Your car donation does not have to pass smog or emissions checks first.

Donate Car For Charity Tip: Some donors have asked about smog or emissions checks for vehicle donations. The good news is that you can donate a car without having it pass these regulatory tests first. It would be the responsibility of the car donation charity and/or the party to whom the charity will sell the donated car to have the smog/emissions test done. The car donation process is set up to be as fast, easy, and user-friendly for the donor as possible-- and this includes matters such as a smog check. A good car donation charity will take on all of these sorts of responsibilities.