Smog check rules for replica vehicles

Owners of reproduction roadsters, tribute builds and other replicas often hear that their car is exempt, or that it is not. The DMV puts the line in one place: the exempt list names Replica Vehicle registrations. Everything on this page starts there.

At a glance

• Exempt: Replica Vehicle registrations (Nevada DMV exempt list).
• It is the registration, not the look of the car, that the list names.
• Kit cars: ask the DMV how your car is registered.
• A modified car on a regular registration follows the regular rules and the DMV engine swap fact sheet.

Why the registration matters more than the car

The Nevada DMV's Emission Control Program page lists who is exempt from the yearly test, and Replica Vehicle registrations are on it by name. The word that does the work is registration. Two cars that look alike in a parking lot can sit on different sides of the rule if one carries a Replica Vehicle registration and the other is registered as an ordinary passenger car.

Your registration card and your renewal notice show which you have. The notice says Smog Check Required when the DMV expects a test.

Kit cars and home builds

If you built your car from a kit, or bought one someone else built, ask the DMV how your car is registered. That answer decides whether the replica line on the exempt list applies to it.

A modified car that is not a replica

Plenty of Reno cars carry a different engine or a heavy modification but are registered as what they started out as. Those cars follow the ordinary testing rules for their year and weight. The DMV's engine swap fact sheet (EC-054) sets the conditions for a swapped engine on a 1981 or newer vehicle: an engine of the same model year or newer, an engine that carries EPA certification for highway use, with all of its emission devices in place, and on 1996 and newer light-duty vehicles, a replacement engine that is OBD II compliant. The DMV recommends asking the emission lab before the swap, not after. The emissions lab guide explains where the Reno lab is and what it handles.

What still applies to a replica

The exemption is from the emission test only. A replica still registers every year, still needs Nevada evidence of insurance, and still has to be renewed on time. The renewal page covers the ways to do that.

Replicas also sit next to two other exemptions people confuse them with. Classic Vehicle, Classic Rod and Old Timer plates have a 5,000 mile limit, classic insurance and a yearly odometer affidavit. Vehicles 1967 and older are exempt by model year. The classic and exempt vehicles page sets out each one.

Bringing a replica to Nevada

New residents have 30 days to register. A vehicle that has never been registered or titled in Nevada needs the Vehicle Inspection Certificate (VP 015), along with Nevada insurance evidence and the odometer reading. If the car will be registered as a replica, the emissions inspection report is not part of that list. The new to Nevada page covers the move for the rest of your vehicles.

The daily driver

The car you drive the rest of the week is a separate question. If it is due, drive it into either Reno location with no appointment: Reno Northwest on Mae Anne Ave, (775) 787-1000, open weekdays 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 4 pm, or Reno South on Longley Ln, (775) 828-6996, weekdays 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 3 pm. Both are inside an Xpress Oil & Lube Center.