Someone recently told me they are able to bypass Calif emissions testing requirements on their 25 year old car by applying for “classic” status. Is this actually possible? Or is it an impractical scam, like registering the car in another state?
Read Cali’s Collector Car FAQ’s
You STILL need a smog check if it is 1976 or newer so no loopholes.
That is why I have permanent antique tags on my fun car, never pay again… but things are different in my part of the world also, now that emissions testing is gone here, I could pay $85 a year for regular tags for it, ummm, nope…
I don’t know but in Minnesota, if you qualify for and have collector plates, you are very restricted in how you can use that car. Need to have another car. Can drive to shows and in parades, but can’t just take it to the store, etc. if I had such a car I would not mess with the classic designation.
1 Like
Classic vehicles must complete an “Abbreviated Emission Test” performed by a referee station, may or may not be easier. Classic vehicle insurance is required for historical or classic license plates, try to get classic vehicle insurance for a Toyota Corolla.
The state of Nevada offered classic vehicle plates for more than twenty years exempt from emission testing, before taking action to stop people from cheating the system. Most vehicles on the road with classic plates were just common old cars driven by owners getting around emission test requirements.
Beginning in 2023 classic vehicles in Nevada are required to have classic car insurance. I used to see classic vehicle plates every day, now I might see a classic plate once a month.
Yes there are restrictions, but most cops around here like old classic cars and hot rods, there are loopholes also, you can drive your car to a shop to have it looked at or whatever, when you work at a shop, well, there is always something you could do to your vehicle, like say check header bolts… Now if people see your car going the same way at the same time everyday for an extended amount of time (months and months) then you may be told to park it or get regular tags on it, but if you leave at different times and take different routes and break it up, like drive 3 days then off for the next 4 or whatever then it is not something complain about… I drove mine the most during Covid and never had an issue…
So as long as you don’t overdue it, you don’t get messed with here, plus I had a lot of cops give me a thumbs up, the old ugly car had lots of fans… even had pictures taken of it…
Going to the filling station is considered service … Many grocery stores have fuel too!
Same for Ohio back in the 80s and 90s when emission testing started certain counties - Cleveland and Dayton areas. Ohio had a “Collectors” plate that allowed virtually full time use of the vehicle. No emission testing required. Historic plates were limited to 25 years but Collectors were not. Ohio closed that loophole and later eliminated the emission testing requirements since the results show it did nothing to reduce pollution in our county. It was at the crossroads of I 75 and I 70. Our pollution was mostly pass-through, not caused locally.
P.S. I had a buddy with a 75 Olds Omega he bought for $100. Leaked and burned oil like mad. He used to pour his used synthetic oil from his race car into it. Never did an oil change. He had a bag with $200 worth of repair parts in the back seat the first time it was tested…that was the spend limit for a failed car… The car passed and he took the parts back for a refund.
We knew the testing all was a scam after that.
NJ has very strict emissions regulations, but classic cars are exempt from all vehicle inspections (including emissions) if the vehicle is…
- At least 25 years old
- Not modified from original manufacturer specification
- Specially registered and displaying QQ license plates
There is also an odometer mileage limitation per year (I don’t recall the specific number of miles), so once each year, the classic car owner has to go to the back door of a state inspection facility in order to have the odometer mileage verified.
In Maryland any vehicle under 8500# and older than MY1995 does not need to take a smog test. Classic designation is more for lower registration fees. Classic cars have an annual registration fee of about $45 while the normal registration fee is $110 per year.
In NJ, registering a classic car involves a one-time fee of $35. After that, you have to renew the reg every 3 years, but there is no fee for the renewals.
1 Like
When I Google 'California classic car emission testing ’ I see a lot of wink and a nod verbage — while technically , emissions testing is still required for classic Calif cars, but actually, some sort of loophole remains. What exactly that loophole is, folks seem reluctant to say. Nevada’s quote below is the closest I’ve seen to a description of the loophole.
California used to have a rolling-date limit on emissions testing exemption, cars 30 years & older I think. But along came a new governor in the 1980’s, and he switched the cutoff to a fixed date, 1975 and older cars have been emissions exempt since. In 10 years, the cutoff will still be 1975.
Seems nonsensical to have a fixed date cutoff, but I guess we here in Calif get to breath a little cleaner air b/c fewer and fewer car are exempt, so maybe there is some potential upside.
I posted an actual Cali.gov site that listed FAQs. Didn’t you read the official California words?
Yes, I read that. But they have a potential conflict of interest, may not be telling the whole story.
That’s a spiffy tin hat you’re sporting.
4 Likes
Theirs is the only opinion that matters, George, not some internet flake.
2 Likes
Are you referring to @Nevada_545 ? I don’t consider him an internet flake.
You’re joking, right? @Mustangman link tells you what you need to know, not random information from a google search, and @Nevada_545 is a pro.
1 Like
Nevada is the poster who suggested the DMV web site was not telling the whole story. Post 4 above.
