Honda DC5 Integra Type R 25 year rule 2027: eligible manufacture month and date
For the query “Honda DC5 Integra Type R 25 year rule 2027 eligible manufacture month,” the answer depends on the car’s build date, not its model-year label, launch date or registration year.
この記事の要点
- NHTSA documents give the manufacture date only as a month and year. Counting 25 years by month is our editorial calculation: a DC5 Type R built in 2002 reaches 25 years in the same month of 2027. The documents do not say how days inside that month are treated.
- Because of that gap, this article recommends a conservative reading (editorial view, not an NHTSA statement): plan US entry on or after the same date 25 years later, or on or after the last day of the month if you only know the month.
- Honda’s launch date (July 2, 2001), the “2002-2006” US timeline and the September 2004 facelift announcement are not build months.
- By the month count, 2001 builds up to October 2001 have reached 25 years as of October 13, 2026. Under the conservative reading, a build dated after October 13, 2001 has not.
A DC5 Type R built in 2002 reaches 25 years in the same month of 2027; for planning, wait for the same date
The age test for a DC5 Type R is counted from the manufacture date, but NHTSA’s documents give that date only as a month and year.
The rule text for the age exemption says “The vehicle is 25 or more years old” (49 CFR 591.5(i)(1), eCFR 2026-10-01 version). NHTSA’s PGA Message Set guide (January 23, 2023 edition) makes the month and year of manufacture mandatory in HS-7 Box 1 so that the 25-year calculation can be done. How days inside a month are treated is not confirmed in these documents.
There are two ways to read this, and this article keeps them apart:
- Month count (editorial calculation): a 2002-03 build reaches 25 years in March 2027. Counted this way, 2001 builds up to October 2001 have reached 25 years as of October 13, 2026.
- Conservative reading (editorial view, not an NHTSA statement): treat the 25th anniversary of the exact build date as the earliest safe date, and the last day of the month if you only know the month. A 2002-03-28 build would then wait until 2027-03-28, and a month-only March build until March 31, 2027. Because the documents do not confirm the day treatment, do not plan on entry earlier than this. Under this reading, 2001 builds dated after October 13, 2001 have not reached it as of October 13, 2026, and a month-only October 2001 build waits until October 31, 2026.
This article recommends planning with the conservative reading. For prices and grade checks, use DC5 which year to buy. For a 2001 build in 2026, use the buy-now-or-wait section at the end of this page. The general method is in the 25-year rule manufacture month guide.
How to use this page:
- Know the exact build date: go to the table in the next section and read the conservative 2027 date.
- Know only the month: use the conservative month-end column.
- Know neither: go to the section on documents to request.
Find your car’s build month in this table to get its 2027 month, and the conservative planning date
For a 2002 build, the month count gives the same month in 2027 (editorial calculation). The two right-hand columns are the conservative reading (editorial view): the same day and month if you know the build date, or the last day of the month if you know only the month. Day treatment inside a month is not confirmed in NHTSA’s documents. All dates here are editorial, as of October 13, 2026.
| 2002 build month | Month reached (month count) | If you know the build date (conservative) | If you know only the month (conservative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | January 2027 | January, same day, 2027 | January 31, 2027 |
| February | February 2027 | February, same day, 2027 | February 28, 2027 |
| March | March 2027 | March, same day, 2027 | March 31, 2027 |
| April | April 2027 | April, same day, 2027 | April 30, 2027 |
| May | May 2027 | May, same day, 2027 | May 31, 2027 |
| June | June 2027 | June, same day, 2027 | June 30, 2027 |
| July | July 2027 | July, same day, 2027 | July 31, 2027 |
| August | August 2027 | August, same day, 2027 | August 31, 2027 |
| September | September 2027 | September, same day, 2027 | September 30, 2027 |
| October | October 2027 | October, same day, 2027 | October 31, 2027 |
| November | November 2027 | November, same day, 2027 | November 30, 2027 |
| December | December 2027 | December, same day, 2027 | December 31, 2027 |
The month-to-month mapping (2002 builds, January to December, land in January to December 2027) is our calculation. The same-day and month-end columns are the conservative editorial reading, used because day treatment is not confirmed. This table does not say a DC5 was built in every month, and it does not identify the build date of any particular chassis.
Three points that are easy to miss.
- The documents do not confirm whether a car can enter on the first day of its month. For a March 28 build, we cannot confirm March 1, so the conservative reading waits.
- HS-7 Box 1 asks for the manufacture month and year as MMYYYY. If that is all you have, the conservative planning date is the end of the month.
- The boundary is the day the car enters the United States, not the bid date or the shipping date. You can bid or ship before the date, but plan the entry date on or after it. Ask the exporter for the transit time; this article gives no figure because no source we checked gives a figure.
Other 2027 models are covered in the 2027 eligibility calendar.
The launch date, the model-year label and the registration date are not the build month
None of the dates usually printed on a DC5 listing is the build month, so none of them can start the 25-year count.
| Date you may see | What it is | Usable as the build month? |
|---|---|---|
| July 2, 2001 | Sale start at Honda Verno dealers in Japan for the new Integra (iS and Type R) | No. It is a sale date, and the release does not mention manufacture |
| “2002-2006 (DC5) (Japan)” | The period shown for the DC5 in American Honda’s Type R timeline | No. It is a year-range label and does not match the July 2001 launch |
| September 2004 | Announcement month of the later model, which Honda’s archive lists as running to September 2006 | No. It is an announcement month, not the first build month |
| About 14,000 | Total Japan sales of the DC5 Integra Type R | No. It is a sales total with no monthly breakdown |
| First registration (shaken or listing field) | A registration date | No. It is not the manufacture date |
Honda has not published the first build month, monthly build counts, or a chassis-number-to-month table for the DC5 in the sources checked for this article. Chassis-to-month tables on forums are not used here. Any month derived from such a table is an estimate, not proof.
Do not count from July 2001 or from the model-year label. Count from the build date shown in documents tied to the individual chassis.
If the build month is not in the listing, ask the exporter for these documents before you bid
When the listing shows a model year or registration date but no build month, ask for the build month and year in a form you can write into HS-7 Box 1.
NHTSA’s PGA Message Set guide says that for vehicles entered under Box 1, the month and year of manufacture is mandatory, written as MMYYYY, because it is used to calculate whether the car is 25 years old. The guide describes Box 1 as covering a vehicle that, based on its production date, is at least 25 years old (January 2023 edition). Match what you hold to the next step:
| What you hold | What it proves | Ask for next |
|---|---|---|
| Launch date or “2001 model” | Nothing about the individual car | Build month and year with the document it comes from |
| “2002-2006” year label | Nothing about the individual car | The same |
| First registration year and month | When it was registered | A build-month record for the same chassis |
| Chassis number | Identity of the car; a way to check recalls | A recall search, then a build-month document |
| A document stating build month and year | The input Box 1 needs | Confirm it names the same chassis number |
Honda’s recall search accepts a chassis number, and the chassis number is printed on the Japanese vehicle inspection certificate. A recall record can narrow the production period of an affected range, but it is an entry point for narrowing a window and not proof of a build month. The recall build date guide explains how to read it, and the Japanese vehicle documents guide explains how to read the papers an exporter sends. This article does not describe where a build date is printed on the car because no primary source we checked covers it; see the 25-year rule manufacture month guide.
A request you can adapt and send:
Please confirm the full chassis number of this Honda Integra Type R (DC5). Please send the document that shows the manufacture month and year (MMYYYY for HS-7 Box 1) and tell us which document it comes from. If you also have the exact manufacture date, please send it. Please confirm the grade (Type R or iS). Please tell us the expected transit time so that US entry falls on or after the 25th anniversary of the build date, and do not use the model year, launch date or registration year as the manufacture date.
If the build month cannot be shown in writing, it is a window, not a proof. Treat it conservatively and do not bid on it as a 2027 car.
The NHTSA 25-year clock and the EPA 21-year clock are different, and a 2002 build cleared EPA in 2023
Passing the NHTSA age test does not settle the EPA side, and the two count differently.
| NHTSA (HS-7 Box 1) | EPA (Form 3520-1, code E) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 25 or more years old | 21 years |
| How it is counted | From the manufacture date (month and year are declared) | Calendar year of manufacture subtracted from the year of importation |
| A 2002 build | 2027 (same month by month count; conservatively the same date) | 2023 (editorial calculation: 2023 minus 2002 equals 21) |
| Gap | 4 years between the two (editorial calculation) |
EPA’s code E does not cover every old car. A replacement engine disqualifies the exemption unless it is the same model as originally installed, or an engine with any aftertreatment from a certified vehicle no older than the one being imported (Form 3520-1, August 2024 edition). So an engine swap needs a separate check even when the NHTSA date has passed. Ask the exporter whether the engine is original and whether it has ever been replaced. Neither clock decides state registration, and this article does not cover it.
Only 2002 builds unlock in 2027, each in its own build month; later and facelift cars wait longer
A DC5 reaches 25 years from its own build month, so each build year has its own calendar year, and 2027 belongs only to 2002 builds.
| Build | When it reaches 25 years | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 builds | The same month in 2026 by month count (2001 builds dated up to October 2001 have reached by month count as of October 13, 2026). Conservatively, builds dated after October 13, 2001 have not (a month-only October build waits until October 31, 2026) | Editorial calculation; conservative reading is editorial view |
| 2002 builds | The same month in 2027 by month count; conservatively the same date (see the table above) | Editorial calculation (see the table above) |
| Later model announced September 2004 | Rough guide: September 2029 (announcement month plus 25 years). Not a build month and not the unlock month for every later car | Editorial calculation |
For the later model, the guide date is not a build date. Honda’s archive lists it as announced in September 2004 and ending in September 2006, and no primary source gives the month its production started. Do not read September 2029 as the unlock month for every later car. The Type R in the archive is front-wheel drive with a 6-speed manual.
Do not start the 2001 range at July 2001. July 2, 2001 is a sale date, and the first build month is not published. Which 2001 builds exist is a question for the documents on each car, not for this table.
Buy a documented 2001 build in 2026, or wait for a documented 2002 build: use this split
Whether to buy now or wait depends on the documented build date and the planned US entry date, not on the listing label.
| Avoid this judgment | This is OK |
|---|---|
| “It was launched in July 2001, so a 2001 car is eligible.” | “I will use the build date on a document tied to the chassis.” |
| “The timeline says 2002-2006, so a 2002 car is eligible in January 2027.” | “A 2002 car reaches 25 years in its build month in 2027; conservatively I will wait for the same date, or the last day of the month for a month-only record.” |
| “I will bid on a car with no build-month record and sort it out later.” | “I will ask for the MMYYYY record before bidding and treat an unproven month as a window.” |
| “It shipped before the date, so it is fine.” | “US entry must be on or after the date, so I will ask the exporter for transit time and work back.” |
| “It is a Type R because the listing says DC5.” | “I will confirm the grade separately.” |
For 2026, a documented 2001 build is workable once US entry is on or after its date under the conservative reading. As of October 13, 2026, that excludes builds dated after October 13, 2001, and month-only October, November and December builds. By the month count alone, only November and December 2001 builds are excluded. For 2027, a documented 2002 build follows the table above.
Grade matters as much as the date. In 2001 Honda listed the Type R at 220 PS with a 6-speed manual and the iS at 160 PS (Honda news release, July 2, 2001). Ask for the grade in writing along with the build month. Grade fakes and 2026 prices are covered in DC5 which year to buy. For condition and mileage, see DC5 Type R common problems and DC5 Type R high mileage.
よくある質問
Q1. When can a 2002-built DC5 Type R be imported to the US?
By the month count (editorial calculation), in the same month of 2027: a 2002-03 build reaches 25 years in March 2027. NHTSA’s documents give the manufacture date only as month and year and do not confirm how days inside the month are treated, so the conservative editorial reading is to wait for the same date (2027-03-28 for a 2002-03-28 build), or the last day of the month if you only know the month.
Q2. Is the DC5 eligible 25 years after its July 2, 2001 launch date?
No. July 2, 2001 is the sale start at Honda Verno dealers in Japan, and the release does not mention manufacture. NHTSA counts from the month and year in which work on the vehicle was completed at the place of main assembly.
Q3. What if the listing does not show the build month?
Ask the exporter for the month and year of manufacture (MMYYYY for HS-7 Box 1) and the document it comes from. A chassis-number recall search on Honda’s site can narrow a window, but it does not prove a month. Without a written record, treat the month as an estimate.
Q4. Does the EPA 21-year rule apply to a 2002 build?
Yes, as a separate test. The EPA exemption counts the calendar year of manufacture against the year of importation, so a 2002 build reached 21 years in 2023. Replacement engines have their own condition (same model as originally installed, or an engine with any aftertreatment from a certified vehicle no older than the one being imported).
Q5. When does the later DC5 announced in September 2004 become eligible?
Honda’s archive lists it as announced in September 2004, and no primary source gives a first build month. Adding 25 years to the announcement gives September 2029 as a rough guide (editorial calculation), which is not a build month and not the unlock month for every later car. Use each car’s own build date.
Q6. Does federal eligibility mean I can register it in my state?
Not by itself. Federal import eligibility and state registration are separate questions, so check your state’s rules separately. This article covers the federal age test only.