Does an American seller mean American assembly?

No. Sales in the States also move cars built in Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. The condition for the preference concerns where the Honda was finally assembled, not where it was auctioned, so reading the plant off the VIN stays the only reliable check.

What does the first character of the VIN tell you?

It points to the manufacturer's country: 1, 4 and 5 stand for the United States, 2 for Canada and 3 for Mexico. That is a first filter rather than proof, so we additionally read the country and city of the assembly plant, because only those answer the condition for the zero rate.

Is the VIN check free?

Yes, checking origin by VIN costs nothing and needs no account. You type in the number and get the country and city of the assembly plant, plus whether that Honda meets the condition for the customs preference. Repeat it before every auction you enter.

Do you handle customs clearance?

Yes. We run the customs declaration, put together the proof of origin and deal with the customs agency. For a Honda that qualifies on its VIN we apply for the 0% rate, and the office decides on the basis of the documents submitted.

Does a damaged auction car also get zero duty?

The rate does not follow condition, only the country of final assembly. A damaged Honda from an American line clears exactly like an intact car from the same plant. What condition does affect is the purchase price, and through it the customs value.

Honda off American assembly lines

11 Honda models in our database show up with American assembly, while 12 arrive only from plants outside the USA. The preference in force since 2026-07-01 cuts duty to 0% instead of 10%, but what counts is where the individual car was put together — two cars of one model can carry different rates.

Which Honda models are assembled in the USA?

American assembly covers 62% of the Honda cars in our database, but it spreads unevenly across models. Some families are built only in the States, some only outside them, and some in several countries at once. For a model with mixed assembly, 0% or 10% comes out of the VIN.

Model	Assembly countries	Status	Cars in our database
Accord	Japan, Mexico, United States	Depends on the car	238,420
Civic	Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, United States	Depends on the car	231,822
CR-V	Canada, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States	Depends on the car	168,013
Pilot	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	61,444
Odyssey	Canada, Japan, United States	Depends on the car	61,404
HR-V	Mexico	No preference	36,204
Fit	Japan, Mexico	No preference	25,905
Ridgeline	Canada, United States	Depends on the car	11,448
Element	United States	Can be 0%	6,658
Insight	Japan, United States	Depends on the car	6,074
Crosstour	United States	Can be 0%	4,269
Passport	United States	Can be 0%	4,235
Civic Si	Canada, United Kingdom	No preference	3,542
Clarity	Japan	No preference	1,561
Prologue	Mexico	No preference	1,327
CR-Z	Japan	No preference	1,227
Civic Type R	Japan, United Kingdom	No preference	884
S2000	Japan	No preference	417
Prelude	Japan	No preference	354
Del Sol	Japan	No preference	169
ACTY	United States	Can be 0%	26
CRX	Japan	No preference	8
Shadow	Japan	No preference	2

Models of “American” brands without zero duty

Every Honda assembled outside the States stays outside the preference. Such a car pays 10% duty, and that figure also lifts the base for 23% VAT. Cars in this group are still worth importing — the arithmetic simply runs differently than for a car from an American plant.

Model	Assembly countries	Status	Cars in our database
HR-V	Mexico	No preference	36,204
Fit	Japan, Mexico	No preference	25,905
Civic Si	Canada, United Kingdom	No preference	3,542
Clarity	Japan	No preference	1,561
Prologue	Mexico	No preference	1,327
CR-Z	Japan	No preference	1,227
Civic Type R	Japan, United Kingdom	No preference	884
S2000	Japan	No preference	417
Prelude	Japan	No preference	354
Del Sol	Japan	No preference	169
CRX	Japan	No preference	8
Shadow	Japan	No preference	2

Made in USA • Tax 0%

How do you check a specific car?

Start with the first three characters of the VIN — on a US-assembled Honda that is most often 145. It is a good hint rather than proof: the prefix describes the manufacturer and the country, while we reach for the record of the actual plant, so the answer covers this one car.

How much will you save?

How much you save follows the customs value, so what you get here is the mechanism rather than a finished number. A Honda from an American plant comes in at 0% instead of 10%, and lower duty also drags down the 23% VAT base. Put your car's details into the calculator and read off the difference.

Work out the import cost

Zero-duty paperwork — our job

Zero-duty paperwork is our half of the job. We read the assembly plant from production data, prepare the customs declaration and deal with the agency on your behalf. You pick a Honda and bid; we run the procedure.

See current listings: Honda