Leno's Law' Finally Passes: Here's What That Really Means for Classic Car Owners

California’s “Leno’s Law” (SB 1392), named after the comedian’s car-loving advocacy, has been signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The change is meant to ease emissions restrictions for classic cars, but it doesn’t help immediately: the exemption begins phasing in on January 1, 2028. The bill creates a narrow smog-check exemption for qualifying collector cars from the 1976–1985 model years that are insured as collector vehicles or are driven less than 1,000 miles per year. Eligibility still depends on California’s detailed “collector car” definition, including primarily display/preservation use and passing fuel-cap and leak checks.