- Qualifying collector cars will gradually become exempt from smog checks.
- The phased rollout begins in 2028 and concludes in 2033.
- Jay Leno spent years publicly advocating for the change.
Jay Leno has spent decades collecting, restoring, and championing old cars. Now, his advocacy has helped make life a little easier for thousands of Californians who share his passion. Governor Gavin Newsom has signed SB 1392, better known as Jay Leno’s Law, creating a phased smog-check exemption for qualifying collector vehicles built from 1976 through 1985.
California currently exempts vehicles from the 1975 model year and earlier. Anything newer generally remains subject to smog inspections, even if it’s a carefully preserved classic that only emerges for weekend drives and car shows. That will begin changing on January 1, 2028.
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Under the final legislation, qualifying collector vehicles built before the 1981 model year will become exempt from smog-certification requirements. The cutoff will then advance by one model year annually until 2033, when eligible vehicles built before 1986 will be covered. But this isn’t a blanket exemption for every tired 1980s commuter still clinging to life.
Eligible vehicles must be at least 35 model years old, used primarily for shows, parades, charitable events, historical exhibitions, preservation, and maintenance, not as their owner’s primary transportation. Initially, owners will need to submit proof that the vehicle carries collector-car insurance. Beginning in 2030, the law adds another route for cars driven fewer than 1,000 miles annually.
Leno’s involvement went far beyond lending his name to the proposal. He traveled to Sacramento and testified before lawmakers in 2025, explaining that emissions testing older cars can be considerably more difficult and expensive because fewer shops possess the necessary equipment. That first proposal, SB 712, failed in committee. A more narrowly written replacement returned in 2026 with bipartisan backing from Senators Dave Cortese and Shannon Grove. “The car community has been waiting on this for a long time,” Leno said after the revised measure was signed at his Burbank garage.
Again, the exemption won’t arrive immediately, and its restrictions deliberately keep daily drivers out. However, for owners preserving cars from an awkward era, too new for California’s old exemption but increasingly difficult to test, it removes a costly hurdle without opening the door to widespread abuse.
