Technical article

Classic Cars Across Borders: 25 Years, 40 Years and 1986

A car that skips the US standards test may still meet the emissions test.

By Neil Solomon · 4 min read

Picture a retired couple in Surrey with a Jaguar built in 1975. They are thinking of moving to Spain and taking it along. Can the car go? And if they later move to the United States, can it follow them there?

The sources give a partial answer, and the car's age sits at the center of it.

Three ages

25 years. The US vehicle-standards rule for imports does not apply to a vehicle that is 25 or more years old. Newer vehicles need the original maker's certification, or import through a registered importer. That is the federal regulation.

1968 and 1975. The US emissions rule is a separate test. It excludes gasoline light-duty vehicles made before 1 January 1968 and diesel light-duty vehicles made before 1975. It also exempts vehicles over a certain age when imported by a certificate holder. The federal text keeps the 25-year standards test and the emissions test apart, so a car can pass one and not the other.

40 years and 1986. In the UK, a car built or first registered more than 40 years ago, without substantial change, is exempt from the annual roadworthiness test. Vehicle tax works on a fixed date. From 1 April 2026, cars built before 1 January 1986 are exempt, or registered before 8 January 1986 if the build date is unknown. The owner applies to put the car in the historic tax class. The government page calls the change a fixed cut-off, which means a car built in 1986 will not become exempt just by getting older.

Moving a car into other places

Private cars count as personal property under the European Union relief for people moving residence, if the owner meets the 12-month and 6-month tests. A movers' guide says that in Spain, without the relief, tax and duty come to 32% of the car's declared value, and non-European cars need homologation. A UK government page says a car brought into the UK may be free of duty and tax with relief, and still needs approval, registration and tax. The owner must tell the tax office within 14 days of arrival.

Other countries are stricter. One movers' guide says Mexican citizens and permanent residents cannot import a vehicle, while temporary residents may with a permit costing about US$500. The same type of guide says Thailand has prohibited private car imports by non-diplomats since 2019 and 2021, that Malaysia charges about 150 to 300% in duty, and that Costa Rica charges 45 to 70% of retail value. Panama is said to refuse right-hand-drive cars.

Voicing the doubt

You might say, "It is a classic, so the rules must be gentler." Sometimes they are, as the age lines show. But an age exemption in one rulebook does not carry into another. A car that skips the US standards test may still meet the emissions test. A car exempt from the UK roadworthiness test is not exempt from the destination country's registration.

Who this touches

A car is often the item a family has the strongest feelings about. It may be promised to a child. After a death, the heirs hold a car that is registered, or not, in the country where it sits.

Doors you could open

You could write down the build date, not the registration date, since the UK tax rule uses the build date. You could ask the destination's customs office for its age lines before booking a container. You could also ask whether selling at home and buying locally changes the numbers.

Shipping Your Car and Your Things: What Customs Pages Say covers the duty relief for a car in Portugal, Montenegro and Romania.

If you have moved a classic car across a border, what did the registration office ask for first? Share it here, someone about to ship theirs may benefit.

Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Date read: October 2026.