what is the law in the us on right hand drive cars?

Question

is it against the law to have a right hand drive car in the u.s.? & are there anyways around that????

Answer 1

A tourist -- a foreigner or US citizen resident abroad -- can drive a car with foreign registration and specifications for a limited period of time -- normally three months -- in the USA, so long as it is insured.

A foreign diplomat can register a foreign non-US spec car with the Protocol Office of the Department of State during his or her period of assignment.

Cars can also be imported for testing and display purposes, not to be driven on public highways.

An antique car need not meet current specifications.

Modifying a foreign-specification car to meet US specifications is too expensive to be undertaken by the ordinary consumer.

Here, more authoritatively, is what Customs has to say about right-hand drive vehicles:
"Can I import a vehicle with the steering wheel located on the right side, unlike most cars in the United States that are located on the left side? Possibly. According to the NHTSA, the safety performance of right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles is not necessarily the same as that of apparently similar left-hand drive vehicles offered for sale in the U.S. However, the NHTSA will consider them 'substantially similar' if the manufacturer advises them that the right-hand drive vehicle would perform the same as the certified left-hand drive vehicle in crash tests. If the vehicle is not substantially similar to one sold in the U.S., a USDOT-RI would have to demonstrate that the vehicle, when modified, would comply with the applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards, which could involve crash testing several vehicles."
Thus the issue is not, in itself, the right-hand drive but the safety standards and emissions rules. (Note also that commercial vehicles do not have to meet the same standards as passenger ones, or as buses.)

Answer 2

I don't know the law, but I had a guy that lived at the same place as me. He had a right hand Miata. I saw him drive the car for over a year. I moved so I don't know how much longer he had it after that.

Answer 3

If right hand drive cars are not allowed in America, why does the Postal Service use them? I would assume there is a way to use them. I'll look. Past questions along this line all agree that they can be legal if they pass regular DOT certifications.

Answer 4

Andy is correct...there is no prohibition of right hand drive vehicles, the problem is finding any in the US. because of other restrictions mainly emissions and safety regulations. If you really want to the easiest way would be to purchase a used postal jeep at auction .

Answer 5

Right hand drive cars are not allowed in the US.