LOS ANGELES — Whether it’s a sleek, low-slung Impala, a candy apple red Monte Carlo or a roaring T-top Trans Am — the classic cars of the late 1970s and the ’80s are an iconic part of California’s automotive heritage.

But many of these vehicles have been relegated to driveways and garages due to the challenge of passing a smog check. Auto lovers have pushed for years to lessen emissions regulations for collector cars, arguing that these vintage vehicles are only driven short distances to parades and meet-ups where they deserve to be seen and cherished.

Enthusiasts found a powerful champion in famed comedian and auto aficionado Jay Leno, who boasts more than 150 vehicles in his personal collection.

On Wednesday, he secured a big win for the classic car community when Gov. Gavin Newsom paid a visit to his Burbank garage to sign Senate Bill 1392, also known as Jay Leno’s Law, legislation that expands smog check exemptions for certain collector cars.

How smog check waivers will be applied to classic cars

Over the next few years, Jay Leno’s Law will phase in smog check exemptions for collector cars built from model years 1976 through 1985 that are not used as a primary mode of transportation. Under current law, cars manufactured before the 1975 model year are already exempt from smog check requirements.

The new exemptions will take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2028, and apply to qualifying cars manufactured before the 1981 model year.

Each year, eligibility extends by another model year until 2033, when vehicles manufactured through the 1985 model year will be included.

In order to be eligible, owners must prove that their collector car isn’t used for everyday transport either by holding collector-car insurance or documenting that the car is driven fewer than 1,000 miles per year.

The exemption is designed to apply to cars used primarily in shows, parades, charitable functions and historical exhibitions.

“California can protect clean air while also recognizing the historic and cultural value of collector vehicles,” said bill co-author state Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose. “SB 1392 establishes a carefully limited exemption for cars that are preserved, driven sparingly, and maintained as part of California’s automotive heritage.”

What the bill means for classic cars, lowriders

Maintaining vintage vehicles is a labor of love, and the biennial smog check requirement poses an additional challenge for collectors, as not all gas stations are equipped to provide this service.

“So you have an old car, it’s been legal your whole life, and now it’s illegal because you can’t find a station to do the emissions test,” Leno said at a rally for the bill in August. “What do you do? It’s your car, so you keep driving it, and you keep hoping a policeman doesn’t see you. And now you’re just making criminals out of people that want to do the right thing.”

And assuming collectors can get their car to an appropriate testing location, there’s no promise it will pass.

It is notoriously tough to get vintage vehicles up to current emissions standards because decades-old emissions systems frequently deteriorate, and replacement parts are hard to track down.

Waiving the smog check requirement will make it easier for collectors to bring their cars to shows and celebrations without running afoul of the law.

This is a major win for the lowrider community, which submitted more than 1,700 letters in support of the bill.

These customized classic cars, featuring modified suspension that allows them to cruise extremely close to the ground, are a cherished tradition in California’s Chicano community, but for decades have been the target of fines, restrictions and local cruising bans. Though the culture never disappeared since the heyday of cruising in the 1980s and 1990s, interest in lowriding has surged in recent years.

While at Leno’s garage Wednesday, Newsom also signed Assembly Bill 2541 into law, creating a special license plate to honor California’s lowrider heritage.

“Lowriding is more than a car; it is cultura, it is art, it’s family, and it is a powerful expression of Chicano and Latino pride,” said AB 2541 author Assembly member Mark González, D-Los Angeles. “For generations, our communities have used lowriders to tell our stories, celebrate our heritage, and create something beautiful out of the streets we call home.”

Why getting this law passed was an uphill battle

Getting California’s Legislature to sign off on Jay Leno’s Law, a bill that will increase emissions to some degree, was not a simple feat.

Environmental and public health advocates have consistently opposed new smog check waivers, noting they increase exhaust emissions such as nitrogen dioxide that are damaging to human health. Exhaust is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California, which has some of the worst air pollution in the nation.

At least three other attempts to loosen smog check requirements for older cars have failed to make it to the governor’s desk since 2016. They include a similar law, SB 712, which Leno also rallied for and which died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee last year.

This legislative cycle, supporters of the revised Leno-backed bill successfully argued that the environmental impact would be limited in scope, as the waivers will apply to a small number of vehicles that are only driven short distances every year. Sen. Cortese pointed to the fact that fewer than 1% of registered cars in California fall within the model-year range covered by the law.

State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, signed on as a co-author of the bill and celebrated that it passed with notable bipartisan support.

“We have worked for two years to get this law to the finish line,” said Grove. “It was only made possible by the overwhelming support of car enthusiasts, mechanics, and families across the state who have passed these vehicles down from generation to generation.”

_____

© 2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.