Which fee your car pays
The DMV’s own rule: subtract seven from the year your registration expires to get the oldest model year that pays $25, and subtract five to get the oldest that pays $20 (DMV Vehicle Industry News 2018-19). Worked out for this year and next:
| Registration expires in | $20 fee | $25 fee | Smog check every other year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2021 and newer | 2019 and 2020 | 2018 and older |
| 2027 | 2022 and newer | 2020 and 2021 | 2019 and older |
The fee amounts are on the DMV’s registration fee schedule under Health and Safety Code section 44060. The DMV computes which one applies, so the amount on your renewal notice is the one to pay.
Who pays it
- Gasoline vehicles, hybrids included, in their first eight model years, registered in an area that requires a smog check at renewal.
- Not vehicles in areas that only require a smog check at a change of ownership. The DMV says neither the fee nor a certificate is due there.
- Not diesels: BAR gives diesel vehicles no new-vehicle exception, so a 1998-or-newer diesel gets a smog check instead.
- Not vehicles that are permanently exempt from smog checks, such as gasoline vehicles from 1975 and earlier (full list of exemptions).
Where the eight-year rule came from
Until 2019, new cars skipped the smog check for six years and paid $20 a year. Assembly Bill 1274 (Chapter 633, Statutes of 2017) extended the exemption to eight model years starting January 1, 2019, and set the fee for the two added years at $25 (DMV).
After the fee: the first smog check
In 2026, 2018 model-year vehicles renewing in a smog check area switch from the fee to a passing smog check, and need one every other year after that. A certificate is good for 90 days, so get it inside the 90 days before the renewal. The test usually takes about 30 minutes (how long a smog check takes), and many stations publish smog check coupons.
Frequently asked questions
Because your car is new enough to skip the smog check. In the parts of California that require a smog check at renewal, gasoline vehicles in their first eight model years don't get one; the DMV charges the smog abatement fee with your registration instead: $20 a year through the sixth model year and $25 in the seventh and eighth.
In 2026 it is $20 for 2021 and newer model years and $25 for 2019 and 2020 model years. The DMV adds it to the registration renewal; there is nothing separate to pay.
When the vehicle is more than eight model years old. From then on, the renewal needs a smog check every other year instead of the fee.
No. The DMV computes the fee from the model year and the registration expiration date. If your renewal notice lists a smog abatement fee, no smog check is due for that renewal.
They are different fees. The smog abatement fee is paid every year at renewal. The $8 smog transfer fee is paid once by the buyer when a vehicle four model years old or newer changes owners, in place of a smog certificate for the sale.