California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Phone Number

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  • Calls California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s Customer Service department
  • The average hold time is 61m
  • Hours are Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PST
  • The best time to call is 8:30am
  • Popular issues for this call center: Registration, DUI, Suspension, Lost ID/License Renewal, and Title Release.
  • Reach a live California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) agent: Press 1 then 1 then 0
  • What you hear when you call: To renew or replace a license/ID, press 1. To renew a vehicle registration, press 3. To pay an insurance suspension fee, press 3. To book a field office appointment, press 4. To find a DMV location, press 5. For additional information, press 9 or stay on the line.

Calling California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Care at 800-777-0133

Oct 3, 2023

This number is mostly used for the purpose of paying bills to the California DMV, making it mostly useless to people who don't actually have an account with the state of California. However, this number does have a purpose if you're using it to get information, as you can use it to find the location and hours of any DMV in the state.

When you call, you're taken to a menu where you can make a payment for things such as renewing your license or updating your vehicle registration. If you don't need to make payments for anything, you can request a directory of DMV locations to find the right location to serve your needs.

If you make that selection, you're asked to enter your five-digit ZIP Code so the system can find the three DMV locations that are closest to your ZIP Code. Once you provide that, the system will tell you where each location is and how far away it is from the ZIP Code you've given it. You can then request more information about each location, such as what its hours are or what street it's located on. After providing this information, the system gives you the option to hang up, return to the previous menu or transfer to the main number to get personal assistance.

If you choose to transfer to the main number, you'll get moved over to Miles, the California DMV's automated assistant. Miles is only helpful up to a point, as telling it what you're calling about can only connect you to a representative or set up a call-back for the next representative to come available. If the line is too long for you to get assistance before the close of business, you'll be directed to request a call-back and can schedule one for the next business day.

Overall, I thought this was a decent automated system for California drivers. The ability to handle payments over the phone makes for an easy way for customers to stay on top of any financial obligations to the state, and the information available from the DMV locations can be very helpful if in-person assistance becomes necessary. In addition, the option to connect with Miles and get help from an actual team member can be a welcome one for customers, as some problems need a human voice to be properly figured out.

The negatives about this call are that Miles isn't very helpful, and this number doesn't provide a lot of use unless you're already a California driver or planning to become one in the very near future. If I were a California driver or moving to California, I'd be inclined to use this number, as it seems to be set up very well. With a few tweaks, it could be an even better experience.

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Reasons customers like you called recently

How do i renew my TEMPORARY handicap placard
Is an error on my driving record that is causing my insurance to be extremely high. I’v...
There is an error on my driving record that’s causing my insurance to be extremely expensive.
I got a DUI in **** and went to prison and a program until **** and shortly after that...
Registration renewal fee
Need copy of my drivers license
I received a notice of ‘bridge toll violation’ from FasTrak. The notice included a pho...
i have been waiting for my license in the mail for over two months now. i am traveling...
I need to renew my drivers license
i have been waiting foir my new license un the mail for over two months and need it asap
I'm enrolled in paperless notification with the CA DMV and I didn't recieve any email n...
it has been over * months since i ordered a new license in the mail. i need my license...
Trying to talk to CA DMV rep about registering vehicle in NM. No option to hold- says c...
No one can come to the phone

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Phone Number 800-777-0133 - Stats

Phone number to dial800-777-0133
Call-back availableYES
Call picked up by a real personYES
Department you're callingCustomer Service
Call center hoursMon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PST
Best time to dial8:30am
Average wait61 minutes
Current wait80 minutes
Rank (among phone numbers)1
Rank (overall)1
Communication channelsphone, web, twitter
Quality of communication63%
Quality of help66%
Customer votes4,722
Information last updatedFri Mar 15 2024 08:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s Best Toll-Free/800 Customer Phone Number

This is California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) agent. This phone number is California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)'s Best Phone Number because 83,022 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback. Common problems addressed by the customer care unit that answers calls to 800-777-0133 include Registration, DUI, Suspension, Lost ID/License Renewal, Title Release and other customer service issues. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) call center that you call into has employees from California and is open Mon-Tue 8am-5pm, Wed 9am-5pm, Thu-Fri 8am-5pm PST according to customers. In total, California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) has 4 phone numbers. It's not always clear what is the best way to talk to California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) representatives, so we started compiling this information built from suggestions from the customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue to improve this free resource.

What is GetHuman's Relationship to California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV)?

In short, the two companies are not related. GetHuman builds free tools and shares information amongst customers of companies like California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV). For large companies that includes tools such as our GetHuman Phone, which allows you to call a company but skip the part where you wait on the line listening to their call technology music. We've created these shortcuts and apps to try to help customers like you (and ourselves!) navigate the messy phone menus, hold times, and confusion with customer service, especially with larger companies. And as long as you keep sharing it with your friends and loved ones, we'll keep doing it.

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Beyond the Phone Number

There are other ways to get in touch with California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV), including their website / help desk and their Twitter handle. Visit our California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Service page for more information.
California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Service

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