DMV Improves Online Customer Experience

Contact: Office of Public Affairs
2415 First Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 657–6437 | dmvpublicaffairs@dmv.ca.gov

Updates empower customers to avoid DMV office visits, with 27 million online transactions in 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2023

Sacramento – When customers visit the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website at dmv.ca.gov, they find a customer-focused site with helpful information, streamlined online applications and pages tailored for specific audiences. DMV customers have completed more than 27 million transactions on the DMV website so far in 2023.

The DMV recently improved the website to make it easier for Californians to take care of DMV business and has more than doubled the number of online services, from 20 in 2019 to 48 today. The department has refreshed webpages with improved layouts, instructional videos, comprehensive lists of answers to frequently asked questions and regularly updated information.

Customer browsing DMV website on their laptop.

“Delivering digital self-service options to customers is one way we are moving to a mobile-first organization,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “The millions of transactions customers made on our website this year indicate that we are headed in the right direction.”

Customers are choosing to complete more transactions online. Californians completed 27 million transactions on the DMV website so far in 2023, compared to 18.7 million in all of 2019. Just this year:

More than 11 million Californians renewed a vehicle registration.
Nearly 2 million customers renewed a driver’s license.
More than 14 million completed driver’s license applications or started REAL ID applications.

The expansion of online services is just one example of the DMV’s digital transformation under the Newsom Administration and Director Gordon’s leadership. The DMV also cut transaction times by two-thirds, removed obstacles so staff can process transactions more quickly, developed a paperless renewal notifications program and empowered customers with the tools they need for a smooth experience if they do visit an office – where wait times are now just a fraction of what they were just a few years ago.

The DMV has created hubs of information and services on its website to address the unique needs of specific Californians. It redesigned the Driver’s License Renewal for 70+ webpage based on feedback from senior drivers, who must take a knowledge test to renew their driver’s license. However, they can now shorten the required office visit by starting the renewal application and taking their exam online. The DMV offers a secure, remote version of the knowledge test, as well as a self-paced, no-fail eLearning option with seven interactive modules. The new senior driver webpage also contains more information and resources so they can stay on the road longer, safely.

The Teen Driver Roadmap is another new specialized page that guides new teen drivers and their parents or guardians through requirements new drivers must satisfy to obtain a California driver’s license.

The page features Kali, a fictional teen driver who appears regularly on DMV social media channels. She helps guide them through each milestone.

Kali at her 15th birthday party, looking at her cake. She is thinking "Almost time to get my permit!"

New drivers will also find helpful resources about owning and selling a vehicle, changing an address, renewing a vehicle’s registration, and others.

Start Online: Always check online first before visiting a DMV office. Don’t forget that eligible customers can start their applications and take the required knowledge exams online for tasks like renewing a driver’s license or getting a driver’s license for the first time. Customers should create a MyDMV account and keep it updated with current information for a seamless online experience.

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