Virginia Vehicle Inspection Cost? (Arlington, Alexandria: how much, car tax, live in)

[kfm667]

Hey all!

I will be moving to VA in a couple months and I am wondering how much does the annual vehicle inspection generally cost?

Thanks in advance,

Kevin

[dullnboring]

The state safety inspection I believe costs $16 and can be done at any service station and is generally fairly quick unless you wait until the very end of the month when a lot of people try to get it done. There's the wait for them to see your car which varies, and then the actual inspection takes around 15 minutes.

Additionally, if you live in Northern Virginia, you are required (except under certain circumstances) to get an Emissions testing, usually done at the same time, once every two years (as opposed to once a year for the safety inspection) for a cost I believe of around $25. This is only required in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Alexandria and the independent cities within (Fairfax, Manassas, Falls Church, etc.).

[kfm667]

Thank you dullnboring!

[EricD]

Originally Posted by dullnboring

This is only required in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Alexandria and the independent cities within (Fairfax, Manassas, Falls Church, etc.).

And Stafford!

And the prices for that test are regulated, so they should be the same everywhere. Also, technically, even if you live outside that area, but you do more than 75% of your driving in NoVa, you're supposed to get that test done... (But no-one does) It does help you find out if there's a problem with your car though.

[StuckPA]

It's not so much the inspection costs as the 'personal property tax' assessed on your vehicle. When I lived in s.w. VA I got hit with a huge annual tax even on my piece of junk vehicle.

[jb124]

Originally Posted by StuckPA

It's not so much the inspection costs as the 'personal property tax' assessed on your vehicle. When I lived in s.w. VA I got hit with a huge annual tax even on my piece of junk vehicle.

They waive a percentage of the car tax now, depending on your vehicle's value. It's called the Car Tax Relief Act or something like that. I haven't had to pay tax on my car in years, and even when I did it was like $50-75, which is nothing in the big picture.