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The United States continues to use a unique set of standards for its automotive safety and emissions regulations, which do not always directly correspond to the standards of the European Union or Asian countries, which adhere to the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations. This means that vehicle manufacturers face considerable expense to type-certify a vehicle for U.S. sale, at a cost estimated to be upward of USD $2 Million per vehicle model. This cost particularly impacts low-volume manufacturers and models, most notably the makers of supercars. However, larger companies such as Alfa Romeo and Peugeot have also cited costs of 'Federalizing' their vehicle lineups as a disincentive to re-enter the U.S. market.

NHTSA and EPA regulations criminalise the possession of a vehicle not meeting U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Even Canadian-market vehicles may not meet these requirements. Exceptions exist for foreign nationals touring the US in their own vehicle and for cars displayed in museums.

Because of the unavailability of certain cars, demand for grey market vehicles arose in the late 1970s. This involved attaching certain equipment as required by the government. The agencies NHTSA and EPA would review the paperwork and then approve possession of the vehicle. It was also possible for these agencies to reject the application and order the automobile destroyed or re-exported.

The grey market provided an alternate method for Americans to acquire desirable vehicles, and still obtain certification. Despite the inherent risk, tens of thousands of cars were imported this way each year, during the 1980s.

The Lamborghini Countach was one of the first grey market vehicles, encouraging the Italian manufacturer to prepare a US model. The Range Rover was initially available only through the grey market, and the popularity of the model eventually convinced the parent company to re-enter the US market in 1987. Other manufacturers, like PSA Peugeot Citroën with the CX and Renault with the mid-engine Renault 5 Turbo, missed the signals sent by the grey market about American consumer tastes and demand.

This avenue was increasingly successful, especially in cases where only lower quality models were offered on the US market. For example, Mercedes-Benz chose to offer only the lower-output 380SEL model to Americans in 1981, ensuring a huge demand for the much faster 500SEL, which was available in the rest of the world. BMW had the same issue with their 745i Turbo.

The grey market was too successful and ate significantly into the business of Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc. This organization launched a successful congressional lobbying effort to eliminate this alternative in 1988. Allegations have been raised of improper lobbying, but the issue has never been raised in court.

It is no longer possible to import a non-US vehicle into the United States as a personal import, with some exceptions. In 1998, NHTSA granted vehicles over 25 years of age dispensation from the rules it administers, since these are presumed to be collector vehicles. It is also possible to certify the car though a Registered importer for DOT work and an ICI for EPA work, bringing in a number of cars to spread the cost of type approval and destructive testing. Destructive crash testing is not always needed if the vehicle can be shown to be substantially similar to a model sold in the US. The Smart Fortwo car is imported in this manner. Finally, the Show or Display law allows import of vehicle[s] "of such historical or technological significance that it is in the public interest to show or display it in the United States even though it would be difficult or impossible to bring the vehicle into compliance with the Federal motor vehicle safety standards. This provision is intended to facilitate the importation of a make or model of a vehicle which its manufacturer never certified for sale in the United States." However, this provision still demands compliance with emissions standards.

Recently, a vehicle which came to notoriety is the Nissan Skyline, which was featured prominently in video games, movies and magazines. This vehicle, being exclusively sold in Japan, became an object of interest and in 1999, a California company, Motorex, sacrificed a small number of R33 GTS25s for the purpose of crash testing. They submitted their information to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and petitioned them to allow 1990-1999 GT-Rs and GTSs to be imported, at the condition that they were modified to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Many Skylines were subsequently imported through Motorex. This lasted until late 2005, when the NHTSA became informed that not all 1990 through 1999 Skyline models would perform identically in crash testing. Motorex had submitted information for only the R33, and told the NHTSA that it was sufficient for all R32, R33, and R34 models. According the further review by the NHTSA, only 1996-1998 R33 models have been demonstrated as capable of being modified to meet the federal motor vehicle safety standards. After that, only these 1996-1998 models are eligible for importation. In March 2006, Motorex ceased all imports and Motorex principal Hiroaki "Hiro" Nanahoshi was arrested and held on $1 million bail on financial, kidnapping, and assault charges.[2][3]

The North American Automobile Trade Association is an association of dealers that buy and sell vehicles across international borders.

The NHTSA administers the Registered Importer Program that allows companies to import and bring into compliance non conforming vehicles.