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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
March 2024

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 975,734 85,579 8.77%
All Tests 1,057,970 97,928 9.26%

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 98,054 233,939 86,048 205,948
Non-Directed 164,823 317,299 150,987 293,385
Total 262,877 551,238 237,035 499,333

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 141 50 2 4
Non-Directed 125,226 30,273 116,907 27,985
Total 125,367 30,323 116,909 27,989

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 361 80 22.16% 16.07% 6.37% 9.14% 4.43% NA
1977 445 71 15.96% 10.11% 3.37% 8.54% 4.27% NA
1978 518 116 22.39% 14.29% 5.79% 10.81% 6.76% NA
1979 585 121 20.68% 16.07% 6.15% 8.55% 4.10% NA
1980 304 67 22.04% 17.43% 5.92% 7.89% 3.29% NA
1981 337 84 24.93% 18.40% 4.45% 8.31% 5.34% NA
1982 358 86 24.02% 18.16% 6.98% 11.45% 4.47% NA
1983 421 90 21.38% 17.81% 5.70% 9.50% 3.80% NA
1984 768 174 22.66% 15.89% 4.56% 9.64% 3.78% NA
1985 1,087 242 22.26% 16.74% 5.80% 9.02% 4.88% NA
1986 1,284 273 21.26% 15.73% 6.15% 8.96% 5.22% NA
1987 1,617 323 19.98% 14.47% 4.27% 8.60% 3.96% NA
1988 1,760 349 19.83% 13.92% 4.32% 8.41% 2.95% NA
1989 2,325 459 19.74% 13.08% 3.91% 9.08% 3.05% NA
1990 2,740 514 18.76% 12.81% 3.58% 8.21% 3.25% NA
1991 3,111 569 18.29% 12.18% 3.47% 8.04% 2.89% NA
1992 2,914 569 19.53% 12.94% 2.95% 8.37% 3.12% NA
1993 3,407 743 21.81% 15.70% 3.61% 8.25% 3.29% NA
1994 4,483 898 20.03% 13.25% 2.68% 9.26% 3.21% NA
1995 5,172 1,061 20.51% 14.15% 2.51% 8.24% 3.96% NA
1996 6,661 1,256 18.86% 9.26% 0.99% 10.31% 2.91% 10.32%
1997 8,467 1,684 19.89% 9.31% 1.29% 11.59% 3.02% 11.59%
1998 12,334 2,193 17.78% 7.31% 1.09% 11.06% 2.85% 11.06%
1999 13,635 2,354 17.26% 5.92% 1.01% 11.53% 3.02% 11.52%
2000 304 25 8.22% 4.61% 2.63% 2.63% 2.30% 2.63%
2001 201 13 6.47% 3.48% 1.00% 3.98% 0.00% 3.98%
2002 225 25 11.11% 8.44% 5.33% 1.33% 2.67% 1.33%
2003 240 12 5.00% 3.33% 0.83% 1.25% 0.83% 1.25%
2004 358 12 3.35% 1.96% 0.28% 0.28% 1.12% 0.28%
2005 260 16 6.15% 4.62% 1.15% 1.15% 1.54% 1.15%
2006 442 24 5.43% 3.85% 1.36% 0.68% 1.81% 0.68%
2007 217 8 3.69% 1.38% 0.46% 0.46% 1.84% 0.46%
2008 269 17 6.32% 4.46% 1.86% 1.12% 1.49% 1.12%
2009 85 5 5.88% 3.53% 1.18% 1.18% 2.35% 1.18%
2010 79 1 1.27% 1.27% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2011 133 1 0.75% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.75% 0.00%
2012 242 6 2.48% 1.24% 0.41% 0.83% 1.24% 0.83%
2013 142 5 3.52% 3.52% 0.00% 0.70% 0.00% 0.70%
2014 300 6 2.00% 0.33% 0.00% 1.00% 0.67% 1.00%
2015 179 2 1.12% 0.00% 0.00% 0.56% 0.56% 0.56%
2016 460 5 1.09% 0.43% 0.22% 0.65% 0.00% 0.65%
2017 53 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 58 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 55 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 44 1 2.27% 0.00% 0.00% 2.27% 0.00% 2.27%
2021 31 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 64 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 72 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 71 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2025 7 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 79,685 14,560 18.27% 10.05% 2.20% 9.52% 3.11% 10.17%

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 3 1 33.33% 33.33% 0.00% 33.33% 33.33% 0.00%
1997 3 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 158 20 12.66% 9.49% 3.80% 8.92% 5.73% 0.58%
1999 648 77 11.88% 10.19% 2.32% 9.77% 6.82% 0.55%
2000 23,897 3,863 16.17% 14.52% 3.04% 14.29% 10.66% 0.38%
2001 20,383 3,320 16.29% 14.50% 3.54% 14.28% 10.23% 0.47%
2002 31,645 4,141 13.09% 11.55% 2.64% 11.39% 8.09% 0.31%
2003 26,486 3,751 14.16% 12.24% 3.23% 12.03% 8.25% 0.36%
2004 43,455 5,092 11.72% 10.21% 2.47% 10.03% 7.14% 0.25%
2005 32,660 3,959 12.12% 10.59% 2.55% 10.47% 7.11% 0.26%
2006 52,710 5,165 9.80% 8.52% 1.94% 8.36% 5.78% 0.22%
2007 40,116 3,819 9.52% 8.22% 1.98% 8.08% 5.47% 0.23%
2008 50,316 4,089 8.13% 7.16% 1.38% 7.03% 4.95% 0.20%
2009 22,881 2,051 8.96% 8.03% 1.39% 7.92% 5.46% 0.18%
2010 46,382 3,367 7.26% 6.69% 0.87% 6.63% 3.20% 0.09%
2011 30,614 2,762 9.02% 8.30% 1.07% 8.22% 3.50% 0.09%
2012 74,758 4,809 6.43% 5.78% 0.89% 5.72% 2.72% 0.07%
2013 35,973 2,906 8.08% 7.41% 0.93% 7.37% 3.16% 0.07%
2014 100,661 5,044 5.01% 4.41% 0.73% 4.39% 2.05% 0.04%
2015 38,317 2,814 7.34% 6.67% 0.94% 6.65% 2.98% 0.04%
2016 124,666 4,891 3.92% 3.53% 0.51% 3.50% 1.71% 0.04%
2017 16,661 963 5.78% 5.52% 0.40% 5.49% 3.32% 0.05%
2018 15,859 852 5.37% 5.07% 0.40% 5.03% 3.20% 0.05%
2019 16,366 887 5.42% 5.19% 0.33% 5.19% 3.78% 0.00%
2020 17,888 878 4.91% 4.71% 0.27% 4.67% 3.55% 0.03%
2021 14,102 605 4.29% 4.15% 0.18% 4.12% 3.29% 0.03%
2022 9,593 453 4.72% 4.53% 0.24% 4.52% 3.61% 0.01%
2023 6,861 248 3.61% 3.57% 0.09% 3.56% 2.80% 0.01%
2024 1,981 189 9.54% 9.49% 0.10% 9.49% 8.73% 0.00%
Other 6 3 50.00% 16.67% 50.00% 0.00% 0.00% 20.00%
All Model Years 896,049 71,019 7.93% 7.08% 1.30% 6.99% 4.29% 0.14%

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 8,011 10.05%
All Visual 11,654 1.30% 2,482 3.11%
All Functional 63,417 7.08% 7,585 9.52%
OBDII 62,659 6.99% 4,648 10.17%
Overall 71,019 7.93% 14,560 18.27%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 775,403 61,407 7.92% 66,242 12,397 18.71%
Partial 44,402 3,567 8.03% 4,066 814 20.02%
Basic 70,962 5,622 7.92% 8,880 1,244 14.01%
Change of Ownership 5,282 423 8.01% 497 105 21.13%
All Program Areas 896,049 71,019 7.93% 79,685 14,560 18.27%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 503,293 41,746 8.29% 47,945 8,653 18.05%
Non-STAR Test-Only 28,729 2,016 7.02% 1,594 219 13.74%
STAR Test-and-Repair 239,843 19,915 8.30% 23,034 4,685 20.34%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 119,320 6,986 5.85% 6,047 790 13.06%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,219 126 5.68% 15 1 6.67%
Business Fleet 133 5 3.76% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 23 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 238 135 56.72% 90 56 62.22%
Government Fleet 2,251 90 4.00% 960 156 16.25%
All Stations 896,049 71,019 7.93% 79,685 14,560 18.27%

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 883,644 90.56% 92,090 9.44%
All Tests 952,983 90.08% 104,987 9.92%

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 237,035 90.17% 25,842 9.83%
STAR Test-Only 499,333 90.58% 51,905 9.42%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 116,909 93.25% 8,458 6.75%
Non-STAR Test-Only 27,989 92.30% 2,334 7.70%
Total 881,266 90.87% 88,539 9.13%

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 23,034 $72.04 239,843 $61.35 262,877 $66.70
STAR Test-Only 47,945 $61.34 503,293 $56.29 551,238 $58.81
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 6,047 $67.14 119,320 $72.32 125,367 $69.73
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,594 $59.59 28,729 $50.01 30,323 $54.80
Total 78,620 $66.47 891,185 $62.88 969,805 $64.67

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 $0.00 535 $57.79 23,034 $72.04 239,308 $61.37
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 1,227 $57.61 47,945 $61.34 502,066 $56.29
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 44,359 $76.29 6,047 $67.05 74,961 $69.39
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 9,273 $50.19 1,594 $58.70 19,456 $49.85
Total 0 $0.00 55,394 $72.91 78,620 $66.45 835,791 $60.99

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) $1-100 562 $53.88 3,352 $662.46
$101-250 694 $168.39
$251-500 677 $366.62
$501-650 279 $571.92
Over $650 1140 $1,461.09
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 112 $50.53 759 $611.15
$101-250 230 $173.82
$251-500 165 $364.13
$501-650 44 $564.07
Over $650 208 $1,602.53
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 $0.00 334 $1,279.93
$101-250 17 $203.21
$251-500 46 $394.94
$501-650 24 $568.01
Over $650 247 $1,588.03
Total Repairs $1-100 674 $53.32 4,445 $700.09
$101-250 941 $170.34
$251-500 888 $367.62
$501-650 347 $570.66
Over $650 1595 $1,499.19

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 108 37 1,684 78 1,907
STAR Test-Only 21 2 1,689 35 1,747
STAR Sub-Total 129 39 3,373 113 3,654
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 443 49 1,773 194 2,459
Non-STAR Test-Only 35 8 308 36 387
Non-STAR Sub-Total 478 57 2,081 230 2,846
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 49 0 0 0 49
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 0 12 1 13
Referee 5 0 30 0 35
Government Fleet 44 5 298 13 360
Repair Only 1 0 34 1 36
Other Station Sub-Total 99 5 377 15 496
All Stations 706 101 5,831 358 6,996

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 0 256 1,568
STAR Test-Only 1 150 1,533
STAR Sub-Total 1 406 3,101
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1 1,584 276
Non-STAR Test-Only 2 153 75
Non-STAR Sub-Total 3 1,737 351
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 8 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 43 2
Government Fleet 6 145 27
Referee 0 2 32
Other Station Sub-Total 6 200 61
All Stations 10 2,343 3,513

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 492
Law Enforcement Citations 408
BAR Referrals 232
CAT BAR Label 154
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 142
Engine Change/Replacement 119
Clean Gas 68
OBD Monitor Issues 25
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 25
Grey Market 15
All Inspections 1,680

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 206 71
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 33 4
Limited Parts Exemption 7 0
Exempt Vehicle 1 12
Exempted by Directive 25 0
Unknown 0 1
All Certificates Issued 272 88

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,623
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,003
GU (Government) 253
All License Types 8,879

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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