With increasing openings in the job market and new technology coming out every day, we are constantly facing the demand for cars and other motor vehicles - and those who sell them. Becoming a California auto dealer is a highly profitable decision. If you are considering becoming a California auto dealer, you’ll need to get licensed with the California DMV in order to legally operate within the state of California. How do you get licensed, you ask? Well, you must pass a state exam proving your knowledge of the industry and that you are a fit candidate for licensure. To pass this exam, California auto dealers often go through “auto dealer schools”. Though attending an auto dealer school is not required to obtain an auto dealer license, it is highly recommended due to the intricate nature of the business and its direct impact on clients. Additionally, depending on the school, you may be able to apply for additional certifications and take courses to educate yourself and other employees of the company on new or old skills that need to be refreshed to maintain quality work and legal compliance. To help you on your auto dealing journey, you can find a list of California’s top auto dealer schools approved by the California DMV below, as rated by their cost, location, course options, and additional resources they may provide. We want to clarify that we’re not affiliated with any of the below dealer schools. We looked at the top auto dealer schools from Google and tried our best to give them a fair comparison. The dealer schools are ranked in no particular order.
Dealer Intel is an auto dealer school that has been solely online since the COVID-19 pandemic. They offer private Zoom workshops and personalized content for aspiring California auto dealers. The pre-exam course is taught from a legal perspective to help students understand how to avoid claims and accidentally committing a crime within the auto dealer industry. They also offer renewal courses, in which the materials are either online or shipped to your residence.
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California Dealer Training is another 100% online course that offers Zoom livestreams. Though it is a little more expensive than most other online options, their pre-exam course includes almost 200 lessons in order to help auto dealers pass their exams. It also includes a much shorter continuing education license renewal course with about half the lessons for less than half the cost of the exam course.
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The Inland Empire/Orange County Dealer School is a California auto dealer school that prides itself on its own experience and knowledge in the industry, which makes it a great candidate for aspiring California dealers. This school only offers one pre-exam course, as well as renewal courses for those who already have their licenses. Additionally, all of their live workshops are streamed on Zoom, so there are no in-person options. However, the course itself can be completed in only 6 hours, and it comes with study materials, a practice exam, and other free handouts, all for a cheap price.
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Bell’s Automotive Dealer: Pre-License and Continued Education is an auto dealer school that primarily focuses on higher-end auto sales (though applicable to all dealerships). The owner was a paralegal and has a Master’s degree in Business, so she understands how to hone entrepreneurial skills within the field. There are options to study for the state exam and to study for renewal, and there are both online and in-person course opportunities to make sure your learning needs are being met. For such a proven school, the classes come at a lower cost than one may expect, though still a little bit more pricey than other schools. This course is best for dealers who thrive better off on hands-on experience rather than reading or listening to learn.
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The Redline Dealer Education school is an auto dealer program that not only aims to help students get their California auto dealer license but also to help them become successful entrepreneurs in the industry. They are also an online-only course with live-streamed workshops on Zoom. They offer courses for licensing exams and renewals and provide resources to advance your business even after the course is over. They offer two main exam prep courses, one being completely self-paced and the other including live workshops. They both come at a pretty cheap price as well, making RDE a great option for education as well as mentorship.
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Golden State Education is an entrepreneurial-focused school that provides an array of resources to California auto dealers. They offer in-person and online classes, but the online classes are synchronous. They offer different courses that go beyond just preparing you for the exam; they also provide materials to help you get your business set up - for an additional cost.
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Motorsports Market is an organization that has been providing educational resources for the California dealer license exam for over 20 years and employs a handful of people with a history of expertise in the industry. Additionally, most of their employees were successful racecar drivers before they joined the team (though some still participate in the sport). They offer courses to prepare students for the licensing exam as well as the renewal process. They pride themselves on their 100% pass rate, and at a low price.
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TriStar Motors has been helping students pass the state exam for over 20 years, and in over 30 different cities across California. They offer a variety of instruction mode options and have courses for both pre-licensure and license renewal. Though they do have more options than most other car dealer schools, they come at a more expensive price, and they do not offer additional resources for business development or personal guidance.
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Dealer 101 is an auto dealer school that has been around for a while and has had great success in preparing students to take the state licensure exam. It is another fully online school that offers both pre-exam programs and renewal programs. The pre-exam course includes 30 videos, notes, practice questions, and more. The school also provides additional resources to help any new dealer get a head start in the industry.
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Sacramento Auto Dealer License Training is an auto dealer school that offers comprehensive options to help you pass the state exam as well as prepare you to run a successful auto dealer business. They have also been granted awards for their exemplary training experience, with titles such as the 2023 Best of Roseville Award and the 2018 Best of Corona Award, 2023 Best of Roseville Award and 2018 Best of Corona Award. The school offers online self-paced studies, live webinar courses, and private in-person options. They also offer guidance along the process, answering questions you may have before and after the exam. Additionally, they even provide services to help with application processing and resources for your business once you get licensed.
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As you have seen, there are many good schooling options for California auto dealers. The main difference is their mode of delivery. For example, almost all of them are solely online or offer online and in-person options as a hybrid delivery mode and offer courses to pass the initial exam as well as help with renewal. The ones we've picked out are the ones that offer some of the cheapest courses, with the most resources to help your business succeed and come with the most necessary information to pass the state exam. If you choose to attend one of these top schools, it is almost guaranteed that you will pass on the first try. We hope you found this article helpful, and as always, contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Good luck!
