When does this car become legal to import?
The US, Canada, Australia and the UK each measure a vehicle's age differently — and the United States uses three different tests at once. Every answer here shows the rule it came from and links to the government source.
71 vehicles, 61 with production dates verified against manufacturer archives · rules retrieved 25 September 2026
The mistake that costs people money
A car can be clear of US emissions requirements and exempt from the 25% Section 232 tariff while still being illegal to import, because those tests run on calendar years and the DOT rule runs from the month of manufacture. Being tariff-free is not permission to ship. Every vehicle page here flags that window when it applies.
Opening next
Models with cars crossing the US 25-year line in the coming months. A car built in the month shown under “built” reaches the threshold in the month shown under “opens”.
| Vehicle | Cars built | Opens | Model status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
| Nissan Silvia S15 | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
| Nissan Stagea 260RS | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
| Nissan Elgrand | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
| Toyota Supra Mk IV | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
| Toyota Century | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
| Toyota Hiace | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
| Honda NSX | September 2001 | September 2026 | Early cars eligible |
Eligible now
Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
August 1989 – 7 November 1994 · JDM
Nissan Skyline GT-R R33
January 1995 – December 1998 · JDM
Nissan Skyline GT-R R34
January 1999 – August 2002 · JDM
Nissan Skyline GTS-t R32
May 1989 – August 1993 · JDM
Nissan Silvia S13
May 1988 – September 1993 · JDM
Nissan Silvia S14
October 1993 – January 1999 · JDM
Nissan Silvia S15
January 1999 – August 2002 · JDM
Nissan 180SX
March 1989 – December 1998 · JDM
Nissan Stagea 260RS
October 1997 – September 2001 · JDM
Get the full report for your car
This page covers the model. A report covers your vehicle — your build date, your destination country, and the decisions that follow from them.
- Eligibility worked from your build plate, not the model year
- DOT, EPA and tariff tests separated, so you see which one binds
- The forms you file, and which box carries the exemption
- Duty and tariff estimate on your declared value
- A checklist in the order the steps actually happen
Every date here depends on a build date
A build date is when the car was finished. A despatch date is when it left the factory. A first registration date is when somebody put plates on it. They can be months apart and they routinely fall on opposite sides of a year boundary — and manufacturers sell all three, calling them all certificates. We checked every archive we could find and labelled each one with which date it actually gives.
Eligibility calendar
Cars built in a given month turn 25 exactly 25 years later. These pages list what opens each month.