Reached out via Yelp and they were super responsive. Was able to make a same day appointment. Price out the door for the Smog check and certification was $40. They have a small waiting room and the process took about 15min. Would happily come back the next time I need to do it. read more

Hands down one of the most efficient and best places to have your smog check taken care of . The Yelp deal is a tremendous value as well. read more

2nd time coming here for a smog check (star cert) and I couldn't be happier. Such a quick, convenient, and affordable smog check shop. In and out in ~20 minutes plus a wonderful Yelp deal read more

My 2010 Challenger was due for a smog check. Called yesterday, 06/01, to make an appointment for this morning. In and out in less than 30 minutes. Fast, friendly service. read more

Amazing place! I've been coming here for years for quick and easy smog check. Definitely will recommend this place to anyone looking for great service. read more

Made an appointment easily by phone. Arrived early, prepared to wait. But by the time I'd walked around the lovely tree-lined streets nearby, it was done! Maybe 15 minutes. read more

We've used them multiple times for our various cars due to their friendly, efficient service. Plan on staying in their comfortable couch area while they conduct the smog check however their work is handled quickly read more

I've been bringing my cars here for several years and no complaints. Justin is no frills and gets the job done. The one thing I wish he had was a little bit better appointment system but I understand he has to take whatever business comes in. It's just a little frustrating when you make an appointment and still end up waiting 30 minutes. Would be great to prioritize appointments and tell walks-ins that they would be the ones to wait. But overall would still come here 100% of the time as long as he keeps that price down and good quality of service. Would highly recommend him to any family or friends for all their smog needs. read more

Another 2 years past, smog time. Called around 10:15AM and got an appointment in at 12PM. In and out in like 20 minutes. They also honored the $40 online coupon that I showed them via a screenshot on my phone. Friendly service, fast response, and done with smog for another 2 years. I'm coming back next year again for sure! I suggest parking your car at their driveway before pulling up to their shop; it's a pretty narrow path up to their shop that they share with a neighbor, so it can get cramped especially if other customers were there before you. Walk up to them and check in, hand them the keys, and they'll take care of the rest! read more

I mistakenly took my car to this shop, Star Smog Central, for the very first smog test for my relatively new car, I was waiting for more than one hour, although there were only 1-2 cars ahead of me when I got there. Idling my car for a while - not sure why they did that, intentionally failing whatsoever, all checked passed using their machine but the technician, Justin (based on inspector name on paper) personally failed my car because his own eyes saw smoke from somewhere (See photo below), I don't see, and charged me 70$ or so (not remember exact $$ w/coupon but something like that), no refund, no pass. Asked me to come back with a new charge -LOL. I said, "No way." I went to another place nearby on the very same day and passed right away - this was 2 years ago. I did another smog test recently (of course, not this shop) and passed as a very well-maintained car. Totally a waste of money, a waste of my time. I had numerous smog tests in my life - this shop was the worst experience ever. Never go back there again. Update: Correction: cost was $31 with a coupon, including a certificate fee. read more

Star Smog Central - Smog Check Stations Near Me - San Mateo, California

Remarkably efficient and good. They squeezed me in right before closing. 10 minutes, and in/out in 15. Good prices, too.

I didn't realize I needed a smog check before renewing my car registration until the week it was due so I was scrambling to find a good spot for a smog. I contacted Justin via Yelp inquiring about smog check pricing and appointment availability and I was able to make a same day appointment. Overall it took about 10-15 minutes - so quick! He also honored the coupon screenshot on the Star Smog Central Yelp page (especially since he had mentioned it in our Yelp chat). Such amazing service for a great price! Would highly recommend to others, and will definitely use them for future smogs :) read more

I brought my car here today, he has great customer service. This business has a great prices! I will definitely be coming back in the future and recommend this place to friends and family. We had a Star Smogged done, he took 15 mins super quick and easy! Paid 50$ read more

Had to get my 2018 RAV4 smogged for the first time. I called Star Smog Central at 10am when they opened, and I was able to take my car in immediately. They had a $40 deal going on, and I was out in less than 10 minutes. I used them in the past with my old car, and I will continue to use them going forward. read more

Fast, friendly, and reasonable costs. Came here last year and have referred others here! read more

Called ahead to see how busy they were. Fast courteous service. Done in less than 15 min.

I made an appointment on a weekday. I was promptly seen and within 15 minutes, my car was smog checked and ready to go. The workers were very friendly and efficient. I highly recommend this location for your next smog check! read more

I recently needed a smog for my Lexus, but I was told by my mechanic that I needed to go to a "Star Certified" garage. So I ended up going to "Star Smog Central", in San Mateo. Well I couldn't have had a better experience, quick, and efficient, spoke to Justin & Jerald, both fantastic guys...... They even gave me a senior discount. I highly recommend this company, do not hesitate to go there to get your car smog !!! read more

100% recommend. Made an appointment one day before. Amazing customer service, affordable and efficient. In and out in less than 15 minutes. Please support this local business. read more

Website coupon says $31.75+$8.25= $40, same as LAST invoice (*receipts). They added $10.00 for STAR certification & $2.50 for credit card use. ACTUAL total= $52.50, absolutely undisclosed on the phone *BEFORE* arriving at appointment. U allocate time & travel to get to appointment to be met with junk fees. Classic Bait & Switch, then gaslighting. Why'd they charge *$8.25* for non-DMV-compliant cert I didn't get AND another $10 for STAR cert?? Just be honest and up-front ffs. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Ethics are reflective of parenting. read more

Star Smog Central - Smog Check Stations Near Me - San Mateo, California

They actually did the discount for the coupon! Most other places I have gone to come up with some excuse to bump up the price. (Your car is not in the right window of years. . . it's an SUV. . . you need STAR. . . there is an extra paperwork fee . . etc. etc. etc.) Staff was super friendly; the facility had a nice spot to sit and wait. I'm coming back to this one for all the cars. read more

Been here once before. They're pretty cool. Just DON'T use the website (starsmogcentral.com). Was advised when I arrived the old owner never had this website discontinued and this shop uses YELP only. So the fee is different than advertised online. read more

Star Smog Central - Current website 9/10/25. - Smog Check Stations Near Me - San Mateo, California

Highly deserving of their 5 star rating! I called to make a smog check appointment (DMV required this be at a "star" location) and was in and out in 15-20 minutes. Their online coupon offer and level of customer service can't be beat! For reference, I called around a few places in SF to compare, and the cheapest quote I got in SF was twice what Star Smog Central charged. read more

End-to-end doing business was a five-star experience. They were super responsive to my questions via Yelp, were able to schedule me very soon, and took less than 10 minutes to test and pass my vehicle. The total cost including certificate was $40 with the Yelp discount. The people here are very friendly. read more

Got a same day appointment for Smog Check. Quick, courteous and easy in-and out. Kudos to Justin who was the tech helping me. Highly recommend! read more

Fast and easy service. Was able to pull up and be in and out in about 10 minutes ( maybe a bit longer cuz hella people just came right after). Price was decent. A bit pricey but apparently its average these days. Would come back. read more

Super fast and easy- coupon with yelp. Even turned my car around for easy access! Would definitely come back next time.

Fast, friendly, nice waiting room, although its so fast and they had so much availability i didn't even need to use the room. Also the cheapest price around. Will definitely be coming back to use them again. read more

Service was on point and not to mention super patient and fast. Thank you kindly for your work.

Easy to make appointment. Done in less than 15 minutes. Waiting area inside or outside on the bench. Been coming for years and will be back in the future. read more

Got in the same day on a Friday for a smog check and service was fast. Very polite and friendly person checking people in.

Th service was quick once my car got in but at the appointment time there were still several cars ahead of me waiting for their SMOG checks which caused my delay well beyond the appointment time. I must say the price charged was well below other stations I checked which is probably why this SMOG station is so popular. My only recommendation if to provide fewer appointments during the day so cars can be tested at or very near the appointment time. read more

I've always come here for my smog checks. Never had to make an appointment and appointments are not needed. Be sure to use their coupon on their website or on Yelp. read more

We went to get a smog check very last minute, we were thrilled that they could accommodate us in such short notice. The two gentlemen working were very friendly and we couldn't beat the price! Highly recommend! read more

Very easy to book and a painless process all the way around. With the Yelp coupon it was $40. If only the DMV were as efficient...

Always had amazing service very professional. Great price, great waiting room very clean and WiFi available but very fast service i only waited for 15 minutes and was put read more

Star Smog Central - Smog Check Stations Near Me - San Mateo, California

I called and went in same day for a smog check. Friendly and fast service. Easy process.

First time here and highly recommend this business. Made a same day appointment and out in 15 minutes.

Needed a Star-certified smog check today. Called at 2pm (online coupon offer) and got an appointment at 3pm. When we arrived, two cars were waiting ahead of us. We were asked if we had an appointment, and then got pulled ahead of the other cars. Super-friendly customer service and smog done at lightning speed (10 minutes?) - easily the fastest and most enjoyable smogcheck experience anywhere! read more

Extremely responsive and very efficient. From time of quote to driving there to actual completion of smog check was less than 45 minutes! Would recommend. read more