However, there were also genuine concerns about the safety and quality of some grey market imports – with customers buying cars and receiving inferior or incorrect specification models, and compliance work being done to inadequate standards in some cases as well. Part of the motivation for the introduction of the 25 Year Rule was to protect the domestic automotive manufacturing industry in the United States, which had been negatively impacted by people “grey importing” cars from other countries to save money.
Without going into the intricacies of the law, it basically means that any car less than 25 years old must comply with prevailing US law regarding crash test standards and emissions controls. In the United States, there is a law referred to as the “25 Year Rule” – more correctly the “Motor Vehicle Safety Compliance Act”, which was passed in the late 1980s. In fact, if a car rolls off the production in Japan today and is sold to a Japanese customer via a domestic dealership, even though that car is brand new it probably wouldn’t be legal to import into the United States.īy “default”, JDM cars are illegal in the United States, at least until certain criteria and conditions are met.Īllow me to explain why. Remember to read our JDM meaning guide for more detailed information on this particular topic. That being said, it’s important to understand the distinction (as there is nothing illegal about a “US market” Toyota Supra MK4, whereas you might not be able to import a true JDM spec one) A classic example is the Nissan 300ZX (the JDM version being the Fairlady Z) where in Japan you could have the car with a hardtop/slicktop roof and a twin turbo engine, which was never possible in the United States.The steering wheel is going to be on the wrong side of the car for American roads, and the speedometer will be in KPH and not MPH.ĭespite the points above, many people use the term “JDM” to refer to a general enthusiasm and passion for Japanese cars, particularly interesting and/or performance ones like the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7 etc. JDM cars are often different in terms of specification and trim levels.Your Camry that you bought new from your local Toyota dealer? That’s not a JDM car. for sale via dealerships and retail channels in Japan, to Japanese buyers). JDM – in the truest sense of the term – refers to cars that were built for sale on the Japanese domestic market (i.e.The proper meaning of JDM is something that we have gone into great detail about in the past on this website (read that linked article for more information). Conclusion – Are JDM Cars Illegal & Why?.The good news is that there are legitimate strategies you can employ to get your hands on a proper JDM car, legally, in the United States.Īs an adjunct to this article, you might also like to read our piece on why the Nissan Skyline is illegal for additional insight that is a detailed article that goes into more detail about some of the issues covered in this particular piece. In this edition of Car Facts we are going to look at why JDM cars are illegal in the United States (at least some of them) and what you can do about it if you still want to get your hands on one. In fact, you might have heard that JDM cars are actually illegal – or at the very least challenging to get on the road in America while complying with all relevant rules and regulations. However, if you’re based in the United States then you’ve most likely already come across the fact that getting a true JDM car on the road is tough. Many now appreciate just how good Japanese cars can be, and demand for these vehicles – particularly “JDM classics” like the Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline GT-R and Mazda RX-7 have soared in recent years. Whereas one upon a time, domestic & muscle cars were all the rage in the American market (and they are still popular and desirable for a variety of reasons) there is no doubt that perceptions and attitudes towards Japanese performance cars have shifted. JDM car culture has boomed in popularity in recent years.
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