--- title: Smog Check Rules for Leased Cars and Trucks | Xpress Smog url: https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/leased-vehicles/ business: Xpress Smog Check Center (Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center) locations: Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523, (775) 787-1000, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 828-6996, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed type: Nevada smog check (vehicle emissions inspection), drive in, no appointment --- Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center - Smog check at two Reno locations - Oil change in the same visit - No appointment needed [Xpress Oil & Lube](https://xpressoilandlube.com/) - [Home](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/) - [Vehicle types](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/) - Leased cars and trucks # Smog check rules for leased cars and trucks A leased car or truck based in the Washoe testing area follows the same yearly smog check rule as one you own. The one lease case on the DMV exempt list, written in NRS 445B.800, is a transfer between leasing companies with no change of lessee or operator. 4.7 stars from 550 Google reviews of the two Reno Xpress Oil & Lube Centers People leasing a car in Reno ask two things: whether the leasing company handles the smog check, and whether anything about a lease changes the rule. The answer to the second is narrow, and it helps with the first. ## At a glance - A lease does not change the yearly test for a vehicle based in Reno or Sparks. - Exempt: a transfer between leasing companies with no change of lessee or operator (DMV exempt list, NRS 445B.800). - A new leased car is exempt for its first three registrations like any new car. - A pass is valid 90 days, which covers most buyouts and renewals. ## The rule in the DMV's words The Nevada DMV's emission control page lists the transfers that need no new test. One of them reads as a transfer between leasing companies with no change of the lessee or operator. Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 445B, at section 445B.800, is where the transfer exemptions sit in the law, alongside the 90 day validity of a passing test. In plain terms: when one leasing company sells your lease to another and you keep driving the same car, that change of ownership on paper does not trigger a smog check. Nothing about the car or its driver changed. ## Everything else about a lease Outside that one transfer, a lease is treated like any other registration. A gasoline vehicle 1968 or newer, or a diesel up to 14,000 pounds GVWR, based in the urban part of Washoe County and past its third registration, tests every year at renewal. The renewal notice says Smog Check Required when a test is due, and the test still has to happen before the registration can be renewed. Whoever handles the paperwork, the car has to come in for the test, so in practice the driver brings it. Check your lease contract for who renews the registration; the DMV's rule is about the vehicle. ## Starting a lease on a new car New vehicles are exempt for their first three registrations, and a leased new car is no different. Many three-year leases end before the first test is due. A longer lease, or a lease on a vehicle that was registered before, can reach the fourth registration while you have it. The [new vehicle exemption page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/new-vehicle-exemption/) explains how the count works. ## Buyouts and turn-ins Buying out your lease is a change of ownership, and the DMV's ordinary transfer rules apply. A transfer is exempt if the last passing test was within 90 days, or 180 days on a sale by a Nevada dealer. Outside that window, plan on a test before the title work. The [buying or selling page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/buying-or-selling-a-car/) covers who is responsible in each kind of sale. ## Renewing a leased car in Reno Drive into either Reno location, no appointment, inside an Xpress Oil & Lube Center: Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Ave, (775) 787-1000, or Reno South on Longley Ln, (775) 828-6996. Both are open weekdays 8 am to 5 pm, with Saturday hours to 4 pm and 3 pm. The result goes to the DMV electronically, so the renewal can be done online, at a kiosk, or by asking about renewing in the same visit. The [renewal page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/registration-renewal/) has the steps. - The renewal notice, if you have it in hand. - The odometer reading, which also helps you track your lease mileage. - Any plug-in insurance or lease tracking device unplugged from the OBD port. ### Sources - [dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm) (Nevada DMV Emission Control Program: exempt transfers incl. between leasing companies, validity; read 10/19/26) - [leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-445B.html](https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-445B.html) (NRS 445B.800: transfer exemptions and test validity; read 10/19/26) - [dmv.nv.gov/regrenewal.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/regrenewal.htm) (Nevada DMV Registration Renewal: renewing at an emission station; read 10/19/26) ### Your location: Reno South - Call [(775) 828-6996](tel:+17758286996) Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed - Address 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502 [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=4993+Longley+Ln%2C+Reno%2C+NV+89502&destination_place_id=ChIJc5xNCcI_mYARXjHn3y79iJw) ### What a customer said Reno South Came in got my car smogged and registered, quick and easy!! Guys were super friendly!! Will be back next year. [All smog check reviews](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/reviews/) ### Related - [How long a passing test is good for](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/90-day-rule/) - [Buying from a Nevada dealer](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/dealer-sales/) - [The renewal notice and the smog line on it](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/renewal-notice/) - [Private party sales](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/private-party-sales/) - [Locations](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/locations/) Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center Both smog check locations sit inside an Xpress Oil & Lube Center, the locally owned Reno drive-in that has served this town since 1983. Drive in, no appointment; get your oil changed in the same visit. [About us](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/about/) ## Related situations [### Smog check for your registration renewal The yearly test before you renew a Washoe County registration. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/registration-renewal/)[### Buying or selling a used car Who owes the test on a private sale and a dealer sale. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/buying-or-selling-a-car/)[### New vehicle exemption The first three registrations of a new car. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/new-vehicle-exemption/) ## Other vehicle types [Smog check rules for motorhomes and RVs Gas motorhomes test at any weight; heavy diesels do not. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/motorhomes-and-rvs/)[Smog check rules for motorcycles and mopeds Motorcycles and mopeds are on the DMV exempt list. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/motorcycles-and-mopeds/)[Smog check rules for heavy-duty gas trucks 8,501 lb and up: tested every year, tailpipe method. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/heavy-duty-gas-trucks/)[Smog check rules for pickup trucks and vans The 8,500 lb line decides plug-in test or tailpipe test. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/pickup-trucks-and-vans/)[Smog check rules for replica vehicles Replica Vehicle registrations are on the exempt list. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/replica-vehicles/)[Smog check rules for propane and natural gas vehicles Running permanently on propane, CNG, methane or butane means exempt. Learn more](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/vehicles/propane-and-natural-gas-vehicles/) ## Leased cars and trucks: questions Still have a question? Call either Reno location or just drive in; there is no appointment to make. ### My lease was sold to a different bank. Do I need a new smog check? Not for that transfer. The DMV exempt list covers a transfer between leasing companies with no change of lessee or operator. ### Does the leasing company take care of the smog check? The car has to be tested in person, so the driver brings it in. Your lease contract says who handles the registration. ### I am buying out my lease. Do I need a test? If the last pass was within 90 days, the transfer is exempt. Otherwise test before the transfer. ### My leased car is brand new. When is its first test? At its fourth registration, under the DMV's new vehicle exemption. ## Two Reno locations, inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center [Reno Northwest smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/locations/reno-mae-anne/)[Reno South smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/locations/reno-longley/)