California has more registered vehicles than any other state in the nation. With over 33 million registered cars, trucks, OHVs, trailers and more, you are bound to have some slowdowns at office locations and even with the state’s online services with vehicle owners needing to renew every year. Luckily, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has been hard at work finding new ways to ease the pain.
At specified locations across the state, the DMV has installed ATM-like machines that process your vehicle registration, accept your payment and print out a new registration. Simple right? DMV Now kiosks are freestanding self-service terminals that use touch screen technology to guide you through the registration renewal process without the need to stand in line to wait for help from an agent or wait for your tags in the mail. You can even file for Planned Non-Operation (PNO) status if you do not plan to operate the vehicle for an extended period and don’t want to be assessed late penalties for renewing after the last expiration date.
Renewing With A CA DMV Kiosk Is Easy
For conducting a transaction, customers will need their vehicle registration renewal notice which are sent by mail 75 days before your tag expiration date, or their most recent vehicle registration card. The terminals offer instructions in English and Spanish and accept cash, credit and debit cards, and checks. You get a printed registration card or PNO acknowledgment after your transaction is completed.
These self-service machines are gaining popularity quickly. Vehicle owners in the state seem to be embracing automation. The first machine was installed in Sacramento in October 2010 and after a six-month review period, the agency began installing them in 33 other locations across the state. Now, there are already 60 of them.
Some Limitations
Autos, pickups, motorcycles, coach and park model trailers and commercial vehicles that don’t pay Commercial Vehicle Registration Act fees can all be renewed using DMV Now kiosks. DMV Now kiosks do not process renewals for vehicle types not mentioned above, including vessels. Vessels in particular require a different sticker not available through DMV Now kiosks. Additionally, if there are certain requirements or restrictions such as the need for proof of insurance, registration reinstatement fees, and requests for address changes, those cannot be handled via a kiosk.
If you can’t make it to a DMV office and can’t process your renewal request via a kiosk, the state DMV has thousands of licensed companies that are authorized to complete certain transactions. Depending on your needs, you can use one of these services or try your request directly on the DMV website.
The DMV Has a Big Job to Do
In addition to outlining and communicating motor vehicles laws, the DMV serves over 30 million people a year and the implementation of these machines is huge because it greatly accelerates and smooths the process. In offices where kiosks are located within the vicinity, DMV lines and wait times have been notably reduced.
Customers from the Los Angeles county area can now renew their vehicles in flash by using DMV Now that have been placed near two additional DMV offices. These easy to use kiosks are now available at the West Covina DMV and Long Beach locations.
DMV Now terminals are available during regular business hours and are found near sixty DMV offices, including these ten recently added locations:
- Hemet
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Long Beach
- Riverside
- Norco
- Roseville
- Palm Desert
- San Bernardino
- Pittsburg
- West Covina
When you look at the facts below regarding vehicle registrations, you’ll see why automation was necessary, at least for simple transactions. AS of 2016, there are
- A total of 33,768,367 registered vehicles
- 958,490 registered Hybrid Vehicles
- 111,256 Electric Vehicles
- 884,665 registered Motorcycles
- 792,645 registered Off Highway Vehicles (OHV)
- 454,072 registered Special Interest Plates
- 2,569,340 disabled placards
Even with 1,491 new vehicle dealers and 7,118 used vehicle dealers becoming licensed in the state to process everything from new registrations, to transfers, to renewals, the state DMV still has their work cut out for them. If you’ve used a DMV Now kiosk, let us know about your experience in the comments.