NeedTags is a highly reputable and reliable online platform that specializes in providing vehicle registration services for California vehicle owners. With a strong track record of customer satisfaction, NeedTags has established itself as a trusted source for individuals and businesses seeking efficient and hassle-free vehicle registration solutions.
NeedTags (needtags.com) has 324 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 3.2 out of 5.
Also known as
needtags.com
Website
needtags.com
Category
Motorcycle & Powersports
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 47% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
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Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
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Very straight forward, easy. Beats waiting at the DMV. I appreciated Esperanza’s prompt responses.
ES
Emily S.
SCAM! Deceptive Website That Steals Your Money and Threatens You!
If I could give negative stars, I would. This website tricks people into overpaying for car tag renewals. I mistakenly used this site, thinking it was the official California DMV, and was charged an extra $72 in bogus fees on top of my renewal.
When I realized the mistake, I immediately contacted them to cancel—but they refused and said all sales are final. To make it even worse, they threaten legal action if you dispute the charge and claim that you’ll be responsible for their attorney fees. Imagine that.
Yes this might be a legitimate website that will give you your tags BUT they know what they are doing.
This is a predatory business that profits off confusion. If you need to renew your tags, GO DIRECTLY TO THE OFFICIAL DMV WEBSITE and avoid getting scammed like I did. STAY AWAY!
Response from NeedTagsApr 4, 2025
Thank you for your review Emily. We appreciate your time. NeedTags strives to provide full transparency. We are not the DMV and make absolutely no claims to that effect. NeedTags is in fact a delegated provider for the California Department of Motor Vehicles. On the header of every page of our website we display the following text, as per California Business Partner Automation requirements, “NOTICE: NeedTags has been officially licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to provide DMV services on their behalf. NeedTags is not owned or operated by any government agency and charges fees for value-add DMV services pursuant to CVC Section 1685. Standard service may be obtained from the DMV at no cost.” It should be noted reversal of your registration transaction is not subject to NeedTags’ discretion, but is instead governed by policies established by the California Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to the Business Partner Automation (BPA) program. As for the benefits of utilizing our service, although the registration renewal interface (portal) for our users is online, the real work is done behind-the-scenes, by our awesome employees, and we're doing our very best to keep our offices staffed and continue offering our valued customers the expedited DMV services they've come to expect from us, including our super speedy next-day shipping, instant download of your renewed registration card, and our above par customer support.
SC
Sydney C.
I had an awful experience with customer…
I had an awful experience with customer service. I called to ask a simple question about my registration renewal, and the representative I spoke with was extremely rude. She talked down to me as if I were clueless and even told me to be quiet and reread the email. It was clear she didn’t want to be there. When I asked her not to speak to me that way, she raised her voice at me. I ended the call, and I won’t be doing business with them again. No one should be treated like that.
Response from NeedTagsApr 1, 2025
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your recent experience with our customer service, and we apologize for not meeting your expectations. Providing excellent service is a top priority for us, and we regret that we fell short in this instance. Please contact our customer care department if we can be of any further assistance.
CU
customer
Deceptive Website with extra fees…JUST say NO!
UPDATE: Standing by original review. Their “notices” about licensing are quite confusing the way they are presented and they should be required to have bold disclaimers rather than vague lawyer-esse fine-print “we are licensed” popups. Clearly a lot of reasonable, busy people have already been duped by this, as you can see by other reviewers as well as a web scam search. One really needs to pay close attention to the details on their site to understand one can still go to DMV to avoid all the extra fees. It shouldn’t be that hard. I am pretty tech savvy and had to work to sift through to get to the real DMV with a simple google search. Needtags is clearly spending a lot of money to show up first in those search engines. They get away with it because people are busy and don’t bother to read it or are understandably confused by their fine print. My 30-something adult and astute daughter read it and was still duped into thinking they were the only option for DMV on-line services. Again, it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out they are just an “expedited” fee service for hire, not the only on-line option.
ORIGINAL: Deceptive website appearing to be official DMV. It is not. They charge outrageous fees for renewing due to “expedited” services. If you are behind on paying your DMV registration, go to a kiosk, AAA office (if you are a member) or directly to DMV and save yourself $60-70. My daughter called me thinking it was a new DMV thing and she was very freaked out. I did some looking on-line and figured out she had been on the needtags site, rather than DMV, but due to their deceptive practices, she was SURE she was on the DMV website and thought they had contracted with this third party with all the extra fees. Buyer BEWARE! It should be shut down and outlawed. Thankfully, we figured it out before she paid all those fees. I am shocked that California DMV would allow this deception.
Response from NeedTagsApr 1, 2025
Thank you for your review. We appreciate your time. NeedTags strives to provide full transparency. We are not the DMV and make absolutely no claims to that effect. NeedTags is in fact a delegated provider for the California Department of Motor Vehicles. On the header of every page of our website we display the following text, as per California Business Partner Automation requirements, “NOTICE: NeedTags has been officially licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to provide DMV services on their behalf. NeedTags is not owned or operated by any government agency and charges fees for value-add DMV services pursuant to CVC Section 1685. Standard service may be obtained from the DMV at no cost.” It should be noted reversal of your registration transaction is not subject to NeedTags’ discretion, but is instead governed by policies established by the California Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to the Business Partner Automation (BPA) program. Furthermore, The NeedTags' website displays to all customers, before they are asked for any payment information, all fees due, including DMV fees, our service fees, and a detailed explanation of the processes required for order completion. It is impossible to bypass these requirements. Certain transactions may require additional information to be provided by the customer which may not be known at the time of order. Although the registration renewal interface (portal) for our users is online, the real work is done behind-the-scenes, by our awesome employees, and we're doing our very best to keep our offices staffed and continue offering our valued customers the expedited DMV services they've come to expect from us, including our super speedy next-day shipping, instant download of your renewed registration card, and our above par customer support.
PB
patrice B.
Great response and service!!
Great response and service!!! Better than going into DMV!
CE
Cristina E.
Misled by DMV Lookalike, Hit with outrageous fees,threatened when I complained
Misled by DMV Lookalike, Hit with Fees, Threatened When I Complained
I got caught in a pinch two days before a DMV deadline and thought NeedTags was the official site—my mistake, but their design and Google ranking make it way too easy to mix up. They charged me an extra $77 in “service fees” on top of the DMV costs, which I didn’t catch until after. Felt gullible, sure, but I figured I’d ask for a partial refund since $77 for clicking a few buttons seemed steep. Nope. They sent a canned response saying all sales are final, funds were already sent to the DMV, and threatened legal action—lawsuits, attorney’s fees, the works—if I disputed the charge. No wiggle room, just intimidation.
Check your receipt and the fine print—they’re a third-party, not the DMV, despite how they present. Save yourself the hassle and go straight to dmv.ca.gov next time. Wish I had.
PS; they may leave a predictable canned response here trying to make themselves look legit. I will be contacting the California consumer fraud division to report them. I'm sure I won't be the first. Google them for how they treated an 81 year old man who went to Channel 7 news. Pathetic company.
Response from NeedTagsMar 24, 2025
Thank you for your review Cristina. We appreciate your time. NeedTags strives to provide full transparency. We are not the DMV and make absolutely no claims to that effect. NeedTags is in fact a delegated provider for the California Department of Motor Vehicles. On the header of every page of our website we display the following text, as per California Business Partner Automation requirements, “NOTICE: NeedTags has been officially licensed by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to provide DMV services on their behalf. NeedTags is not owned or operated by any government agency and charges fees for value-add DMV services pursuant to CVC Section 1685. Standard service may be obtained from the DMV at no cost.” It should be noted reversal of your registration transaction is not subject to NeedTags’ discretion, but is instead governed by policies established by the California Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to the Business Partner Automation (BPA) program. As for the benefits of utilizing our service, although the registration renewal interface (portal) for our users is online, the real work is done behind-the-scenes, by our awesome employees, and we're doing our very best to keep our offices staffed and continue offering our valued customers the expedited DMV services they've come to expect from us, including our super speedy next-day shipping, instant download of your renewed registration card, and our above par customer support. You may visit the DMV but keep in mind on average DMV wait times are usually 3 hours and typically DMV appointments are 1 month out. It's best to have a trusted DMV registration service provider on your side. Please contact our customer care department if we can be of any further assistance.
PC
phillip C.
Motorcycle title transfer
extremely helpful and continuous email communication . very smooth process .. in fact my business (Loose Cannon Fabrication)will use this service again actually as soon as tonight I am going to start another title transfer request tonight..
