The Honda Integra Type R DC5 is one of the cleaner cases for the US 25-year import rule: a single, well-documented on-sale date in Japan, one engine, and no mid-cycle grade split muddying the math the way the R34 GT-R or S15 do. That doesn't mean every DC5 on the market is legal yet — it just means the calendar is easy to read once you know where to look.
The rule: month of manufacture, not model year
NHTSA's 25-year exemption from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, under 49 USC §30112(b)(9), runs from the vehicle's actual date of manufacture — not the Japanese model year or its first registration date. A DC5 built in September 2001 becomes exempt in September 2026; one built in April 2002 doesn't clear until April 2027. By the time a 2001-built car reaches NHTSA's 25-year mark, it has also long since cleared the EPA's separate 21-year emissions exemption, so both federal age thresholds fall into place together — though EPA's exemption generally requires the engine to remain the same model and configuration as originally installed, so an engine-swapped car can complicate that side of the equation. Individual state registration rules remain a separate check.
Where the DC5 sits on the calendar
Honda announced the full model change from the previous DC2-generation Integra to the new DC5 platform on July 2, 2001 — the same day the redesigned Integra, including the Type R trim, went on sale in Japan. That means the earliest DC5 Type Rs began clearing the 25-year line in July 2026 — as of August 2026 only July- and August-2001 builds have passed their anniversaries — with the rest of the 2001 production run following through the remainder of the year, and 2002-built cars from 2027, each car on its own individual build-month anniversary. There's no separate "Spec" or trim break to track within the JDM DC5 Type R lineup the way there is with, say, the R34's V-Spec II and M-Spec — Honda kept a single Type R grade throughout the run, powered by the K20A engine, though the car did receive a mid-cycle facelift in September 2004.
That K20A — a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four with i-VTEC — is rated at roughly 220 PS at 8,000 rpm, mated to a close-ratio six-speed manual and a helical limited-slip differential. It's worth flagging that the USDM version of this platform, the Acura RSX Type-S, shares the DC5 chassis but is a distinct, US-certified car with its own engine tune (the K20A2, rated lower than the JDM K20A) and trim — it is not the same vehicle as the JDM DC5 Integra Type R and isn't subject to the same import question in the first place, since it was already sold new in the US.
How to verify a specific car's build date
A July 2001 on-sale date only tells you when the model launched — it doesn't mean any specific car for sale today is old enough, and with the window having opened only in July 2026, most DC5s on the market still aren't. Confirm the actual factory build date from the car's manufacturer data plate — on a JDM car this is typically in the engine bay rather than the door jamb, since the door-jamb layout belongs to the US-market FMVSS certification label this car never carried — together with accompanying paperwork such as the original export certificate. Once a car is old enough to qualify, NHTSA and CBP care about documentary proof of that build date rather than a specific label format. If buying through a Japanese auction, cross-reference that date against the auction sheet rather than relying on the registration date alone — Japanese first-registration dates can trail the actual manufacture date by weeks.
What a DC5 Type R actually costs right now
As with any JDM import, pricing depends heavily on mileage, modification history, and originality, and precise Japanese-yen auction figures fluctuate week to week — we don't have primary transaction data in yen to cite here. As a directional US-market reference rather than a verified transaction range, JDMBUYSELL currently lists clean, low-mile JDM DC5 Type Rs at roughly $40,000–$70,000 in asking prices, a step up from where they sat five or six years ago, though still trailing the older DC2-generation Type R in collector interest. Expect landed US pricing to add shipping, compliance, and broker costs on top of the purchase price. Where prices go from here as more of the 2001 production run clears the 25-year line is speculative, and we're not going to forecast it.
What to watch out for
The DC5 Type R was a popular track and tuning platform in Japan, so mileage and modification history matter as much as the paperwork. Check the auction sheet for underbody damage, poorly repaired crash damage, heat-stressed brakes, and worn suspension mounting points, versus a genuinely stock car, confirm the correct Type R six-speed transmission and helical LSD are fitted rather than swapped in from a lesser Integra grade, and be wary of listings that quote only a "2001 model" without a documented build month — given how recently this model's eligibility window opened, and how much of DC5 production falls after 2001, that distinction is worth confirming before money changes hands.