Absolutely. Even if you clear customs through gray channels, local commercial insurance companies will refuse to cover third-party liability insurance due to the vehicle not complying with national traffic laws; additionally, the vehicle will definitely fail the annual safety inspection at the local DMV.

For B2B large customer orders, a "sampling + full inspection" dual regulation is adopted. Core parameters (no major accidents, no water damage or fire) are subject to 100% inspection per vehicle; appearance and condition are uniformly graded (e.g., uniformly purchasing Grade A), and panoramic images of all vehicles in the batch along with a core indicators comparison list are provided before shipment.

Two separate protections matter: cargo insurance and contractual risk transfer. Cargo insurance: for container or RoRo shipments, buy marine cargo insurance covering total loss and damage, typically 110% of the CIF value (average cost 0.3%–0.8%). Check exclusions — many policies exclude pre-existing damage, so a pre-shipment inspection report is essential to prove the car's condition at loading. Incoterms define who bears risk and cost at each stage: 1. FOB (Free On Board): exporter pays until the car is loaded on the vessel; risk passes to you at that point. You pay ocean freight and insurance. Common and usually cheapest if you have your own freight forwarder. 2. CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight): exporter pays freight and minimum insurance to your port. Convenient but the insurance coverage is basic — consider topping it up. 3. EXW (Ex Works): you handle everything from the exporter's yard; only choose this if you have a trusted agent in China. Put the agreed Incoterm and port clearly in the contract, and never release final payment before the Bill of Lading is issued.