Homologation
The regulatory approval process a car must pass before it can be sold in a market, covering safety, emissions, and official test figures.
Homologation is the process of getting a car legally approved for sale in a particular market. Regulators check that the vehicle meets local rules on safety, lighting, emissions, and noise, and the process fixes the car's official figures — its WLTP or EPA consumption, CO2, and range values are products of homologation testing.
For shoppers, homologation explains several things that otherwise look odd. The same model can launch months apart in different countries, carry different equipment (lighting and mirrors are classic examples), or quote different official figures, because each market approved its own version. It is also why some models are never offered in a given market at all: certifying a car for one more set of rules costs money the manufacturer may not recoup.
For this reason CarPairly records prices per market with their source and check date, and labels every efficiency figure with its test cycle.