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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
2023

Download Data (.csv)
  • Initial Tests
  • Initial Test Failures
  • Certification
  • Inspection and Repair Costs
  • Stations and Technicians
  • Smog Check Requirements by Vehicle Type

Initial Tests

Testing Volume

Test Type Performed Failed Failure Rate
Initial Tests 10,761,286 944,309 8.78%
All Tests 11,678,011 1,084,215 9.28%

Initial Tests Performed by STAR Stations

Vehicle Type Test-and-Repair Station Initial Tests Test-Only Station Initial Tests Test-and-Repair Station Certificates Issued Test-Only Station Certificates Issued
Directed 1,122,007 2,679,662 986,527 2,362,371
Non-Directed 1,796,458 3,376,775 1,643,181 3,116,674
Total 2,918,465 6,056,437 2,629,708 5,479,045

Initial Tests Performed by Non-STAR Stations

Vehicle Type Test-and-Repair Station Initial Tests Test-Only Station Initial Tests Test-and-Repair Station Certificates Issued Test-Only Station Certificates Issued
Directed 1,659 469 55 23
Non-Directed 1,440,796 285,410 1,342,685 264,545
Total 1,442,455 285,879 1,342,740 264,568

BAR-97 Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year

Model Year Initial Tests Failed Overall Overall Failure Rate Emissions Failure Rate Gross Polluter Failure Rate Functional Failure Rate Visual Failure Rate OBDII Failure Rate
1976 4,101 886 21.60% 15.24% 6.24% 9.34% 4.85% NA
1977 5,175 1,124 21.72% 14.63% 5.51% 9.95% 5.66% NA
1978 6,329 1,334 21.08% 14.36% 5.29% 9.70% 4.53% NA
1979 6,854 1,531 22.34% 15.61% 5.94% 10.11% 5.43% NA
1980 3,766 722 19.17% 13.86% 6.00% 8.44% 4.43% NA
1981 4,185 974 23.27% 18.06% 7.22% 8.91% 5.38% NA
1982 4,292 911 21.23% 15.66% 6.34% 8.43% 4.82% NA
1983 5,480 1,185 21.62% 16.55% 6.31% 8.50% 4.51% NA
1984 9,421 2,099 22.28% 16.98% 6.43% 8.60% 4.79% NA
1985 12,608 2,787 22.11% 16.65% 6.02% 9.22% 4.72% NA
1986 16,567 3,634 21.94% 15.89% 5.98% 9.39% 4.35% NA
1987 18,875 4,188 22.19% 16.36% 5.49% 9.13% 4.31% NA
1988 21,478 4,589 21.37% 15.35% 4.93% 8.99% 3.76% NA
1989 28,996 5,777 19.92% 13.82% 4.03% 8.85% 3.51% NA
1990 32,262 6,313 19.57% 13.19% 3.87% 8.95% 3.34% NA
1991 38,200 7,578 19.84% 13.65% 3.94% 8.61% 3.20% NA
1992 35,947 6,930 19.28% 13.15% 3.38% 8.13% 3.10% NA
1993 44,026 9,555 21.70% 15.54% 3.67% 8.91% 3.20% NA
1994 54,349 11,579 21.30% 14.69% 3.06% 8.93% 3.43% NA
1995 76,565 15,035 19.64% 13.58% 2.49% 7.88% 3.04% NA
1996 67,324 13,142 19.52% 9.77% 1.41% 10.62% 3.24% 10.61%
1997 121,155 22,436 18.52% 8.60% 1.24% 10.57% 2.81% 10.56%
1998 127,005 23,179 18.25% 7.74% 1.33% 11.11% 2.92% 11.10%
1999 202,589 31,191 15.40% 5.31% 0.93% 10.20% 2.61% 10.19%
2000 3,159 358 11.33% 7.19% 3.17% 2.91% 2.75% 2.89%
2001 2,849 237 8.32% 4.56% 1.54% 2.46% 2.18% 2.46%
2002 2,764 208 7.53% 4.92% 2.10% 2.17% 1.81% 2.17%
2003 3,579 220 6.15% 3.60% 1.34% 1.76% 1.54% 1.76%
2004 3,204 168 5.24% 3.25% 1.28% 1.15% 1.15% 1.16%
2005 3,646 205 5.62% 3.76% 1.04% 1.01% 1.37% 1.02%
2006 3,515 213 6.06% 3.90% 1.37% 1.00% 1.79% 1.00%
2007 3,429 180 5.25% 3.30% 0.96% 0.76% 2.01% 0.76%
2008 2,526 95 3.76% 1.98% 0.63% 1.03% 0.99% 1.03%
2009 1,180 61 5.17% 3.31% 1.53% 0.85% 1.36% 0.85%
2010 694 17 2.45% 1.15% 0.43% 0.72% 1.01% 0.72%
2011 2,147 18 0.84% 0.37% 0.14% 0.23% 0.23% 0.23%
2012 1,776 31 1.75% 0.68% 0.23% 0.79% 0.45% 0.79%
2013 3,155 51 1.62% 0.70% 0.19% 0.57% 0.44% 0.57%
2014 1,947 27 1.39% 0.31% 0.10% 0.56% 0.67% 0.56%
2015 4,419 47 1.06% 0.29% 0.09% 0.57% 0.23% 0.57%
2016 984 8 0.81% 0.20% 0.00% 0.41% 0.20% 0.41%
2017 800 12 1.50% 1.00% 0.37% 0.37% 0.25% 0.37%
2018 636 2 0.31% 0.16% 0.00% 0.00% 0.16% 0.00%
2019 579 3 0.52% 0.17% 0.00% 0.17% 0.17% 0.17%
2020 385 4 1.04% 0.26% 0.00% 0.26% 0.52% 0.26%
2021 516 5 0.97% 0.39% 0.39% 0.58% 0.00% 0.58%
2022 1,243 5 0.40% 0.24% 0.16% 0.08% 0.08% 0.08%
2023 2,031 6 0.30% 0.05% 0.00% 0.20% 0.05% 0.20%
2024 599 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 999,311 180,860 18.10% 10.13% 2.37% 9.27% 3.06% 9.69%

Note: Some model year 1975 and older vehicles required a Referee inspection (for example, engine changes). Vehicle model years 2000 and newer were tested on the BAR-97 because they may not be compatible with the OIS test (for example, a non-OBD-II certified vehicle).

OIS Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year

Model Year Initial Tests Failed Overall Overall Failure Rate Functional Failure Rate Visual Failure Rate OBDII Failure Rate OBDII Readiness Failure Rate Smoke and/or Liquid Leak Failure Rate
1996 143 8 5.59% 4.23% 1.41% 4.23% 2.11% 1.09%
1997 313 17 5.43% 5.11% 0.96% 4.79% 2.88% 0.54%
1998 2,035 204 10.02% 8.06% 2.85% 7.58% 4.75% 0.58%
1999 7,797 933 11.97% 10.66% 1.98% 10.26% 7.22% 0.59%
2000 218,706 36,350 16.62% 14.79% 3.37% 14.58% 10.71% 0.43%
2001 346,220 51,380 14.84% 13.26% 2.79% 13.06% 9.58% 0.36%
2002 281,968 40,080 14.21% 12.48% 2.99% 12.25% 8.52% 0.42%
2003 470,281 56,658 12.05% 10.51% 2.50% 10.31% 7.14% 0.33%
2004 369,618 45,770 12.38% 10.77% 2.62% 10.56% 7.24% 0.35%
2005 589,171 60,740 10.31% 8.97% 2.02% 8.82% 6.08% 0.25%
2006 435,363 45,897 10.54% 9.14% 2.14% 8.96% 6.06% 0.26%
2007 698,323 55,882 8.00% 6.86% 1.63% 6.76% 4.50% 0.16%
2008 409,383 34,268 8.37% 7.39% 1.45% 7.26% 4.98% 0.19%
2009 443,595 29,878 6.74% 6.03% 1.01% 5.94% 4.20% 0.13%
2010 330,576 27,327 8.27% 7.65% 0.96% 7.59% 3.48% 0.10%
2011 636,091 41,779 6.57% 6.07% 0.72% 6.01% 2.77% 0.08%
2012 377,625 30,867 8.17% 7.51% 0.98% 7.45% 3.29% 0.09%
2013 1,068,616 56,491 5.29% 4.77% 0.67% 4.74% 2.25% 0.05%
2014 393,939 25,794 6.55% 6.01% 0.75% 5.97% 2.67% 0.05%
2015 1,410,525 63,462 4.50% 4.03% 0.58% 4.00% 1.88% 0.03%
2016 252,348 11,974 4.75% 4.42% 0.45% 4.40% 2.36% 0.03%
2017 203,439 10,342 5.08% 4.79% 0.41% 4.77% 2.85% 0.03%
2018 187,315 8,227 4.39% 4.14% 0.33% 4.13% 2.71% 0.02%
2019 229,378 11,198 4.88% 4.70% 0.24% 4.69% 3.49% 0.02%
2020 144,452 6,729 4.66% 4.51% 0.19% 4.50% 3.47% 0.01%
2021 137,201 5,209 3.80% 3.65% 0.18% 3.64% 2.76% 0.01%
2022 75,282 3,092 4.11% 3.99% 0.13% 3.99% 3.19% 0.01%
2023 39,254 2,555 6.51% 6.43% 0.09% 6.42% 5.65% 0.02%
2024 2,958 317 10.72% 10.72% 0.00% 10.72% 9.67% 0.00%
Other 60 19 31.67% 12.28% 34.78% 10.53% 7.02% 3.85%
All Model Years 9,761,975 763,447 7.82% 6.99% 1.27% 6.89% 4.26% 0.15%

Note: Some model year 1999 and older vehicles required a Referee inspection, were tested at Beta stations, or were 1998/1999 model year diesels.

Initial Test Failures

Initial Test Failures by Failure Type

Failure Type OIS BAR-97
Failed Failure Rate Failed Failure Rate
All Emissions NA NA 101,224 10.13%
All Visual 123,705 1.27% 30,585 3.06%
All Functional 681,900 6.99% 92,645 9.27%
OBDII 673,071 6.89% 55,237 9.69%
Overall 763,447 7.82% 180,860 18.10%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 8,443,283 661,404 7.83% 831,442 154,212 18.55%
Partial 478,820 37,911 7.92% 49,688 9,842 19.81%
Basic 779,088 59,423 7.63% 112,019 15,482 13.82%
Change of Ownership 60,784 4,709 7.75% 6,162 1,324 21.49%
All Program Areas 9,761,975 763,447 7.82% 999,311 180,860 18.10%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 5,457,558 450,650 8.26% 598,879 107,818 18.00%
Non-STAR Test-Only 264,220 17,340 6.56% 21,659 2,587 11.94%
STAR Test-and-Repair 2,628,886 213,206 8.11% 289,579 57,862 19.98%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1,362,283 78,564 5.77% 80,172 10,722 13.37%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 23,740 1,101 4.64% 355 29 8.17%
Business Fleet 3,096 85 2.75% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 211 9 4.27% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 2,857 1,554 54.39% 713 401 56.24%
Government Fleet 19,124 938 4.90% 7,954 1,441 18.12%
All Stations 9,761,975 763,447 7.82% 999,311 180,860 18.10%

BAR-97 Initial Test Failure Rate by Vehicle Model Year

BAR-97 Initial Test Failure Rate by Vehicle Model Year. A visual representation of the data of the chart in the BAR-97 Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table from 1976 to 1999.

Note: Please see tabular data in the BAR-97 Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table for BAR-97 tests conducted on other vehicle model years not shown in chart.

OIS Initial Test Failure Rate by Vehicle Model Year

A chart showing OIS initial test failure rate by vehicle model year 2000 to 2019. The chart is a visual display of the OIS Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table.

Note: Please see tabular data in the OIS Initial Tests by Vehicle Model Year table for OIS tests conducted on other vehicle model years not shown in chart.

Certification

Certification Volume

Test Type Certificates Issued Total Certificates Issued Percent No Certificates Issued No Certificates Issued Percent
Initial Tests 9,743,630 90.54% 1,017,656 9.46%
All Tests 10,513,718 90.03% 1,164,293 9.97%

Certification Volume by Station Type1

Station Type Certificates Issued on Initial Test Total Certificates Issued Percent No Certificates Issued on Initial Test Total No Certificates Issued Percent
STAR Test-and-Repair 2,629,708 90.11% 288,757 9.89%
STAR Test-Only 5,479,045 90.47% 577,392 9.53%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1,342,740 93.09% 99,715 6.91%
Non-STAR Test-Only 264,568 92.55% 21,311 7.45%
Total 9,716,061 90.78% 987,175 9.22%

1 Note: Excludes Basic area dealer, Fleets and Referee stations

Inspection and Repair Costs

Inspection Costs by Station and Test Type1

Station Type BAR-97 Initial Test Count Average BAR-97 Inspection Cost OIS Initial Test Count Average OIS Inspection Cost Total Initial Test Count Overall Average Inspection Cost
STAR Test-and-Repair 289,579 $69.71 2,628,886 $59.16 2,918,465 $64.44
STAR Test-Only 598,879 $59.26 5,457,558 $54.39 6,056,437 $56.82
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 80,172 $65.50 1,362,283 $69.07 1,442,455 $67.29
Non-STAR Test-Only 21,659 $55.86 264,220 $50.07 285,879 $52.96
Total 990,289 $64.27 9,712,947 $60.84 10,703,236 $62.55

1 Note: Smog Check Inspectors are asked to enter their inspection costs once per month. These costs may or may not include any discounts and may not reflect the actual inspection cost. Additionally, inspection costs entries in excess of $99 cannot be entered into the BAR-97 software.

Inspection Costs by Station and Equipment Type1

Station Type BAR-97 Equipment Only OIS Equipment Only Both Equipment (BAR-97 and OIS)
BAR-97 Initial Test Count Average BAR-97 Inspection Cost OIS Initial Test Count Average OIS Inspection Cost BAR-97 Inspection Count Average BAR-97 Inspection Cost OIS Initial Test Count Average OIS Inspection Cost
STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 3,333 $58.54 289,579 $69.71 2,625,553 $59.17
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 4,511 $55.37 598,879 $59.27 5,453,047 $54.38
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 475,405 $72.75 80,172 $65.77 886,878 $66.47
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 66,267 $51.51 21,659 $55.47 197,953 $49.18
Total 0 $0.00 549,516 $69.97 990,289 $64.30 9,163,431 $58.97

1 Note: Smog Check Inspectors are asked to enter their inspection costs once per month. These costs may or may not include any discounts and may not reflect the actual inspection cost. Additionally, inspection costs entries in excess of $99 cannot be entered into the BAR-97 software.

Repair Costs

Repair Station Type Cost Ranges Vehicles Repaired Average Cost Vehicles Repaired (All Cost Ranges) Average Cost (All Cost Ranges)
STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair, Non-CAP) $1-100 6117 $54.44 38,359 $662.19
$101-250 7956 $173.48
$251-500 7960 $366.63
$501-650 3261 $576.29
Over $650 13065 $1,445.84
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 1652 $52.43 9,371 $622.32
$101-250 2547 $173.21
$251-500 2051 $365.51
$501-650 658 $573.06
Over $650 2463 $1,696.02
Repair-Only $1-100 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
$101-250 0 $0.00
$251-500 0 $0.00
$501-650 0 $0.00
Over $650 0 $0.00
CAP Repairs $1-100 0 $0.00 4,684 $1,242.21
$101-250 326 $206.87
$251-500 518 $388.74
$501-650 373 $578.47
Over $650 3467 $1,538.49
Total Repairs $1-100 7769 $54.01 52,414 $706.89
$101-250 10829 $174.42
$251-500 10529 $367.50
$501-650 4292 $575.98
Over $650 18995 $1,495.19

Note: Non-CAP repair costs are based solely on Smog Check Inspector entries. The majority of non-CAP repairs are not entered into the repair database and therefore not included in this summary.

Stations and Technicians

Licensed Stations by Type/Privilege and Program Area

Station Type Basic Change-of-Ownership Enhanced Partial Total
STAR Test-and-Repair 106 37 1,694 77 1,914
STAR Test-Only 22 2 1,733 37 1,794
STAR Sub-Total 128 39 3,427 114 3,708
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 494 68 2,193 222 2,977
Non-STAR Test-Only 39 12 442 46 539
Non-STAR Sub-Total 533 80 2,635 268 3,516
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 53 0 0 0 53
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 49 4 58
Referee 5 0 30 0 35
Government Fleet 44 5 299 13 361
Repair Only 1 0 38 1 40
Other Station Sub-Total 106 7 419 18 550
All Stations 767 126 6,481 400 7,774

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 0 130 1,838
STAR Test-Only 1 53 1,758
STAR Sub-Total 1 183 3,596
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1 1,783 412
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 159 225
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,942 637
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 24 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 41 6
Government Fleet 3 183 46
Referee 0 0 33
Other Station Sub-Total 3 250 85
All Stations 5 2,375 4,318

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
Law Enforcement Citations 6,920
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 6,253
CAT BAR Label 5,567
BAR Referrals 2,547
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 1,872
Engine Change/Replacement 1,147
Clean Gas 769
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 341
Grey Market 230
OBD Monitor Issues 45
All Inspections 25,691

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 2,580 859
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 452 69
Limited Parts Exemption 76 8
Exempt Vehicle 40 150
Exempted by Directive 175 5
Hardship Extensions 1 0
All Certificates Issued 3,324 1,091

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 5,423
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,570
GU (Government) 452
All License Types 10,445

Smog Check Requirements by Vehicle Type

Fuel Type Model-Year GVWR1 OBD II Equipped? Smog Check Required
All2 Four model-years and newer3 All All None
Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth model-years4 All All None
1975 and earlier All All None
Gasoline and Flex Fuel
(Methanol or Ethanol)
1976-1999 All All BAR-97
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes5 OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 All BAR-97
Hybrid 2000 and newer 14,000 and less All OIS
Dedicated Propane and Natural Gas
(CNG, LNG, or LPG)
1976-1999 14,000 and less All BAR-97
Over 14,000 All None
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 All None
Diesel 1976-1997 All All None
1998 and newer 14,000 and less All OIS
Over 14,000 All None6
Full Electric Powered All All All None
Motorcycle All All All None
Other Vehicles: Two Cylinder Engine,
Two-stroke Engine,
Off-highway Registered
All All All None

1 Gross vehicle weight rating
2 Includes gasoline, flex fuel, hybrid, dedicated propane, and natural gas vehicles. A Smog Check is required for all out-of-state 1976 model-year and newer vehicles registering in California for the first time and other initial registration events determined by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
3 Vehicles four model-years and newer are not subject to biennial (every other year) or change-of-ownership Smog Checks. Add four to the model-year of a vehicle to determine the first year a vehicle will be subject to a change-of-ownership Smog Check. For example, a 2010 model-year vehicle will be first subject a change-of-ownership Smog Check in 2014 (2010+4=2014).
4 Fifth through eighth model-year vehicles are not subject to biennial Smog Checks. However, a change-of-ownership Smog Check is required. Add eight to the model-year of a vehicle to determine the first year a vehicle will be subject to a biennial Smog Check. For example, a 2010 model-year vehicle will be first subject to a biennial Smog Check in 2018 (2010+8=2018).
5 In the future, BAR may identify some vehicles that have GVWR of 14,000 and less or that have problematic OBD II systems that may require the BAR-97 test.
6 Fleet vehicles are subject to the ARB Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP).

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