Kei Truck vs Midsize Pickup vs F-150: Which Size?

Twenty one inches. That is the length gap between a Ford Ranger crew cab and an F-150 SuperCrew with the short bed. The gap between that Ranger and the longest kei truck Japan allows is 77 inches. Every "what size truck do I need" argument treats those two steps as the same kind of decision. They are not, and a new video from ReDriven puts the question in its title: what do you actually need?

ReDriven's description says it compares three sizes of ute, a Japanese kei truck, a mainstream dual cab and a full size American pickup, then scores each across real world challenges with help from Matt from The Right Car. The goal is to find which size makes the most sense to own in Australia. The tags name a Daihatsu Hijet, a Nissan Navara and a Ford F-150.

The chapter list works as a scorecard: acceleration and freeway driving, interior, tech and safety, practicality and rear seats, payload and towing, parking and urban driving, off roading and mechanicals, looks and image, and cost of ownership. A dual cab ute is what Australians call a crew cab midsize pickup, so this post scores those eight topics with US numbers and the Ranger as the midsize stand in. It does not retell the video's results.

Where the Size Ladder Breaks

Kelley Blue Book lists the 2026 Ford Ranger, which comes as a crew cab, from $35,245 and the 2026 Ford F-150 SuperCrew from $46,730. The $40,085 sticker people quote is the two door Regular Cab. That $11,485 buys 21 more inches, up to 2,440 pounds of payload against the Ranger's 1,805, and a 13,500 pound tow rating against 7,500. The catch is that the big numbers live on pricier trucks. KBB lists the top tow rating on the twin turbo 3.5 liter V6 in a four wheel drive SuperCrew with the 6.5 foot bed and the Max Trailer Tow Package, so the real gap is wider than $11,485. Still, it is one kind of step: same truck, more of everything.

Now step down. Japan's kei class caps length at 3.4 meters (about 134 inches) and engines at 660 cc, and an automaker agreement caps power at 64 PS, or 63 hp. Most kei trucks carry 350 kg, or 770 pounds, in the bed. Against the Ranger that is 1,035 pounds less payload and 77 inches less truck. Against the 400 hp V6 behind the F-150's top tow rating, it is roughly one sixth of the power. In return, the dealer asking prices in our October 5 inventory sync run $7,600 to $16,990 with a median of $10,499, which is $24,746 under the Ranger's starting price. That is not a smaller rung on the same ladder. It is a different tool, which is why our kei truck vs pickup comparison keeps ending at a two vehicle answer.

The numbers behind the scorecard	Kei truck	Ford Ranger	Ford F-150
Length	134 in (class cap)	210.6 in	232.0 in (SuperCrew, 5.5 ft bed)
Power	63 hp (agreed cap)	270 to 405 hp	325 to 400 hp
Payload, up to	770 lb	1,805 lb	2,440 lb
Tow rating, up to	770 lb	7,500 lb	13,500 lb
Price	$7,600 to $16,990 asking	From $35,245	From $46,730 (SuperCrew)

Who Wins Each Category on US Numbers

Freeway driving goes to the F-150. SamuraiTrucks, a Canadian importer, puts the kei sweet spot at 80 to 90 km/h, which is 50 to 56 mph, and says passing gets limited past 100 km/h. Our kei truck top speed guide has the model by model numbers, and where you live matters. Our state legality guide shows 12 states with full road access for kei trucks, 25 with restrictions, 10 that prohibit road registration and 3 unclear.

Payload and towing also go to the F-150. Japan rates a kei truck to tow 350 kg, the same number as its bed, and our towing guide covers what owners actually pull. Interior and safety go to the Ranger and F-150, because a new truck has to meet federal standards and a kei truck imported under the 25 year rule does not. NHTSA lets a vehicle at least 25 years old come in without complying with them, and every truck in our October 5 dealer listings is a 2001 or older.

Parking goes to the kei truck on length alone. KBB's spec sheet lists a 47.8 foot turning diameter for an F-150 SuperCrew XLT, and the kei truck is more than eight feet shorter overall. Off roading is a split: short and light wins tight, soft ground, while horsepower and tires win everything else. Looks and image is the one row where the kei truck's flaw is the feature. The Drive's James Gilboy called the Daihatsu Midget II "almost diametrically opposed to the American pickup paradigm" and wrote that "driving one will show you just how grotesque our trucks have become."

What the Cost Row Hides

AAA's 2026 Your Driving Costs study puts the average new vehicle at $12,863 a year to own, with depreciation the biggest line at $4,422. Half ton pickups ran about $1.10 a mile, roughly $16,500 a year at AAA's 15,000 miles. AAA studied 34 top selling new models, so kei trucks are not in it. Read that as the cost of the full size habit, not a kei comparison. Our F-150 import cost breakdown runs the five year math on both sides.

Gas is the smaller piece. At AAA's $4.152 a gallon and 15,000 miles, a kei truck at the 40 mpg Wikipedia says they are claimed to return burns about $1,560 of fuel, and at the 30 mpg our kei truck mpg guide finds closer to real driving it burns about $2,080. An F-150 at KBB's 19 to 21 mpg combined burns $2,970 to $3,280. That gap, $900 to $1,700 a year, is real money and still smaller than the $4,422 AAA says depreciation takes from the average new vehicle every year. A truck that costs four times as much simply has more to lose.

Buy for Your Worst Week

The scorecard cannot be added up, because the rows are not equal for any real buyer. Someone whose week is a feed store run, a fence line and a gravel driveway lives in the parking and cost rows. Someone with a 40 mile commute and a boat lives in the freeway, safety and tow rows, and only the F-150 column matters. The Ranger is for the buyer who cannot predict which week is coming.

Here is the test we would use. Write down the heaviest load, the longest trailer and the fastest road you will see in the next year. If the load fits the 770 pounds a kei bed carries, the trailer is a light utility one and the road tops out near 55 mph, the kei truck is the cheaper and more fun answer, ideally parked next to a car. If any one of those is not true, buy the bigger truck. Trucks already landed in the US are in our dealer directory.