Rules and sources
Every rule this site applies, quoted from its primary source.
Every figure on this site traces to one of the sources below. Quotes are verbatim; follow the link to read the original.
Sources
NHTSA / US DOT
49 U.S.C. 30112(b)(9); 49 CFR 591.5(i)“The vehicle is 25 or more years old. … the 25 year period runs from the date of the vehicle's manufacture.”
US EPA
EPA Form 3520-1 (2024-08), Code E“vehicle at least 21 years old (calendar year of manufacture subtracted from year of importation) and in original unmodified configuration is either exempted or excluded from EPA emission requirements, depending on age.”
US CBP
19 CFR 12.73(e)(6)“Age is determined by subtracting the year of production (as opposed to model year) from the year of importation.”
US EPA
40 CFR 85.1511(f)(1); 19 CFR 12.73(e)(1)-(5)“Vehicles originally manufactured before the dates listed are outside the scope of the Clean Air Act emission requirements.”
US CBP
HTSUS 9903.94.04; Section 232 autos FAQ“Yes, used passenger vehicles and trucks are subject to the Section 232 duties pursuant to the Proclamation, except those manufactured in a year at least 25 years prior to the year of the date of entry.”
US CBP
Importing a Motor Vehicle“Auto 2.5% … Trucks 25% … Motorcycles 2.4% or free”
CBSA
Memorandum D19-12-1, Appendix B“All regulated classes of vehicles with a date of manufacture that is 15 years or more from the date of importation … are not regulated under the MVSA.”
Transport Canada
Importing non-regulated vehicles“buses manufactured before January 1, 1971”
CBSA
Memorandum D10-15-20, tariff item 9966.00.00“The vehicle must be more than 25 years old at the date of importation. This is the actual month and year of manufacture rather than the model year.”
CBSA
Customs Notice 25-15; United States Surtax Order (Motor Vehicles 2025)“Both new and used motor vehicles are subject to the surtax.”
Australian Department of Infrastructure
Guide to concessional RAV entry approvals“passenger cars or vans, motorcycles and light commercial vehicles (less than 3,500 kg gross vehicle mass (GVM)) that were originally manufactured (or significantly modified) at least 25 years before the application was made”
Australian Department of Infrastructure
Guide to concessional RAV entry approvals“The vehicle's year of manufacture is required for all applications. If the month cannot be demonstrated, the application will default to December.”
UK GOV
Exemptions from vehicle approval“cars and minibuses with 8 passenger seats or less (not including the driver) over 10 years old”
UK GOV / DVLA
Historic (classic) vehicles“built or first registered more than 40 years ago”
UK GOV / HMRC
Classifying vehicles (heading 9705)“Those less than 30 years old are generally not considered to be classic or collectors' cars.”
EU Combined Nomenclature
Explanatory Notes to the CN, heading 9705“in their original state, without substantial changes to the chassis, steering or braking system, engine, etc.; at least 30 years old; of a model or type which is no longer in production”
Known ambiguities
Where the official sources do not give a single clear answer, we say so rather than pick one. These are surfaced on the vehicle pages they affect.
No official source fixes which day of the month a vehicle turns 25.
NHTSA says the 25-year period 'runs from the date of the vehicle's manufacture', which is a day-level test. Most compliance labels show only month and year. 49 CFR 591.4 contains no age-measurement definition. The common industry practice of using the first day of the manufacture month is convention, not published rule. Where only the month is known we show a window and give the conservative date.
The regulations restrict the 21-year EPA exemption to an ICI; the form does not.
40 CFR 85.1511(f)(2) and 19 CFR 12.73(e)(6) both condition the 21-year exemption on importation by a certificate holder / Independent Commercial Importer. EPA Form 3520-1 Code E contains no such condition, and individuals use Code E routinely. No primary source reconciles these. For a high-value vehicle, get written confirmation from EPA imports (imports@epa.gov).
Month-level measurement is confirmed for Canada's 25-year duty rule, inferred for the 15-year rule.
CBSA D10-15-20 states explicitly that the 25-year customs item is measured by 'the actual month and year of manufacture rather than the model year'. The 15-year MVSA rule in D19-12-1 says 'date of manufacture' without specifying granularity. Applying month-level measurement across is consistent with RIV practice but is an inference, not a quoted rule.
The Section 232 age carve-out is worded differently for heavy vehicles and buses.
The auto proclamation exempts vehicles manufactured 'at least 25 years prior to the year of the date of entry' (a calendar-year test). The medium/heavy-duty and bus proclamation says 'at least 25 years prior to the date of entry'. Read literally these differ. CBP's MHDV FAQ was not reachable for confirmation. Do not assume they are administered identically.
Canada's 25% surtax on US-origin vehicles has no age exemption.
Tariff item 9966.00.00 zeroes ordinary duty on vehicles over 25 years old, but the United States Surtax Order (Motor Vehicles 2025) applies 25% to US-origin motor vehicles, new and used, with no age relief. The 2026 Remission Order 'does not apply to personal importations'. A US-built classic imported to Canada by an individual may owe 25%. A Japanese-built car is unaffected. Verify current orders before shipping.
The UK and EU 30-year collectors' tests are presumptions, not bright lines.
UK guidance says vehicles under 30 years are 'generally not considered' collectors' cars - a presumption, not a rule. In the EU, CJEU case law (Case 200/84 Daiber, Case C-259/97 Clees) means a vehicle meeting all three CN criteria can still be refused. Modified vehicles are excluded in both. Seek an Advance Tariff Ruling before relying on this.
Legal to import is not the same as legal to register and drive.
A vehicle can clear federal import requirements and still be unregisterable in a particular US state or Canadian province. Several US states restricted kei truck registration in 2024-25. Registration is a state/provincial matter outside the scope of these federal rules.