How much is a smog test in California?

On Friday I braved the DMV to get my driver’s license and car registration transferred over to California.

Guess what? Contrary to what the DMV website says, it doesn’t matter what year your car is - if it is from out of state then you have to get a smog test.

Today I set out to get a smog test. How much is a smog test? Well, that depends on where you go. It can cost anywhere from $8.95 to $60. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently the state wide fee is $8.95 but wanker places are allowed to charge up to $60 for the test.

You can get a list of smog test stations on the DMV page. The first place I called based the amount of the test on the make/model of my car. The quote was $60.

Fortunately I kept looking and found Joe’s Smog Check & Test Only station in North Hollywood. I actually found it on Yelp.com. It had loads of good reviews and the mention of a coupon on the website. Hooray! Joe was just as nice as the reviews mentioned. And there was only one other car there when I arrived. Be warned, this is one of those “blink & you miss it” type of places. So make sure you are on the lookout when driving around looking for it. I was out of there in about 40 minutes. And it only cost me $32 with the coupon!

So, if you want to get a cheap smog test in the Los Angeles area, check out Joe’s Smog Check & Test Only station in North Hollywood. It is Bumblefucked approved.