From the Field
The Blog
Buying guides, build logs and the odd opinion. Written by people with grease under their nails, not a content team.
Lifting a Kei Truck: The UK Owner's Guide
How a lift works on a 660cc mini truck, how much you actually need, what it costs, and how to keep it legal and driving right on UK lanes and roads.
Read →Kei Truck vs UTV: Which Should a UK Buyer Choose?
The honest UK comparison for farms, smallholdings and estates. Road-legality, running costs, payload, off-road ability — and exactly when a Gator or Ranger beats a kei truck.
Read →Kei Truck vs John Deere Gator: Which Is Better for a UK Farm?
The honest head-to-head for UK farms and estates. Road-legality, price, payload, off-road ability and 5-year running costs — and exactly when the Gator wins.
Read →How Much Does a Kei Truck Cost in the UK? (2026)
Real numbers — to buy and to run. Used vs new prices, what drives the cost, the all-in import figure, running costs, and a 5-year ownership comparison.
Read →Are Kei Trucks Road Legal in the UK?
Yes — once registered. The plain-English explainer: what makes a kei truck road-legal, the speed limits (lower than a car), motorways, green lanes, ULEZ, and the myths.
Read →How to Register an Imported Kei Truck with the DVLA
The registration half, in detail: MOT vs IVA, the documents the DVLA needs, the age-related-plate vs Q-plate question, timelines, and the mistakes that cause rejections.
Read →How to Import a Kei Truck to the UK, Step by Step (2026)
From a Japanese auction to a UK number plate. The real process, the real costs, the 10-year rule, and the paperwork that trips people up.
Read →Daihatsu Hijet Cargo & Atrai: The Complete UK Camper & Buyer's Guide
The best-supported kei van in the UK and a brilliant flat-floor camper base. Cargo vs Atrai, the EF-belt vs KF-chain engines, the motorway-viable turbo, importing, and a full conversion guide.
Read →Honda Acty Van & Vamos: The Complete UK Owner's Guide
The mid-engine Honda kei vans before the N-VAN — the cult cargo Acty Van, the open-top Vamos, and the tall-roof Hobio. The turbo, the timing belt, and importing in 2026.
Read →Honda N-VAN: The Complete UK Camper & Buyer's Guide
The most camper-ready kei van ever made — flat floor, fold-flat front seat, pillarless side opening, and a 6-speed manual. The turbo, the IVA reality, and importing one in 2026.
Read →Suzuki Every DA17V: The Complete UK Camper & Buyer's Guide
The current Every — the DA64V's modern successor and a four-badge parts champion. The AGS gearbox to avoid, the turbo to seek, the IVA catch, and a full camper-conversion guide.
Read →Suzuki Every DA64V: The Complete UK Camper & Buyer's Guide
The DA63T's van sibling and the UK's favourite micro-camper base. Van vs Wagon, turbo vs NA, can you sleep in one, importing in 2026, and a full camper-conversion guide.
Read →Mitsubishi Minicab (U41–U62): The Complete UK Owner's Guide
The budget-friendly kei truck with a turbo secret and a parts catch. The 3G83 engine, the Nissan Clipper connection, spotting the post-2014 Suzuki rebadge, and importing in 2026.
Read →Subaru Sambar (TT/TV/TW): The Complete UK Owner's Guide
The last rear-engine kei vehicle, and the only one with a four-cylinder. The supercharged option, the truck/van/Dias Wagon line-up, the supercharger oil nobody checks, and importing in 2026.
Read →Honda Acty Truck: The Complete UK Owner's Guide (HA3–HA9)
The last mid-engine kei truck, and the cult one. Every generation explained, the Acty Attack off-road trim, the timing-belt reality, honest parts-supply truth, and importing in 2026.
Read →Daihatsu Hijet S201P / S211P: The Complete UK Owner's Guide
The common-as-muck mid-generation Hijet — and arguably the most capable kei truck off-road. The EF-vs-KF engine change, the diff-lock 4WD, Jumbo vs standard cab, and importing one in 2026.
Read →Daihatsu Hijet Truck (S200P & S500P): The Complete UK Owner's Guide
The current new-buy kei truck and the galvanised classic. The KF chain engine, the real story on the 'Climber', the diff-lock 4WD, the IVA catch on newer ones, and importing in 2026.
Read →Suzuki Carry & Every Classic (DC51T / DE51V): The UK Owner's Guide
The round-cab F6A classic — the cult retro kei truck and van. The timing-belt warning, the axle-lock-vs-diff-lock truth, the ULEZ catch, and importing in 2026.
Read →Suzuki Carry DA16T: The Complete UK Owner's Guide
The current-generation Carry — naturally aspirated, front-engined, and the one with the IVA catch. The R06A engine, the 4WD system, importing one in 2026, and the 10-year rule that decides how much it costs to register.
Read →Suzuki Carry DA63T: The Complete UK Owner's Guide
The most popular kei truck in the UK — and the easiest to live with. The K6A engine, the 4WD system explained, importing one in 2026, what to check before you buy, and what it's really like to own.
Read →What Is a Kei Truck? A UK Owner's Guide
660cc, sub-3.4 metres, sub-tonne. What a kei truck actually is, why Japan built them, the makes, what they're like to own — and exactly how they work in the UK.
Read →