The employee working at Window 12 was the only bright spot in an otherwise frustrating experience. I came in with a complicated licensing issue during a statewide outage, and while most people would understandably be stressed, he stayed calm, professional, patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful the entire time. He treated me with respect and actually seemed interested in solving the problem instead of making customers feel like a burden. The DMV needs more employees like him. Unfortunately, two of the women at the front counter acted like helping customers was personally offensive to them. I was snapped at just for approaching the counter and immediately met with hostility for no reason. If you hate dealing with the public that much, customer service probably isn't the right job. Being stressed is one thing; being rude and dismissive to people asking for help is another. Their behavior was honestly horrifying from my point of view, as someone who has also worked customer service her entire adult life. Window 12 is the only reason this office is getting 4 stars instead of 1. He carried the entire experience. read more

Not gonna lie, if you're a veteran looking to take care of your VA requirements. This place has ran me through the ringer. If you go online it says one thing but when you go in person it's a totally different ball of wax. I literally went there for a full week straight because of all the bureaucratic mess. But the ppl were chill, I didn't have no attitude or cuss them out. They are just doing their jobs, but it's the agencies that don't speak to each other is what pisses you off. I was there so much, one person thought I actually worked there. read more

why are the woman here so damn rude!!?? i'm from out of town, came down for work. i realized my DL is expired so i had to get it done before i start work tonight. My Uber dropped me off in front of a ragedy old building. it obviously was the DMV but i wanted to make sure he dropped me at the correct office . so i walk up to the front and kindly ask an Older white lady if this is the correct address and she cuts me off and says GO TO THE INFORMATION DESK and ask them ! i said what? i just want to know if im at the right place she raises her voice and says GO TO THE INFORMATION DESK!! so im irate beyond measure i go to an asian lady and before i can even open my mouth she looks at me crazy with the ugliest attitude and goes " The information desk is right there " im like i just want to know if im at the correct pl_____ she cuts me off before i can even finish and points to the information desk. My God it's not my fault you people hate your job !!! FIX YA ATTITUDE and go work at mcdonald's if you don't know how to use your Customer service skills !!! thank God the indian lady at the information desk was so Kind and told me exactly where i need to be !!! thank you!! read more

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT prior to going. If you wait till absolute last minute, you will spend hours at DMV waiting. IF YOU MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.........................well, let's just say I had to re-new liscence, get REAL ID and take a eye test and a photo...........and I was there UNDER 40 minutes. Yup.....................Make an appointment. I would have given it 5 stars except that just going to DMV gets my blood pressure up. Did I say make an appointment?? read more

Rude Hispanic male employee 8/15/2026 does not know how to talk to people with respect, and doesn't know how to do his job.Asked a simple question and was met with yelling. I get it it's a stressful job but that does not give you the right to disrespect customers who pay your bills.Will be talking to his supervisor about this. Even though I know he won't be held accountable. read more

Driving cross country and needed to get proof of registration from another state. My and told me to go to the nearest dmv (this one) to have them request the information through fax. Immediately the lady at the counter was dismissive and said I had to register my vehicle in this state. She didn't even listen to my question. I asked if I could speak with a supervisor. She directed me to window B and then she ran over to the supervisor and said something. The supervisor walked past me for 10 minutes smiling and then when I started packing my papers to just leave she walked over with a smirk and said I need to register my truck here and said they don't request info from other dmv's.. read more

DMV - Window 12. 11 am avoid her - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

First time coming in to the Normal st. location ! Huge shout out to Carlos!!!! The norm of DMV anxiety, did not exist in this location visit. Thank you Carlos for making this process so smooth, welcoming, and helpful. Your customer service was outstanding. Thank you thank you !!! read more

Make your appointment. Check in. Bring ur fukn documents. Anyone reviewing this poorly may not understand how the dmv works. We all got stuff to do okay? Showed up over prepared to have a less than ideal time and was immediately suprised at how pleasant a dmv can be. Nothing but chipper staff and A1 people watching. Extra points to Man taking my photo saying it will be my "best one yet". Wont be back unless necessary obviously, but pleasantly surprised. read more

Everyone here was good to go except Ramos. Ramos is the perfect example of why one should study hard in school, marry a confident woman, continue to work out and stray from fatty foods. I was told correctly by one of the nice ladies to go to his window after completing a Smog check on a registration I had already paid. He could not handle that as a government worker that someone would come in with their paperwork and tasks correctly done and go straight to his line. To say he was perturbed is to put it lightly. All is good though I had some E-mails to write and I made a phone call. Went back to Ramos's line after a short wait and proceeded to call him sweetheart the entire time, which enraged him. I don't know the problems Ramos has, but he appears to be one of those people that even the family dog hates. Ramos is a miserable person I hope at least his Wife's boyfriend is nice to the kids and dog, because I know Ramos isn't. read more

This DMV has a large parking lot, but the office itself is much smaller than I expected. Everything here seems to move in slow motion. Waits are excessively long. I left before conducting any business. read more

Oof. These reviews are brutal. I came here the other day to get my Real ID so I have some tips to make the process easier. If you're getting yours, try to fill out the application ahead of time online to make the process quicker. It's really pretty easy to fill out and make sure to save your application number for easy reference. If you don't, just use the computers in the back to fill it out and again save the number. If filling it out online, you can just upload your documents needed to the application itself. You'll need something to prove your citizenship like a birth certificate or a passport or some other documents they list online then you need 2 documents that prove you live where you live. I used a tax document and some sort of medical document. If you have questions whether your documents are sufficient, I recommend using their online chat function because that's what I did. It's faster if you have an appointment but if you don't, you can stand in the no appointment line. I got there at 1155 AM on a Friday. There were about maybe 10 people ahead of me. By the time I left though it was maybe 1 and the line was out the building and around the corner of it. This is important, when I went their machines were down. I'm sure it's not always down BUT bring cash in case. If you forget to and it is down, you can go just a couple minutes down the street to the 7 Eleven to use the ATM there. To change my driver's license to a Real ID it was $36. Got there at 1155, checked in at 1210, was called up at around idk 1245. Reggie was funny and helpful. We had some issues with my documents but it was cleared up. It's not the cleanest or most organized location. It's pretty stuffy in there and there isn't a lot of seating. I think if you go in just being mentally prepared for that and the idea that yeh maybe some of the people working there won't be the friendliest, you'll be fine. I'd recommend getting an appointment and going in as soon as you can because I'm sure when people realize they're actually going to not let you board domestic flights starting May 7, it'll get a lot busier. read more

This place smells like a public bathroom in Ocean Beach. The customer service is terrible. I called in the morning to get an appointment because someone stole my license plate. Lady on the phone said no appointment needed, just walk in they'd have me in and out in 15 minutes. I got directed to some guy to check in, he mumbled something about going to lunch, ignored me and walked away. The lines are awful and confusing, nobody knows what they are doing or talking about. Absolute disgrace. read more

I pray, that AI will never actually replace humans. My phone & online experiences have all been negatives. Given links that do not work to pay for a vehicle registration, have to repeat the same information over & over again. Taxpayers have to pay for this lack of service?! read more

The asian woman(i'm asian too) at window 3 has to be one of the rudest people I've ever met. I'm an easy going guy, so writing a review isn't like me. Yet the sheer attitude, rudeness, and horrible demeanor she has made this experience intolerable. I knew from hearing her speak to me that she wasn't there to help me and wasn't going to help. I've never been so appalled especially in a situation where they are supposed to help you(service jobs). This woman is horrible at customer service and I guess they really do just hire anyone. I get that people have bad days but I'd also been waiting for 2 hours just to get greeted by the ray of sunshine at window 3. Just be aware when you go to this DMV and I hope you don't have to talk to that horrible excuse of a human being. read more

Teila made the DMV bearable. She was helping us while also helping her employees help others and was just a pleasure to be helped by. She's an asset. Thank you again, Teila! read more

Because of this DMV, I thought all DMVs were terrible. You know the reputation? This place embodies it perfectly. Miserable, slow, small, and smelly. I went to the one in National City and learned that they aren't all terrible, but this one is. You have to make an appointment. Don't bother without one. Even with an appointment, you will wait in line. You also can't bring someone with you. If you have someone there to help you, they'll ask that person to wait elsewhere, but there really isn't anywhere to wait. I wish you well in ont having to come here, but if you do, GET AN APPOINTMENT. read more

This place is busy, but the lady helping us was surprisingly helpful and patient with my teen. We had some issues but none were their fault. I don't know how they manage to stay so calm and accommodating, but it was appreciated. read more

The most terribly inefficient DMV. There's a line for appointment and non appointments. I couldn't make an appointment, as I am a returning resident in CA and the next appointment booking is months out. There's no one handling the non appointment line. As soon as the appointment line is handled? They're handling people with random questions that have already checked in, because they don't effectively communicate where they're supposed to go. I suppose that this is not all the employees' fault because a lot of the inefficiency comes from people coming back to ask questions before they even bother to get in line, or they don't have everything ready. However, they could at least try to move the lines along without completely ignoring the line, or get someone else to handle/triage questions. For context, I spent less than a minute at the window once I actually got to the front. read more

If you need to go to any DMV, don't come to NORMAL ST! Just got out from DMV Normal St and this is the third time I had a TERRIBLE experience! Everybody is really rude, they treat you like if they're superior somehow just because we need their "services". The guy from cashier 25 refused to do his job and still was making funny of me with some other colleague! So shameful for an "government" organization. You guys should do better! Being more flexible and polite, more prepared and more professional! You guys work for us, not the opposite! I really hope I never have to come back here. read more

There is an absolutely miserable woman who works here. She was on shift today 3/20 wearing green glasses and working window 12. She screamed at my young daughter today when she was just inquiring information on how to resolve an issue with her registration. She was exceptionally unhelpful and demeaning. No helpful information given just extremely belittling. Absolutely unacceptable read more

everything surprisingly went smooth. I did not have an appointment however I showed up at 8 AM and they opened at nine. They opened up about 10 minutes early and I am sitting in my house right now at 9:25. The man that waited on me was very nice read more

The DMV. There is no worse government state agency other than the CHP. Both want your money and it's typical government employee conduct (rude and inefficient). I came here to renew my license because I was required to go in person. The lines are confusing and you really need to look which line to be in. Even in the proper line I stood in the middle of 3 lines. But there were only two employees handling the 3 lines. So when it came to my turn I had to keep making eye contact with the employees as they were looking only at the 2 lines next to me. The employee I got was your typical state employee. I tried to spell my name out to this chump to help and he blurts out I'm capable of spelling your name. Smh. Okay dude. No need for you to act like that. After leaving that misery, the two other employees I dealt with were fairly tolerable. I'd suggest making an online appointment ahead of time if you can. It saved me hours from being there. There is a separate appointment line you need to look for at the front of the building. Don't make the mistake of lining up at the line that starts to wrap around the building. That is the non appointment line. There are no signs visible for this line except at the entrance. I guarantee you people with appointments stood in that line for no reason because I almost did. If you do not make an appointment you're gonna be stuck in line for eternity. The online appointments can be tricky. One night it stated there were no appointments in any office in town. The next morning I checked appointments magically appeared for the next week. Great state technology. Parking is tricky as well. I got lucky and found a spot as soon as I pulled in. I saw others circling around with no spaces. Have fun dealing with this cluster F. read more

This location might be very convenient, but the customer service is so below par and they are very condescending. They sent my tags to an address that I don't reside. I've lived at the same address for six years and every year I get my registration I get my tags but this year they sent it to someone's house two hours away. I don't even live there. What a wonderful job you guys do especially when I'm told it's my fault that the tags were sent to the wrong address. Registration and tags are not cheap. Do better! If yelp were to allow me to give negative stars, I would read more

Great experience!! My apt was at 2:40 pm on a Monday, I was out by 3 pm. Never have I ever been in and out of any DMV in 20 mins. Parking is scarce, so get there semi early and make an appointment for time saving. Everyone at DMV was helpful and polite. read more

One of the main DMV locations in San Diego is located in Hillcrest off Normal Street, right by the Pride Flag. I haven't been to the DMV in many years due to all of the online services provided on the internet, but with me renewing my license over and over online I wasn't eligible to renew it online again so I had to stop in and apply in person. I went ahead and scheduled an appointment online, and the next available appointment was in 3 weeks. As I entered 5he building the building there was 3 separate lines. One line for non appointments, the 2nd for appointments, and the 3rd for personal waiting to take the computer exam. The place was a mad house with people standing in line and sitting in the waiting area for their number to be called. As I approached the lady, I told her my appointment time and was given a number to be called for the next available attendant. It was so crowded with people standing around that they even had a platinum security guard directing traffic. I waited about 25 minutes for my number to be called to hand over my paperwork and pay the application fee. Next up was photo time and then a 40-question exam. You are only allowed to miss a total of 7 questions until you fail. They allow you to take the exam 3 times until you have to re apply and pay the application fee. As I wait in the line for over 20 minutes, I'm thinking in my head that this exam can't be that hard since I have been driving for over 25 years. Quick time first time up. I bomb the exam! I was so furious and frustrated. I just wanted to take the exam again because I failed, so I waited in line again to fail again.... and again. 3rd time failing, I head over to the attendant, and he tells me I have to start over again and pay the application fee. First off, I honestly believe an exam doesn't dictate if you are knowledgeable on the road and will be a safe driver. I literally waited 3 weeks from my appointment that was scheduled to waste 3 hours of my time and money for an application fee to just redo it again. The staff was very impolite and rude and were not trying to help in any way. They were just there to get people in and out. I will most likely apply in another state for a license where the process isn't so hard and confusing. read more

DMV - Make an appointment for faster service - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - San Diego, California

Knowing I had to go to the DMV my expectations were not high to begin with but the way these folks treat people is insane. I'd imagine the work environment generates a high annual number of suicides. There was a physical altercation even while I was there. Although, security did not react to that but only to order the herd to stand on one side of the office. Crazy experience, I will never go to this location again and will even pay for a service if I have to.. Also, I pay a lot to these people via fees and dues and also in form of state taxes. read more

This place is a nightmare. My husband and I both took off work to go over and get my daughter her drivers license. She took off of school as well because it was the only appointment I could find. They said that they were backed up by a couple of hours because one of the drive testers did not show up for work that day. They tried to get us to reschedule, but I said absolutely not. We will wait. Everything was kind of confusing and a hassle but finally, we were in line to get the drivers test. As I was sitting there, I looked at DMV reviews and it was absolutely ridiculous that anyone would review the DMV because it's not a business and who cares if it has one star, right? All of the people on there were warning that you should not take your driving test here because the lady with the purple hair will fail you. So I see the lady with the purple hair walking up to my daughters car and yes, my daughter got failed. She got an automatic fail for not checking the bike lane but she said she did turn her head. This is after I spent almost $1000 on Driving Instruction and my daughter can drive better than me at this point. Hillcrest is a difficult place to learn how to drive so we practiced over and over again for two weeks straight driving around the entire neighborhood and making sure she knew how to do the roundabouts, the bike lines, etc., we went over to the El Cajon one and passed easily, but they say that you can do it in two weeks yet it's impossible to find an appointment. So we had to wait a month! Advice -don't waste your time doing it here just do it at a different location from the beginning. read more

If you have anxiety DO NOT COME TO THIS LOCATION!! The parking lot is small and as of March 26th, 2026 they are doing construction looks like they are expanding parking which is very much needed. Currently construction workers and vehicles are using up spaces and there isn't many'. Showed up early 25 min ahead of a scheduled appointment and drove around in circles with no luck. Was greeted by an angry worker standing in a parking spot yelling at people telling them the space was designated and go around. The lady with purplish hair working the behind the wheel driving test oddly try to insert herself to regulate on parking as well. There is an entire row of designated dmv parking spots non taken with one that has no sign indicating it's a designated spot and she insisted regardless you could not park there. There was a whole row of empty designated spots. If there's no sign then how could this be enforced come on now does she work for DMV or is she the parking police. For someone that deals with medicated anxiety that forgot their prescription I was about ready to pass out. Skip this location so it can get shut down! Workers angry over parking = signs of poorly managed dmv office. Tried to park down the street and nothing close by ended up 3 long blocks away. When I arrived I checked in but still had to wait only to be told their system was down and couldn't help. No prior notification of system outrage just a waste of time driving there and driving around to park and driving home. Tensions were high as I was leaving people were upset heard some non appointment waiters had been there 3 hrs only to be told they couldn't be helped. Walking out through parking lot 3 car fender bender a car abruptly stopped to snag a spot only to have 2 back to back cars smash into them. The whole situation there is a disaster and not worth your time. read more

Make an appointment online!!!!!! This makes all the difference, and I saved a ton of time, was able to get in to get my car registration sorted pretty quickly. The staff were helpful talking me through the steps, the guy doing car inspections was friendly and great. Not a welcoming or clean space, feels very run down. Also an up charge to pay with a credit card, so try to avoid that if possible. read more

So going To the dmv is not an enjoy experience- no matter what. So this review is meant to address the experience of service with that in mind. They are covid compliant, require masks and check temperatures. They have a seemingly more organized system than pre covid. Limited indoor capacity. Most staff are friendly and just doing their job so ask them how they are doing before demanding anything. Plenty of parking. Just be ready and have documents and payment easily accessible. Cons: - potential for long lines -drab government building experience I got in line around 7:15 am prior to the 8 am opening and the line was about 30 people deep. While in line they ask about what services you need and will check to ensure you have the right document and provide a check in sheet with you customer call number. They will check your temperature and once inside you wait for your number. read more

DMV - Screening - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

My phone gave me a text to go to window 18 and when i did she was so disgusted with me and soooooo rude to me and cut me off and covered her ears when i was speaking to her. She told me to go to a grocery store if i need help that bad. And when i walked away i heard her call me a ni**er and i am really distraught and idk who to report this to because the dmv doesnt have any type of number or email to report to. I am so beyond sad about this omg read more

DMV - Worker - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - San Diego, California

What a horrid group of people. They are beyond rude. Some are hostile. And I was number 3 in line this morning. I can't imagine how evil they are later in the day. Whoever manages this location should be fired, along with most of the staff. (The woman next to Station #4, the one SHOUTING at people, the one openly trashing customers - she needs to be restrained.) And how hard would it be to put a sign on the door instructing people to form a line on the left if they have appointments, and form a line on the right if they do not have an appointment? Seriously? Does anyone there have a brain? read more

Still not improving since my last visit, at least I learned so I did everything ahead of time. So I got my Mom appointment a month in at 1:40 PM, we got the confirmation code, and they have 3 separate lines one for appointment, one for walk in, and the other line would be for tests. I went to the right line but was interrupted by a random lady who thought she had an appointment and confronted me for cutting in front of her, I told her I had appointment, she said she had appointment too, and I asked her why she was at the other line, she then explained she was trying to help another lady then proceeded to grab her other friend to go in the same line as me and my Mom, when it was her turn, she couldn't explain to the dmv employee that she made appointment or not, no code, no nothing, she might have a language barrier that holding the line so long, she seems so disoriented that they had to pull her aside so they could service others, sometimes we can't understand the ignorance of the people at the dmv, but I have seen worse. Finally the dmv staff had to apologize to me for the lady behavior, then gave me the ticket number, although my Mom appointment at 1:40, I came like half an hour early so, we didn't have to wait very long until they call her number, took her photo then boom, 2 weeks from now she would get her new stuff in the mail. Not only that parking was small, but now they also reduced the seating area, a lot of people couldn't find any places to sit, they ended up standing against the wall, this dmv need to bring out more chairs. read more

See all

Worst DMV in San Diego County.. Do NOT schedule your drive test here. The female drive tester with purple/red hair failed my son before he left the parking lot for not checking his blind spots well enough. Miserable, pathetic, unhappy person. I sat and watched her fail all three test takers before my son's turn. She even joked about it to the other DMV tester. The manager of the DMV actually asked us to write a survey because she knows what a problem this employee is but her hands are tied. She was kind enough to help us schedule another appt for the drive test in Claremont because online the system is booking two months out at all DMVs. If you see this lady, steer clear! She's a nightmare. read more

DMV - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - San Diego, California

Ugh. This place was awful until the very last interaction which almost brought this review up to five stars out of pure gratitude. But my issue is with the system so Jose only got the extra star (he deserves all five though!) other note for context: I can't compare this location to other ones in the area yet. I moved across the country this year. My wallet with my drivers license was stolen along the way. Prior to the move I've changed my name a handful of times. I am semi-in the middle of the most recent name change. I have two birth certificates . I just have a bunch of weird stuff that the systems aren't built to process normally....apparently. The process of getting a California ID has been annoying. But finally I was able to take care of it. I did the Real ID express option online. But when I got there I still had to wait with the non appointments. Online it said the average wait was 40min on the website. I waited for about 90. Then the process was pretty quick. When my number was called. I gave the stack of paperwork in the same order that from the online application I filled out before coming in. (That's a tip- fill out what you can online first.) Even with the checklist though- the DMV rep insisted I needed something that wasn't required anywhere. I was so mad that I waited an hour and a half only to find out that I didn't have one thing that wasn't mentioned anywhere. And oh man did I cross my T's and dot my I's knowing that I had some weird things with my paperwork. I was mad. But whatever. Maybe I missed something? It wasn't the rep's fault- that's the freakin DMV process. They were patient with my frustration. I was also hangry. **Don't go to the DMV hungry** So after I left the first counter I kept moving through the process. Finally I was at the last step before I thought I was going to have to return later that day with one more document. But then Jose saved the day. I'm not sure if there was a miscommunication between myself in the first person, if it just didn't matter that much, or maybe I caught a lucky break. Again I didn't see it anywhere in the paperwork. Maybe it was that woman's fault and she was making me do extra steps because I was hangry. Maybe my tears at the end changed her heart and she sent me the angel of Jose. Whatever happened Jose delivered the news that i was good to go I wanted to hug him. No one wants to go to the DMV. No one wants to keep going back to the DMV. I hope your visits here are infrequent and brief. read more

This DMV used to be very good and friendly. But now some of employees are mean. I don't wanna go there anymore. read more

DMV - She is one of the manager at SD DMV but she is really mean. Absolutely disrespectful & rude monster. Stay away from her if you need help. - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - San Diego, California

Most awful DMV experience I've had. Extremely rude workers that didn't end up providing any help.

I was in and out within an hour and a half the place was very busy, but the lions moved pretty good. The longest way I had was in the photo line. read more

If you do not have appoment you going need one . I did and had want 2 and a half hours just too get my ID! So next time I ordered my ID card online I got it within 2 weeks it's easier to do it that way you won't have to wait and sit in two to three hours just to get an ID card or driver's license it's better to order it online it's faster!!! read more

Dmv is something that everyone loathes, but I know if you encounter someone who isn't like that, it'll give you the best DMV experience. I've been studying for my behind-the-wheel test and felt great, until the day of my test. I was nervous, my knees were shaking. My appointment was for 3pm, approximately started my test around 3:40-3:50pm, finished around 4:10ish. Jon Philips was my driver examiner and he made changed the dynamic of taking my test. I was comfortable and confident. I passed with 2 errors! Good luck to everyone who is studying! read more

DMV - Dmv Examiner Jon Philips - Departments of Motor Vehicles Near Me - San Diego, California