UK to USA car customs: duty, EPA, DOT and the 25-year exemption

The standard US import duty on a passenger car is 2.5% of the declared customs value, paid to US Customs and Border Protection on entry. Motorcycles attract 10%. Light commercial trucks attract 25%, the historical Chicken Tax tariff from the 1960s that still applies to UK-registered pickups and panel vans. The value used is normally a recent open-market valuation or a contemporaneous bill of sale, supported by photographs and any available history file. The 25-year exemption from EPA and DOT does not waive duty: a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 still attracts 2.5% on entry. ICM files the CBP entry on your behalf, remits the duty and itemises it on the final invoice in pounds sterling.

Section 591.5 of the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards exempts any vehicle 25 years old or older from EPA emissions and DOT safety compliance. The age is measured from date of manufacture, not date of first registration. That distinction occasionally catches owners out: a car built in late 1999 but first registered in early 2000 became exempt in 2024, not 2025. The exemption is claimed via HS-7 (DOT) and EPA Form 3520-1 (EPA), with date of manufacture evidenced from the VIN, the chassis plate or a manufacturer build letter. From 2025 onwards, any car built in 2000 or earlier qualifies, opening the late-1990s UK supercar back catalogue to US private collectors.

It is possible but rarely straightforward. A modern UK-spec McLaren 720S, Aston Martin Valkyrie or Ferrari SF90 sits well inside the 25-year window, so the headline exemption is unavailable. Three routes remain. A Show or Display exemption granted by NHTSA for vehicles of documented historical or technological significance, capped at 2,500 road miles per year. A US-spec conversion through a Registered Importer (lights, bumpers, airbags, emissions hardware, often £30,000 or more on the bill). Or a temporary import on a non-resident B-1/B-2 visitor basis, where the car must leave the US within a defined window. ICM will tell you before collection which route applies to your vehicle, and we will not take a permanent-import booking for a car that cannot lawfully be registered in its destination state.

A B-1/B-2 temporary import is tied to a non-immigrant visitor visa. It allows a non-resident to bring a foreign-spec vehicle into the United States for up to one year, without meeting EPA or DOT compliance, on condition that the vehicle leaves the country at the end of the period. The car cannot be sold or permanently registered. A permanent import is the route for any vehicle staying long-term: duty is paid, EPA and DOT compliance is satisfied (or exempted via the 25-year rule), and the vehicle can be titled and registered in the destination state. Most ICM bookings are permanent imports for resident owners. The B-1/B-2 route is used by visiting clients shipping a UK car for a single US season, typically Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August or the Amelia Island Concours in March, with the vehicle returning to the UK afterwards.

Yes, the full chain. On the UK side, ICM lodges the permanent export marker against the V5C with DVLA and files the AES export declaration. Before the vessel sails, the ISF (Importer Security Filing) is filed with US Customs. On arrival, the formal CBP Form 7501 entry is filed, alongside the HS-7 (DOT) and EPA Form 3520-1 (EPA) for 25-year exemption claims. The 2.5% passenger-car duty is calculated and remitted. Release and onward delivery are coordinated with a US-side customs broker. ICM has direct filing access to the CBP Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and established relationships at the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture, which keeps the entry moving at the port of arrival. You receive the cleared release, the bill of lading, the inspection record and the customs pack at hand-over, with the same documents emailed as PDFs.

Regularly. The two anchor events are the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on the Monterey Peninsula in August, and the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida in March. Most concours-bound UK shipments are time-critical to a vessel window six to eight weeks ahead of the event, in an enclosed container, with bonded storage at the US port of arrival if required. Where the car is over 25 years old, the 25-year exemption is the standard route and the vehicle can be road-registered in the destination state if the owner chooses. Where the car is under 25, it ships on a B-1/B-2 temporary import and returns to the UK after the event. Single-vehicle dedicated container is the default for any car going to either lawn.