Price
Call for price
Hours
Open Mon–Sat
Station type
Test Only
Appointments
Walk-ins welcome
Hours
- Monday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Tuesday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Wednesday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Thursday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Friday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Saturday
- 9 AM – 4 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Good to know
Languages
English
Payment
Cash, Credit Card
What to expect at Sam Auto Express
Sam Auto Express is licensed by the Bureau of Automotive Repair as a Test Only smog station in Richmond. It runs the inspection and issues the certificate but does no repairs. It is STAR certified, so it can test vehicles the DMV directs to a STAR station, including gross polluters.
Walk-ins are welcome. Most smog checks take 15 to 30 minutes, and most visits are closer to 20.
What to bring
Your registration or DMV renewal notice
It says whether the car needs a STAR station.
The car, with the check engine light off
On a 2000-or-newer car, a lit check engine light fails the test on its own.
A way to pay
The $8.25 state certificate is paid on top of the test when the car passes, unless the station's price or coupon includes it.
What if I fail?
- Sam Auto Express doesn't do repairs, so the car goes to a repair shop and comes back for the retest.
- Each station sets its own retest price, so ask before the first test.
- BAR's Consumer Assistance Program pays up to $1,450 toward emissions repairs for income-eligible owners.
100 South 23rd St, Richmond, CA 94804
Get directions →Hours
- Monday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Tuesday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Wednesday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Thursday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Friday
- 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Saturday
- 9 AM – 4 PM
- Sunday
- Closed
Also listed on
Other stations near Sam Auto Express
Nearby cities in Contra Costa County
Questions about Sam Auto Express
Sam Auto Express is open Monday 9 AM to 5:30 PM; Tuesday 9 AM to 5:30 PM; Wednesday 9 AM to 5:30 PM; Thursday 9 AM to 5:30 PM; Friday 9 AM to 5:30 PM; Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM. Closed Sunday. Hours can change on holidays, so call ahead if you are cutting it close.
Sam Auto Express accepts Cash, Credit Card.
Sam Auto Express has held a BAR smog license since 2011. You can verify the license status at bar.ca.gov.
Sam Auto Express has not published a price on SmogCheckDeals. The Bureau of Automotive Repair puts the statewide average at $69.16 as of August 2026, about $65 for a 2000-or-newer vehicle and $73 for 1999-or-older, plus the $8.25 certificate fee. Call (510) 215-1037 for a quote.
Sam Auto Express does not take online bookings here, but walk-ins are welcome. Call (510) 215-1037 to check the wait.
Staff at Sam Auto Express speak English.
The closest alternatives in Richmond are Superior Smog (0.4 mi) and Khos Auto Repair (0.5 mi). Both are listed further up this page with their ratings and hours.
How we get this data: BAR licenses and STAR status, Google hours and ratings, coupons published by the station.
Verify this station’s license and STAR standing at bar.ca.gov.
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BAR field office: Hercules • Licensed since 2011