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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
January 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 Test 897,137 78,419 8.74%
All Tests 968,813 89,203 9.21%

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 96,238 225,915 84,645 198,925
Non-Directed 147,771 271,577 135,614 251,356
Total 244,009 497,492 220,259 450,281

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 143 27 2 0
Non-Directed 119,776 22,618 111,864 21,033
Total 119,919 22,645 111,866 21,033

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 311 66 21.22% 14.79% 6.75% 8.68% 5.47% NA
1977 408 97 23.77% 14.71% 7.60% 11.27% 9.07% NA
1978 435 82 18.85% 11.03% 4.37% 10.11% 4.83% NA
1979 558 120 21.51% 14.52% 4.84% 9.68% 6.45% NA
1980 269 54 20.07% 14.13% 5.20% 7.43% 2.97% NA
1981 315 75 23.81% 18.10% 6.03% 11.75% 6.35% NA
1982 311 48 15.43% 10.61% 4.18% 6.43% 4.18% NA
1983 411 88 21.41% 16.06% 5.60% 7.54% 3.89% NA
1984 717 147 20.50% 16.04% 5.02% 8.09% 4.46% NA
1985 942 214 22.72% 17.41% 6.37% 9.02% 4.56% NA
1986 1,223 278 22.73% 16.43% 6.30% 9.65% 4.17% NA
1987 1,463 329 22.49% 16.88% 4.72% 8.95% 4.03% NA
1988 1,677 374 22.30% 15.56% 4.77% 10.02% 4.23% NA
1989 2,303 455 19.76% 13.16% 3.43% 9.16% 3.78% NA
1990 2,691 501 18.62% 12.86% 3.90% 8.77% 2.38% NA
1991 2,971 625 21.04% 13.70% 3.50% 9.29% 3.64% NA
1992 2,898 559 19.29% 13.39% 3.35% 8.28% 3.11% NA
1993 3,476 804 23.13% 16.86% 3.54% 9.67% 3.34% NA
1994 4,896 1,067 21.79% 14.99% 3.43% 9.60% 3.27% NA
1995 6,257 1,262 20.17% 13.31% 2.80% 8.44% 3.26% NA
1996 5,793 1,093 18.87% 8.86% 1.47% 10.84% 3.09% 10.81%
1997 9,598 1,793 18.68% 8.53% 1.41% 11.05% 2.84% 11.04%
1998 10,902 1,924 17.65% 7.08% 1.16% 11.14% 2.74% 11.14%
1999 16,910 2,574 15.22% 5.23% 0.97% 10.21% 2.52% 10.21%
2000 232 20 8.62% 5.60% 2.59% 0.86% 3.02% 0.86%
2001 226 20 8.85% 4.87% 1.77% 2.21% 3.10% 2.21%
2002 218 20 9.17% 6.42% 2.75% 3.67% 0.92% 3.67%
2003 265 17 6.42% 3.40% 1.13% 0.75% 2.26% 0.75%
2004 240 10 4.17% 2.08% 0.83% 0.42% 1.67% 0.42%
2005 256 12 4.69% 3.13% 0.00% 1.17% 0.78% 1.17%
2006 253 14 5.53% 3.95% 1.58% 0.40% 2.37% 0.40%
2007 267 17 6.37% 4.49% 1.50% 0.75% 2.25% 0.75%
2008 187 5 2.67% 2.67% 0.53% 0.53% 0.00% 0.53%
2009 75 2 2.67% 1.33% 1.33% 1.33% 0.00% 1.33%
2010 46 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2011 161 1 0.62% 0.62% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2012 157 4 2.55% 0.64% 0.00% 1.91% 0.64% 1.91%
2013 229 5 2.18% 1.31% 0.44% 0.00% 0.87% 0.00%
2014 150 5 3.33% 0.00% 0.00% 1.33% 2.00% 1.33%
2015 229 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2016 68 2 2.94% 0.00% 0.00% 1.47% 1.47% 1.47%
2017 60 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 44 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 31 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 31 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 41 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 179 1 0.56% 0.56% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 39 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other 1 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 81,420 14,784 18.16% 9.94% 2.31% 9.58% 3.04% 5.72%

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 58 3 5.17% 5.17% 0.00% 5.17% 3.45% 0.00%
1997 93 2 2.15% 2.15% 0.00% 2.15% 1.08% 0.00%
1998 235 24 10.21% 6.38% 2.98% 5.96% 3.83% 0.43%
1999 715 92 12.87% 10.77% 1.82% 9.79% 6.43% 0.98%
2000 19,021 3,175 16.69% 14.84% 3.51% 14.65% 10.74% 0.18%
2001 28,404 4,245 14.95% 13.39% 2.70% 13.18% 9.63% 0.21%
2002 24,641 3,499 14.20% 12.53% 2.86% 12.32% 8.59% 0.22%
2003 38,972 4,747 12.18% 10.59% 2.40% 10.39% 7.27% 0.20%
2004 32,642 4,176 12.79% 11.11% 2.44% 10.95% 7.54% 0.16%
2005 47,848 4,932 10.31% 8.92% 1.86% 8.78% 5.96% 0.14%
2006 39,403 4,264 10.82% 9.24% 2.01% 9.08% 6.15% 0.16%
2007 56,543 4,646 8.22% 6.92% 1.56% 6.82% 4.52% 0.10%
2008 38,287 3,126 8.16% 7.10% 1.43% 6.98% 4.87% 0.13%
2009 34,059 2,220 6.52% 5.78% 0.95% 5.70% 4.04% 0.08%
2010 29,459 2,439 8.28% 7.58% 0.97% 7.51% 3.52% 0.07%
2011 54,668 3,288 6.01% 5.58% 0.58% 5.53% 2.58% 0.05%
2012 35,507 2,941 8.28% 7.59% 0.89% 7.53% 3.34% 0.06%
2013 86,441 4,209 4.87% 4.39% 0.59% 4.35% 2.10% 0.04%
2014 40,978 2,745 6.70% 6.16% 0.71% 6.13% 2.62% 0.03%
2015 109,228 4,274 3.91% 3.52% 0.46% 3.50% 1.68% 0.02%
2016 15,783 835 5.29% 4.80% 0.53% 4.78% 2.60% 0.01%
2017 15,901 773 4.86% 4.45% 0.42% 4.43% 2.70% 0.03%
2018 15,583 646 4.15% 3.91% 0.26% 3.90% 2.52% 0.02%
2019 23,109 1,135 4.91% 4.71% 0.16% 4.70% 3.63% 0.01%
2020 12,242 531 4.34% 4.08% 0.27% 4.07% 3.08% 0.02%
2021 10,265 338 3.29% 3.16% 0.19% 3.16% 2.27% 0.00%
2022 4,281 202 4.72% 4.67% 0.00% 4.67% 3.97% 0.00%
2023 1,338 131 9.79% 9.72% 0.07% 9.72% 8.45% 0.00%
Other 4 1 25.00% 0.00% 25.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 815,708 63,639 7.80% 6.93% 1.21% 6.84% 4.25% 0.09%

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 8,097 9.94%
All Visual 9,841 1.21% 2,477 3.04%
All Functional 56,541 6.93% 7,798 9.58%
OBDII 55,830 6.84% 4,659 5.72%
Overall 63,639 7.80% 14,784 18.16%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 707,453 55,490 7.84% 68,055 12,647 18.58%
Partial 39,466 3,096 7.84% 4,061 824 20.29%
Basic 64,070 4,704 7.34% 8,860 1,210 13.66%
Change of Ownership 4,719 349 7.40% 444 103 23.20%
All Program Areas 815,708 63,639 7.80% 81,420 14,784 18.16%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 449,183 36,947 8.23% 48,309 8,758 18.13%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 4,095 321 7.84% 837 66 7.89%
Non-STAR Test-Only 21,018 1,368 6.51% 1,627 172 10.57%
STAR Test-and-Repair 220,911 17,565 7.95% 23,098 4,742 20.53%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 2,624 193 7.36% 172 29 16.86%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 113,328 6,501 5.74% 6,591 851 12.91%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 1,958 88 4.49% 24 2 8.33%
Business Fleet 157 11 7.01% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 35 1 2.86% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 658 534 81.16% 70 30 42.86%
Government Fleet 1,741 110 6.32% 692 134 19.36%
All Stations 815,708 63,639 7.80% 81,420 14,784 18.16%

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 Test 812,719 90.59% 84,418 9.41%
All Tests 873,085 90.12% 95,728 9.88%

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-Only 450,281 90.51% 47,211 9.49%
Non-STAR Test-Only 21,033 92.88% 1,612 7.12%
STAR Test-and-Repair 220,259 90.27% 23,750 9.73%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 111,866 93.28% 8,053 6.72%
All Stations 803,439 90.88% 80,626 9.12%

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 23,014 $64.90 220,476 $56.25 243,490 $57.07
STAR Test-Only 48,227 $56.03 448,494 $52.29 496,721 $52.65
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 6,578 $63.94 112,585 $62.35 119,163 $62.44
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,611 $47.92 20,976 $47.63 22,587 $47.65
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 24 $69.64 1,958 $68.88 1,982 $68.89
Total 79,454 $59.10 804,489 $54.70 883,943 $55.10

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 4 $89.95 16,305 $67.97 23,010 $64.90 204,171 $55.31
STAR Test-Only 137 $43.42 18,702 $46.24 48,090 $56.07 429,792 $52.55
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 73,254 $68.60 6,578 $63.94 39,331 $50.70
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 8,510 $47.50 1,611 $47.92 12,466 $47.71
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 1,754 $68.62 24 $69.64 204 $71.11
Total 141 $44.74 118,525 $63.47 79,313 $59.12 685,964 $53.19

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) $1-100 253 $58.81 1,823 $675.11
$101-250 370 $174.82
$251-500 394 $374.11
$501-650 157 $578.82
Over $650 649 $1,406.61
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 81 $54.44 602 $683.88
$101-250 166 $178.67
$251-500 128 $379.25
$501-650 44 $575.36
Over $650 183 $1,659.93
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 $0.00 280 $1,294.66
$101-250 20 $190.10
$251-500 32 $387.77
$501-650 16 $576.11
Over $650 212 $1,589.98
Total Repairs $1-100 334 $57.75 2,705 $741.19
$101-250 556 $176.52
$251-500 554 $376.08
$501-650 217 $577.92
Over $650 1044 $1,488.25

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 101 34 1,731 76 1,942
STAR Test-Only 20 2 1,665 33 1,720
STAR Sub-Total 121 36 3,396 109 3,662
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 468 63 1,968 208 2,707
Non-STAR Test-Only 27 10 270 36 343
Non-STAR Sub-Total 495 73 2,238 244 3,050
Basic Area 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 5 296 13 358
Repair Only 1 0 36 1 38
Unknown Type 2 1 61 2 66
Other Station Sub-Total 108 8 475 20 611
All Stations 724 117 6,109 373 7,323

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 263 1,583
STAR Test-Only 2 106 1,545
STAR Sub-Total 3 369 3,128
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,616 312
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 108 78
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,724 390
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 16 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 43 4
Unknown Type 0 14 41
Government Fleet 6 121 24
Referee 0 4 27
Other Station Sub-Total 6 200 96
All Stations 9 2,293 3,614

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
CAT BAR Label 645
Law Enforcement Citations 494
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 474
BAR Referrals 215
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 135
Engine Change/Replacement 106
Clean Gas 71
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 34
Grey Market 25
OBD Monitor Issues 8
All Inspections 2,207

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 214 77
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 32 4
Limited Parts Exemption 7 0
Exempt Vehicle 1 15
Exempted by Directive 14 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 268 96

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,237
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,207
All License Types 8,444

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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