I made an appointment for a Star Smog Check on my car. I arrived early, but was immediately attended to. There was a comfortable waiting room to wait in, and the smog check was done in 15 minutes. Quick no-hassle friendly service. I will definitely be back for future smog check. Highly recommended. read more

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

This is the second time I've been here. Once again Justin was a pleasure to work with. I had an opportunity to meet Jerrol . He was just like Justin, helpful and always checked in with me to let me know how long my car would take. I will definitely be back in 2 year. read more

Fast and efficient. Called on a Friday around noon and was able to get an appointment for 1:00pm. Was in and out in about 15-20 minutes. Used the Yelp coupon and got it done for $50 out the door. Will be returning to have my other car smogged when its registration is due. read more

We have gone here a few time for smog and experience always good. Today I called because I can't find the paper work I got after the smog (usually no reason to keep) and the guys at the shop were so hopeful to try to find the files. Since it was done 90 days ago, they found my smog date on a public source and then called me back to tell me. This is going above and beyond! I will definitely be back for the next smog and recommend them to others. 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

Quick and easy process. They were able to accommodate a same-day appointment. All the employees are professional. I've been here a couple of times now. read more

I made an appointment through Yelp and Justin was very responsive and able to accommodate for a last minute schedule change I had. I arrived around 11am on a weekday, was asked to fill out some paperwork and assisted immediately, then left around 11:15am. Thank you for the smooth smog check process!! read more

Arrived at 4:05pm Friday afternoon, left before 4:20pm. Less than 15min, $50. Very efficient and friendly.

Friendly, quick, affordable. They found an appointment for me the same day - and when I showed up early for it, they made time for me on the spot. Thoughtfully turned the car around for me so I didn't have to maneuver in the parking lot. $50 out the door - lovely folks. Highly recommend. 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

Fast and smooth smog check. Efficient, friendly, and great service. Highly recommend!

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

Outstanding service. Good deal through Yelp. Fast and thorough. Thanks for everything!

Quick and professional service. Recommended for great deal. Will visit again. Value is great

Contacted and scheduled a time in the same day using Yelp. Great and quick service !!

Easy in and out. Called for appointment and rolled right in. Plus, they charged exactly amount quoted. Highly recommended if you need a star-rated smog check. 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

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

Justin and his co-worker did a smog of my gf's car and it took at least with 10 minutes from 15 minute smog. Super fast employees and we'll return back to this amazing shop. read more

Another great experience with timely professional friendly smog service from Justin & his team. Always appreciate the consistency and reliability in taking care of our family vehicles. Big thumbs up & recommendation! 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, 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

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