additional inspections or roadworthiness rejections based on vehicle design.
Summary
A kei vehicle is the smallest road-legal, 4-wheeled vehicle in Japan
and is imported into the United States as a used vehicle. The bill defines a kei vehicle as a motor vehicle for the purposes of the Uniform Motor Vehicle Law and the Certificate of Title Act. These acts govern issuing a certificate of title, registering a motor vehicle, and the rules of the road for motor vehicles. The bill authorizes a kei vehicle to operate on the roads and requires a kei vehicle to be issued a certificate of title, be registered, and obey motor vehicle traffic laws. Driving a kei vehicle on a roadway that has a speed limit greater
than 55 miles per hour or on a limited-access highway is prohibited.
For emissions testing, a kei vehicle is tested not using a
dynamometer but using a 2-speed idle test. The vehicle must pass the emissions standards for the year it was manufactured.
The department of revenue, the Colorado state patrol, and the
agents or contractors of these agencies may not require a vehicle to have an inspection because it is a kei vehicle or has the design or manufacturing parameters of a kei vehicle. And a kei vehicle may not be declared not roadworthy because of its design or manufacturing parameters.
