"Just import one."
Easy, until you meet the customs forms. The truck in question is the ninth-generation Hilux Toyota Norway started taking orders for on October 7: a diesel double cab with a 48-volt mild hybrid, a 700 mm wading rating and a 3,500 kg tow rating.
The Hilux a US buyer can clear through a port on October 23, 2026 was built on or before October 23, 2001. Toyota's own example from that era is a Japan-market 4WD single cab with a three-liter 5L diesel rated at 91 PS net. Its paperwork matters more than its paint.
Two terms run through everything below. FMVSS stands for the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the federal safety rulebook that every road vehicle sold here has to be certified to by the company that built it. The chicken tax is the nickname for the 25% tariff on imported pickups, which started as retaliation in a 1963 trade fight over poultry.
The gap between those trucks is three federal rules and one date.
Why the Toyota Hilux in the US Is Back in the Group Chat
Toyota Norway's October 7, 2026 release opened orders for the ninth-generation Hilux, from NOK 695,000 for the battery-electric version and NOK 752,600 for the Hybrid 48V diesel, with delivery before year end. Those prices include Norway's VAT and its one-time registration tax (engangsavgift), so a currency converter tells you nothing about a US price. There is no US price, because there is no US Hilux.
Toyota Europe's launch release lists the 2.8-liter Hybrid 48V at 204 DIN hp (150 kW) and 500 Nm, with payload "in excess of 1,000 kg," 3,500 kg of braked towing, 309 mm of ground clearance and 700 mm of wading depth. It keeps a rigid rear axle on leaf springs and H4 and L4 ranges, with Multi-Terrain Select on some grades.
On X, the Hilux keeps coming up: 1,554 English-language posts, reposts excluded, in the seven days ending October 20, per X's post counts (our count). The reasons are shorter and more boring than the replies suggest.
Toyota's Hilux milestones list the Hilux arriving in the US in June 1969. When Toyota launched the Tacoma at the 1995 Chicago Auto Show, its release called it the company's "sixth-generation compact pickup truck." The US truck changed its name. The Hilux kept going everywhere else.
Wall 1: The 25% Truck Tariff, Still Here Since 1964
The duty comes first because it never goes away. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule lists subheading 8704.21.01, diesel trucks with a gross vehicle weight "not exceeding 5 metric tons," at a general rate of 25%. The gas (8704.31.01), diesel-electric (8704.41.00) and electric-only (8704.60.00) lines are 25% too, as pulled October 20, 2026.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Importing a Motor Vehicle page agrees: foreign-made vehicles, "whether new or used," are generally dutiable at 25% for trucks, based on the price paid or payable. Our math: every $10,000 you pay adds $2,500 in duty.
Proclamation 3564, signed December 4, 1963, answered European restrictions on US poultry with a 25% duty on "automobile trucks valued at $1,000 or more," effective January 7, 1964.
Newer trucks get a second layer. HTS heading 9903.94.01, the Section 232 auto tariff, adds 25% to the regular duty on light trucks, and CBP's Section 232 FAQ lists 8704.21.01 and 8704.31.01 among the covered lines. Light trucks made in Japan, the EU and South Korea get deal lines (9903.94.40, .50, .60) that charge only the base duty when it's 15% or more, as 25% is. From any other country, 25% plus 25% is 50% (our math from the HTS lines). Other duties can stack, which is why a licensed customs broker earns their fee.
The same FAQ holds the first good news: used trucks are covered "except those manufactured in a year at least 25 years prior to the year of the date of entry." For a 2026 entry, that's 2001 or earlier (our math).
Wall 2: NHTSA and the 25-Year Rule
This is the wall that actually stops the new Hilux. The NHTSA importation FAQ says a vehicle that is "less than 25 years old" and was not built and certified to FMVSS "cannot be lawfully imported into the U.S. on a permanent basis unless NHTSA determines it eligible for importation."
Eligibility isn't a counter form. A NHTSA-registered importer has to petition, show the vehicle is substantially similar to a US-certified model or prove it can meet the standards, post a bond of 150% of its value and finish the conversion within 120 days. With no US-certified Hilux to match, that means proving compliance from scratch. Show-or-display won't help: NHTSA generally refuses it when more than 500 of a model were built, and Toyota counts more than 27 million Hilux sales.
Then the rule everybody half-remembers. NHTSA says a vehicle "at least 25 years old can be lawfully imported into the U.S. without regard to whether it complies with all applicable FMVSS," declared under Box 1 of the HS-7 form, and "the 25 year period runs from the date of the vehicle's manufacture." CBP's import page and the regulation, 49 CFR 591.5(i)(1) ("The vehicle is 25 or more years old"), say the same.
The rolling rule: on the day the truck enters the US, its build date has to be at least 25 years earlier. For an entry on Friday, October 23, 2026, that's built on or before October 23, 2001 (our math). A truck built in December 2001 waits until December 2026. Model year doesn't set the clock; NHTSA accepts a sales invoice or registration record only as proof of age when there's no manufacturer's date label. Inference: a label that reads only 10/2001 can't prove an October 23 build, so the safe entry date is October 31, 2026 or later.
Wall 3: EPA and the Original-Engine Rule
Emissions is the wall that falls first. EPA's import page (updated September 1, 2026) has a heading for "Importation of Vehicles Over 21 Years Old," and EPA says it has "long interpreted the equivalence requirement to mean that the engine must be identical to the engine that was originally installed," meaning the same model and configuration.
EPA's 2011 importer guide spells out the count. A vehicle is exempt "if it has been 21 years or more since its original production year and it is in its original unmodified condition," declared as code "E" on EPA Form 3520-1. EPA's 2010 procedures manual counts those years by subtracting the calendar year built from the calendar year imported. For a 2026 entry, that clears trucks built in 2005 or earlier (our math).
One wrinkle: the regulation, 40 CFR 85.1511(f)(2), describes vehicles "greater than twenty" years old imported by a certificate holder, while EPA's 2010 manual says code E vehicles may be imported by "Anyone." Go by EPA's guidance and contact its Imports Hotline (imports@epa.gov, 734-214-4100) before you ship, as EPA asks.
So for a used Hilux, EPA's clock runs out four years before NHTSA's does (our math). The 25-year safety date is the one that decides.
The Honest Truth: The Tariff Never Ages Out, and the Legal Hilux Is an Old-School Truck
The 25-year rule frees an old truck from FMVSS, and the 25-calendar-year cutoff frees it from the Section 232 add-on. Neither touches the 1964 tariff. A 2001 Hilux pays the same 25% base duty rate as a 2026 Hilux would. CBP's page says "new or used," and the HTS line has no age column.
The second surprise is the truck. Every Hilux built on or before October 23, 2001 is a sixth-generation truck or older. Toyota's global history dates the sixth generation from September 1997 to 2004 and the seventh from August 2004.
Toyota's 75-year lineage page lists the Japan-market sixth-gen lineup with 2.0 and 2.7 gas engines and 2.4 and 3.0 diesels. Its representative 4WD single cab, with the 3.0-liter 5L diesel, is rated 91 PS net and weighs 1,410 kg. Our math: about 90 hp and 3,109 lb. The new Hybrid 48V makes 204 DIN hp. You'd be importing the Hilux name with less than half the new truck's rated power (our math).
Toyota's UK media site says the sixth generation got "major revisions in 2001," including the 2.5-liter D-4D common-rail diesel. Inference: whether a particular 2001 truck has the D-4D depends on its market and its build month, so read the build plate before you get attached.
How a 25-Year-Old Toyota Hilux in the US Gets Titled: California and Texas
Federal clearance gets the truck off the dock. A state title gets it on the road. We checked two states, California and Texas.
At the port, CBP wants the bill of lading, bill of sale, foreign registration, EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT Form HS-7, and an undercarriage free of foreign soil. EPA warns that a vehicle arriving without a valid exemption can be seized or exported.
California. The California DMV's imported vehicle page says "Motorcycles, off-highway vehicles, and diesel-powered vehicles cannot be converted to California emissions standards at this time," so they can't be registered unless they were originally built to US and California emissions standards. A diesel Hilux from Japan wasn't. A gas one would have to go through CARB's direct import program and an authorized lab. The same page lists FMVSS evidence as "mandatory for vehicles manufactured after 1995," and a 1997 to 2001 Hilux has none. Inference: plan on California being a no, and call the DMV before you buy.
Texas. TxDMV's Registration and Title Bulletin 01-24 (April 4, 2024) was written for imported mini trucks, but it points to the general import rule, Transportation Code 501.030. It asks for proof of US Customs entry or clearance, proof of the HS-7, and a law enforcement VIN inspection (Form VTR-68-A) for vehicles last registered in another country. Owners without the import papers can't get a title, even through a bond. A vehicle that passes Texas inspection can be registered.
Those are the only two states we checked. Ask your own DMV for its import title checklist before you wire money overseas.
New Toyota Hilux vs 2026 Tacoma: The Spec Sheet You Can Actually Buy
If you want the new truck, the honest comparison is a 2026 Tacoma. Figures are Toyota's: Toyota Europe for the Hilux, Toyota's 2026 Tacoma specifications page for the Tacoma, best case across the lineup.
| Spec | 2026 Hilux Hybrid 48V (Europe) | 2026 Tacoma (US, best case) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.8L diesel, 48V mild hybrid | 2.4L turbo gas or i-FORCE MAX hybrid |
| Power | 204 DIN hp / 150 kW (about 201 hp, our math) | Up to 326 hp |
| Torque | 500 Nm (about 369 lb-ft, our math) | Up to 465 lb-ft |
| Payload | Over 1,000 kg (over 2,205 lb, our math) | Up to 1,705 lb |
| Braked towing | 3,500 kg (7,716 lb, our math) | Up to 6,500 lb |
| Clearance | 309 mm ground clearance (12.2 in, our math) | Up to 11.5 in running clearance |
| Wading | 700 mm (27.6 in, our math) | Not listed on Toyota's spec page |
| Can you buy one in the US? | No | Yes, from $32,545 MSRP (toyota.com, Oct 20, 2026) |
Toyota Canada's Tacoma sheet says its tow rating follows SAE J2807; Toyota Europe doesn't name its method, and "ground clearance" and "running clearance" may not be the same measurement. Still, the Hilux claims about 500 lb more payload and 1,200 lb more towing on paper (our math), plus a diesel. The Tacoma makes far more power, and you can test drive one Saturday.
Honest Warts of the Import Plan
The build date is a trap. A truck sold as a "2001" may have been built in late 2000 or late 2001. Only the date of manufacture counts. If you're a week short, you're back in registered-importer territory with a 150% bond.
Duty is on what you paid, not what it's worth to you. That 25% applies to the price paid or payable, and your broker's fee comes on top. The cheap truck in the listing isn't cheap at the port.
Your state can still say no. A truck you can't title is a very large lawn ornament.
Verdict: Which Hilux Can You Get in the US?
| Question | Answer | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Import a new 2026 ninth-gen Hilux? | No | Not certified to FMVSS; under 25 years old (NHTSA) |
| Import a used Hilux under 25 years old? | Only if NHTSA rules that make, model and year eligible | Registered importer petition, 150% bond |
| Import a Hilux built 25+ years before entry (on or before Oct 23, 2001 for an Oct 23, 2026 entry)? | Yes, federally | HS-7 Box 1 (NHTSA); EPA code E with original-spec engine |
| Duty on that old Hilux? | 25% of price paid | HTS truck tariff; no age exemption |
| Section 232 add-on for that old Hilux? | No | Built in a year at least 25 years before the year of entry (CBP) |
| Title a diesel one in California? | No | DMV: diesel direct imports can't be converted |
| Title one in Texas? | Possible, with full import papers and inspection | TxDMV RTB 01-24 (written for mini trucks): Customs entry, HS-7, VIN inspection |
Who Should Import an Old Hilux, and Who Should Not
Import one if your state will title it (Texas is one we checked), you want a simple, low-power truck for a ranch or a slow-build trail rig, and you'll pay 25% on top of the price. Do the build-date math before the deposit.
Don't if you live in California and want a diesel, or if you need modern towing, payload or crash protection. The 25-year exemption exists precisely because the truck was never built to US safety standards.
Buy a 2026 Tacoma if you wanted the new Hilux for what it does rather than what it's called. As of October 20, 2026, NHTSA listed no 2026 Tacoma recalls, and the Part 573 reports for the five 2025 Tacoma recalls list no 2026 Tacoma. It's the Toyota midsize truck sold and serviced through US dealers.
You can't buy the new Toyota Hilux in the US because Toyota doesn't sell or certify it here, and NHTSA keeps uncertified vehicles under 25 years old out unless it rules a model eligible. The one you can import was built at least 25 years before it lands, on or before October 23, 2001 for an October 23, 2026 entry: a sixth-gen or older truck that still pays the 25% truck tariff. If you want what the new one does, buy a 2026 Tacoma.
Internal Links
- Best Value Used Toyota for Overlanding: Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner, RAV4
- The Last Manual Off-Road Truck: 2026 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 6MT
- Used Tacoma Value
Sources
- Toyota Norge, "Premiere for nye Toyota Hilux, nå i Norge," October 7, 2026 (orders from October 7; NOK 695,000 BEV and NOK 752,600 Hybrid 48V including VAT and one-time tax; delivery before year end): https://toyotanews.no/alle-nyheter/premiere-for-nye-toyota-hilux-na-i-norge/
- Toyota Europe, "The all-new Toyota Hilux," June 2026 (204 DIN hp / 150 kW, 500 Nm, payload over 1,000 kg, 3,500 kg braked towing, 309 mm clearance, 700 mm wading, 29/24 deg approach/departure, rigid leaf-spring rear axle, BEV 715 kg payload and 1,600 kg towing; "more than 27 million sales"): https://newsroom.toyota.eu/the-all-new-toyota-hilux/
- USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule, subheadings 8704.21.01, 8704.31.01, 8704.41.00, 8704.60.00 (25% general) and headings 9903.94.01 to 9903.94.61 (Section 232), including 9903.94.40, .50, .60 (deal lines), pulled October 20, 2026: https://hts.usitc.gov/reststop/search?keyword=8704.21 and https://hts.usitc.gov/reststop/search?keyword=9903.94
- CBP, Importing a Motor Vehicle (trucks 25%, new or used; HS-7 and EPA 3520-1; undercarriage free of foreign soil), last modified May 21, 2026: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/importing-car
- CBP, Section 232 Additional FAQs, Automobiles and Auto Parts (used vehicles covered except those made in a year at least 25 years before the year of entry; covered light-truck subheadings), last modified December 19, 2025: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/entry-summary/section-232-additional-faqs-autos
- Proclamation 3564, December 4, 1963, via The American Presidency Project: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-3564-proclamation-increasing-rates-duty-specified-articles
- NHTSA, Importation and Certification FAQs (25-year rule from date of manufacture, registered importers, 150% bond, show or display): https://www.nhtsa.gov/importing-vehicle/importation-and-certification-faqs
- 49 CFR 591.5(i)(1): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-591/section-591.5
- EPA, Learn About Importing Vehicles and Engines (over 21 years old, original engine), updated September 1, 2026: https://www.epa.gov/importing-vehicles-and-engines/learn-about-importing-vehicles-and-engines
- EPA, Importing Vehicles and Engines into the United States, EPA-420-B-11-015, March 2011 (21 years since original production year, original unmodified condition, code E): https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P100AKFO.pdf
- EPA, Procedures for Importing Vehicles and Engines into the United States, EPA-420-B-10-027, July 2010 (OP years by calendar year; "Anyone" may import under code E): https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P10081IS.pdf
- 40 CFR 85.1511: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-85/subpart-P/section-85.1511
- California DMV, Imported Vehicle Registration (diesel direct imports cannot be converted; FMVSS evidence for vehicles made after 1995): https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/new-registration/register-an-imported-vehicle/
- California DMV, Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual 12.050, Direct Import Vehicles: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/nonresident-vehicles/direct-import-vehicles/
- Texas DMV, Registration and Title Bulletin 01-24, April 4, 2024: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/TXDMV/2024/04/04/file_attachments/2836963/RTB%20001-24%20Title%20and%20Registration%20Procedures%20for%20Mini%20Vehicles_.pdf
- Toyota Motor Corporation, Hilux evolution, 1st to 8th generation (sixth gen September 1997 to 2004; seventh gen August 2004): https://global.toyota/en/mobility/toyota-brand/features/hilux50th/history/evolution.html
- Toyota Motor Corporation, Hilux milestones (Hilux introduced in US, June 1969): https://global.toyota/en/mobility/toyota-brand/features/hilux50th/history/milestones.html
- Toyota Motor Corporation, 75 Years of Toyota, sixth-generation Hilux (engines; 5L 4WD single cab 91 PS net, 1,410 kg): https://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/vehicle_lineage/car/id60015606/index.html
- Toyota UK media site, Hilux sixth generation (2001 revisions, 2.5 D-4D): https://media.toyota.co.uk/vehicles/hilux-1997-2005/
- Toyota Motor Corporation, "Toyota Launches All-New Compact Pickup Truck, Tacoma," February 10, 1995: https://global.toyota/en/detail/7877467
- Toyota.com, 2026 Tacoma specifications (payload up to 1,705 lb, towing up to 6,500 lb, running clearance up to 11.5 in, up to 326 hp and 465 lb-ft), checked October 20, 2026: https://www.toyota.com/tacoma/2026/features/
- Toyota.com, Tacoma (starting MSRP $32,545), checked October 20, 2026: https://www.toyota.com/tacoma/
- Toyota Canada, 2026 Tacoma Product Information (towing per SAE J2807): https://toyotacanada.scene7.com/is/content/toyotacanada/2026%20Toyota%20Tacoma%20Product_Information%20ENpdf
- NHTSA recalls API, 2026 Toyota Tacoma (0 results), checked October 20, 2026: https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=TOYOTA&model=TACOMA&modelYear=2026
- NHTSA recalls API, 2025 Toyota Tacoma (5 results: 25V058, 25V595, 25V656, 26V179, 26V514), checked October 20, 2026: https://api.nhtsa.gov/recalls/recallsByVehicle?make=TOYOTA&model=TACOMA&modelYear=2025
- NHTSA 25V058, Part 573 report of July 2, 2025 (2024 to 2025 Tacoma; built December 14, 2023 to January 17, 2025): https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V058-1369.pdf and https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=25V058
- NHTSA 25V595, Part 573 report of April 17, 2026 (2024 to 2025 Tacoma; built December 14, 2023 to November 14, 2024): https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V595-5855.pdf and https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=25V595
- NHTSA 25V656, Part 573 report of October 1, 2025 (2025 Tacoma and Tacoma Hybrid; built January 23 to March 31, 2025): https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V656-3686.pdf and https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=25V656
- NHTSA 26V179, Part 573 report of March 26, 2026 (2024 to 2025 Tacoma and Tacoma Hybrid; built May 28, 2024 to October 10, 2025): https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V179-7077.pdf and https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=26V179
- NHTSA 26V514, Part 573 report of August 6, 2026 (2024 Tacoma Hybrid and 2024 to 2025 Tacoma; built January 2 to November 25, 2024): https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V514-9914.pdf and https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=26V514
- X recent post counts for "hilux lang:en -is:retweet," October 13, 5:09 PM PT to October 20, 5:09 PM PT, 2026 (1,554 posts; our count via the X API)