Department of Motor Vehicles

I have unfortunately been to this location many times and my experiences have been all the same, very bad. This DMV location is always crowded and very slow. Part of the problem as mentioned by other Unilocalers is the staff who are overall rude, slow and non-​communicative. While there are huge lines of people they will have only 2 – 3 windows open while the rest of the staff chat, have coffee, hang out on their computers or wander around. I’m hoping in the future the DMV staff can be replaced by robots who would provide quicker, accurate service.

Best DMV ever! Looked online to book an appointment to avoid long lines and they had one that day! So I went in and I was in and out of there within 20 minutes! I went in to renew my license and I had to fill out paper work and take a picture. Fast and friendly! Even if you don’t have an appointment, the wait was about 30 minutes which is less than any other DMV and the people know what they are doing there. Always coming back here (:

This is horrible, we had only two windows calling people — serving like they say when the call you — from entire 8 window. The other employees were just taking breaks and having chat to each other. They get paid by the hours right? Then why they just chat instead of working, horrible location

I had to transfer title for several vehicles after my mom passed away. I made an appointment and the lady that helped me was empathetic and helpful. DMV gets a bad rap from comedians but in real life it was necessary to get the paperwork straightened out and it was also efficient.
Some advice: Make an appointment, go in with a good attitude, and recognize the DMV has to deal with all kinds of people… hostile people, nut jobs, nasty tempered individuals and novices who are clueless. If you are kind, it goes a long way!
I’d give it 5 stars, but I can’t really get that excited over paperwork and title transfers.

I bought my own car, paid for the registration and followed the instructions given by Valarie. She made my DMV nightmare at ease. All I needed to do was VIN verification outside and turn in smog paperwork. Got my license plate, and registration tags in one day. The wait was not long at all. Would recommend this DMV over any other ones!

I walked in and out in 20 minutes. The only issue I had was the rookie behind the counter. She was new at her job and I had to correct her twice, But for the most part very easy in and out!

My sister gifted me her old car and we had to transfer title. We made appointment almost 10 days in advance and the whole process took about 30 minutes. Our gal that helped us was really nice and efficient. I expected the worst and was pleasantly surprised.
Some tips: Don’t go Mondays. There is a lull right before lunch after the early birds have been processed and leave. Also, I highly recommend making an appointment
Only 4 stars because other employees were moving slow behind the counter and were in no hurry even though there were at least 50 people in the lobby.

Average processing time of the three people behind the counter appears to be slower than rate of appointments that they schedule. The non appointment line is more of a farce and this location epitomizes the essence of government inefficiency.

This is probably the worst DMV I have been to, people working there look angry and depressed.

I feel weird giving a DMV five stars, but this place deserves it. I needed to take my boyfriend to the DMV because his license expired and though he had ordered a new license online, he did not have an interim one to use in the meantime. We checked wait times before leaving, and this one had less of a wait time than our regular Sacramento DMV so we decided to go here. A pretty small parking lot, but there were almost no cars there. We got kind of excited, as in «Wow we might actually be in and out kind of quickly!» We told the clerk what we needed, and he gave us a ticket. G046, and it was already on G044. What?! We were called up maybe thirty seconds after we had sat down, and we did not even have an appointment. The person at the window quickly printed out a temporary license, and we were on our way. Took maybe five minutes total. Employees are decently friendly too.

I’d rather drive to sac. Terrible attitudes. Never had an even ok experience, and they’re very slow for no apparent reason. Have had the opposite experience in sac so I think I prefer the extra drive.

Yes, we all hate going to the DMV (unless you like to people watch depression).
But, I have to give this one credit. I got there right at opening, and a huge line had already formed. A gentleman politely went up and down the line and started directing us to where we needed to be. Considering there were about 8 people in front of me, I was probably in there for less than 20 minutes.
Quite impressive for a DMV, I must say…

If it’s that time of year for you to face the DMV, this is the one to go to. I live in Sacramento but Davis is only 15 miles away, (20mins) and believe me it’s worth the drive. I figured most people in Davis don’t even drive since its a bikers kind of town, which helps cut down the lines and wait time. Every time I come to this location, the people that help me have always been very nice, efficient, and fast. Did I fail to mention that it only took me 16 minutes to get seen last time I came in. Yup that’s right… You can actually be in and out of a dmv within less than half and hour. Need I say more, LOL…

Pretty decent compared to all the other DMV’s I’ve frequented in Sacramento. Made an appointment to get my license renewed and only had to wait about 10 minutes (after I had checked in and received a number) to have my eyesight tested and picture taken. I came in around 2PM and it wasn’t busy at all, workers were fairly helpful but seemed to hate their job. The lady who took my picture didn’t even let me see the final result but reassured me it looked «fine.» She should know, by now, the importance of a good driver’s license photo! No idea why she couldn’t show me. There wasn’t even anyone in line after me :(
All in all, I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. Would recommend coming here on a weekday during normal work hours so you won’t have to wait as long. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE! It seriously makes all the difference! As I was leaving the line started getting longer and longer and we all know it sucks to wait at the DMV!
Giving this place a ⁴⁄₅ just because they should really teach their workers the importance of being somewhat jolly – especially around the holidays – or to at least look like they enjoy being there.

Great service and absolutely no line in sight to get a new license. Did I mention this was a walk in without any appointment?!

45 – 1.5 hr wait usually. Not bad. Met a couple employees downers. I feel like I’m at a cemetery…
Convo today from chick at window 7:
Emp: So the shipping address is the one that’s going to be on your Id?
Me: No that’s where I’d like the Id to be sent and the primary address is the one I want on the Id.
Emp: The shipping address is the one that shows up on your Id.
Me: Okay can you have the other address on my Id. Is it possible to send the actual license to a diff address?
Emp: The shipping address is the one that shows up on your Id.
Me: …okay. Other address please.
… Why is there a section for a primary address and a shipping address then…
Edit: Turns out you can have a different address on your license than the shipping address (!). There was a primary address and shipping on the paper. I heard the lady turn down a couple other people for the same thing after me. They’re messing up.

Everyone dreads going to the DMV, but this Davis site makes me, believe it or not, EAGER to get my license/​car issues fixed. Service is quick and efficient WITH A SMILE. When was the last time you’ve met cheerful employees at a DMV?
Came in on Tuesday afternoon around 1pm and was able to renew my license within an hour. It would’ve been faster if I knew my license number (You should really write that shit down in your phone/​wallet if you’re as forgetful as me).

QUICK AND EFFICIENT SERVICE, everything I love to experience at a DMV, haha.
I’m from Sacramento, but go to school in Davis. If I were to ever need DMV services, I would MUCH rather come here than to go home to the South Sacramento location. The staff is nicer, relatively patient and aren’t rude. I needed to renew my license with a new picture, I waited for about 2 minutes before being called up. Mind you, it was a random afternoon on a Thursday. There wasn’t much of a crowd or many people waiting to be assisted. I was done within 10 minutes!
DMV visit that took less than 15 minutes? Count me IN!
TIP: Go at awkward times of the day during the middle of the week and there will likely be less of a crowd.

Wait outside if the weather is cooperating that day. There’s a speaker out there.
Counter to brianna l.‘s review:
The DMV in Davis is NOT QUICK. They do all look pretty miserable. 20 minutes? You must have come on a good day because that’s a joke for anyone to expect that little of a visit time.
Okay, so that counter was over a year later. Maybe it was that good back in the day.
While not quick, they are thorough. If you show up with multiple things to do, they do attempt to take care of all of them in that one visit. But please, don’t anticipate a smile– you’d be let down sorely.

Make an appointment or the lady at the front desk will shake her head disapprovingly and look at you like you’re dumb… No seriously.
I walked in around 2pm to renew my driver’s license last Friday. It was the first time I’ve been to a DMV in 4 years when I first got my driver’s license. I walked up to the front desk and the lady there greeted me,“What can I do for you today?” I told her I wanted to renew my license. She then sighed, ROLLED HER EYES, and said, «You really should have made an appointment. Here’s your number. Go sit down and wait to be called.» …Seriously? It’s probably been a long day for her, but still…
Other than that beginning incident, the other employees seem super nice. I had to wait about 50 minutes before I was helped. The second lady who helped me was super nice and struck up a conversation as she was doing the paperwork for me. She was basically the opposite from the front desk lady. As I waited to take my new picture, I had a nice conversation with another employee who was a big 49ers fan as well.
Overall, this place is nice and well-​kept. It’s a little smaller than the DMVs I’m used to seeing in the Bay Area. Most of the staff are friendly. Definitely make an appointment before you come or check queue times online!