California Vehicle and EV Calculators

Buying, registering and running a car in California involves fees and programs other states do not have: income-based EV rebates, smog check rules, registration fees tied to vehicle value and a lemon law with its own presumptions. These tools work through each one for your vehicle.

All 13 Vehicle & EV tools

Car buyers, EV shoppers and vehicle owners renewing a registration. Every tool shows how its result was worked out and links to the official source.

MyFirstEV Rebate CheckerCheck your MyFirstEV rebate amount for first-time California ZEV buyers: $3,500 new or $1,750 certified pre-owned. Free calculator, updated for 2026.→ Clean Cars 4 All Rebate Estimator→ CALeVIP Home Charger Rebate CalculatorEstimate your CALeVIP home EV charger rebate: $500 standard, up to $6,500 for income-qualified households. Can be combined with the federal 30C credit.→ Smog Check Exemption CheckerCheck if your vehicle is exempt from California's biennial smog check: new vehicle, EV, historic, motorcycle and diesel exemptions, plus the smog abatement fee.→ Clean Truck Check Compliance CheckerCheck whether your heavy-duty vehicle must comply with California's Clean Truck Check emissions testing program: weight threshold, fee and test frequency.→ Clean Air Vehicle HOV Sticker StatusCalifornia's Clean Air Vehicle HOV decal program ended September 30, 2025. See what that means for your EV, PHEV or FCEV in carpool lanes.→ Vehicle Registration Fee EstimatorEstimate your California DMV registration fee: the Vehicle License Fee (0.65% of depreciated value) plus base registration and CHP fees.→ Lemon Law Eligibility CheckerCheck whether your car likely qualifies under California's lemon law: repair attempts, days out of service, and the 18-month/18,000-mile window.→ California EV Incentive FinderCheck every California EV incentive you might qualify for with one form: MyFirstEV, Clean Cars 4 All and CALeVIP home charger rebates.→ EV vs Gas Cost CalculatorCompare the yearly fuel cost of an EV and a gas car with California gas prices and PG&E EV charging rates, including the ZEV road fee.→ DMV Late Registration Penalty CalculatorCalculate California DMV late registration penalties: the $10-$100 registration and CHP penalties plus 10%-160% of the vehicle license fee.→ Car Sales Tax CalculatorCalculate California sales or use tax on a new or used car, why a trade-in does not lower it, the $85 doc fee cap, and first-year DMV fees.→ Traffic Ticket Fine EstimatorEstimate what a California traffic ticket really costs: base fine plus state and county penalties, the 20% surcharge and court fees, with each law cited.→

Vehicle & EV guides

All guides →

Smog Check Exemptions in California

The 8-model-year rule, the $20/$25 smog abatement fee, when a sale needs a certificate, and Enhanced vs Basic areas.

Oct 2, 2026 · 5 min read

Clean Cars 4 All Explained

The $9,500-$12,000 scrap-and-replace grant, the 300% poverty-level income limit, and which of the six programs are open.

Oct 2, 2026 · 6 min read

How Much Is Car Registration in California?

Every fee on the renewal notice, how the vehicle license fee depreciates, examples by car value and the late penalties.

Sep 30, 2026 · 6 min read

Why California Traffic Tickets Cost So Much

Every penalty, surcharge and court fee added to the base fine, with the law behind each one, worked examples, traffic school and ability-to-pay options.

Sep 29, 2026 · 6 min read

Is CVRP Still Giving Out EV Rebates? No. These Programs Replaced It

CVRP closed permanently in November 2023. See what MyFirstEV and Clean Cars 4 All pay and who qualifies for each.

Sep 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Local figures

Some of these rules change at the city or county line. These pages show the local figure next to the statewide one.

Sales tax by city