Subaru
Sambar
Subaru's kei truck and van. The older Sambars were built by Subaru itself.
Two lanes
Which Sambar can come in.
The 25 year road truck
Built in October 2001 or earlier
A Sambar at least 25 years old comes in for the road under the federal 25 year rule, declared to DOT and to EPA at the port, if its engine is the model it left the factory with. Your state then decides the title and the roads.
The two agesHow it worksThe newer off road truck
Governed, with a certified engine
A newer Sambar comes in only as off road equipment, permanently governed to a top speed and with a nonroad engine certified by EPA before import. It is never a road truck under federal law, and it works farms, ranches and private land as your state allows.
What that engine needsTestingThe duty
The chicken tax, at every age
Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty, the one people call the chicken tax, whatever its age. U.S. Customs has ruled so for kei trucks built in 1990 and 1993, and the 25 year rule decides only whether a truck may come in, not what it pays.
The dutyHow it worksThe engines
Sambar engines, generation by generation.
EPA admits a 25 year truck on age only with the same model of engine it was built with, so the engine is read before the truck is bought.
| Generation | Built | Engine | Stock power | Eligible from | Lane |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sambar 1st | February 1961 to December 1965 | EK31 356 cc | February 1986 maker | Every unit is 25 or older | |
| Sambar Light Van 1st | September 1961 to December 1965 | EK31 356 cc | September 1986 maker | Every unit is 25 or older | |
| Sambar (New Sambar) 2nd | January 1966 to January 1973 | engine code not published 356 cc | January 1991 maker | Every unit is 25 or older | |
| Sambar (Goriki Sambar, Sambar 5, Sambar 550) 3rd | February 1973 to June 1982 | engine code not published | February 1998 maker | Every unit is 25 or older | |
| Sambar (Try) 4th | 1982 to January 1990 | EK23 544 cc | 2007 maker | Every unit is 25 or older | |
| Sambar Truck KS3/KS4 | March 1990 to January 1999 | EN07 658 cc | March 2015 catalog | Every unit is 25 or older | |
| Sambar Van KV3/KV4 | March 1990 to January 1999 | EN07 658 cc | March 2015 catalog | Every unit is 25 or older | |
| Sambar Truck TT1/TT2 | February 1999 to February 2012 | EN07, EN07 supercharged 658 cc | 35 kW | February 2024 catalog | Turning 25 from February 2024 |
| Sambar Van and Dias TV1/TV2 | February 1999 to February 2012 | EN07, EN07 supercharged 658 cc | 35 kW | February 2024 catalog | Turning 25 from February 2024 |
| Sambar Truck S201J/S211J | April 2012 to August 2014 | KF-VE 658 cc | 37 kW | April 2037 maker | Newer, off road only |
| Sambar Van S321B/S331B | April 2012 to December 2021 | KF-VE, KF-DET 658 cc | April 2037 maker | Newer, off road only | |
| Sambar Truck S500J/S510J | September 2014 on | KF 658 cc | 34 kW | September 2039 catalog | Newer, off road only |
| Sambar Van S700B/S710B | January 2022 on | KF 658 cc | 34 kW | January 2047 catalog | Newer, off road only |
Eligible from is the month the earliest units turn 25, counted from the start of the generation as the maker or a catalog gives it. Each truck's own date of manufacture decides, to the day, under 49 USC 30112(b)(9). Read 28 October 2026.
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