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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
April 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 928,563 81,552 8.78%
All Tests 1,008,937 93,818 9.30%

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 93,029 219,482 81,485 193,089
Non-Directed 158,779 299,210 145,437 276,322
Total 251,808 518,692 226,922 469,411

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 125 43 2 1
Non-Directed 123,386 28,909 115,146 26,840
Total 123,511 28,952 115,148 26,841

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 354 84 23.73% 16.38% 7.34% 10.17% 3.67% NA
1977 374 76 20.32% 13.90% 3.74% 8.56% 5.35% NA
1978 464 94 20.26% 13.15% 4.74% 10.56% 4.31% NA
1979 561 143 25.49% 18.36% 7.66% 11.59% 5.88% NA
1980 262 48 18.32% 13.74% 6.11% 7.63% 3.05% NA
1981 350 78 22.29% 18.00% 7.71% 9.71% 5.14% NA
1982 363 78 21.49% 15.43% 6.34% 9.37% 4.96% NA
1983 405 81 20.00% 14.81% 5.93% 9.88% 5.93% NA
1984 788 173 21.95% 16.75% 5.46% 8.50% 4.19% NA
1985 1,053 219 20.80% 16.24% 5.13% 7.79% 4.27% NA
1986 1,335 292 21.87% 16.03% 5.02% 9.29% 4.57% NA
1987 1,560 367 23.53% 16.15% 5.13% 10.13% 4.81% NA
1988 1,623 346 21.32% 15.83% 4.74% 9.18% 3.57% NA
1989 2,272 473 20.82% 14.17% 4.62% 9.99% 3.65% NA
1990 2,596 490 18.88% 12.83% 3.39% 8.20% 2.97% NA
1991 3,048 603 19.78% 13.29% 3.35% 8.60% 2.89% NA
1992 2,795 551 19.71% 13.17% 3.65% 8.62% 3.01% NA
1993 3,334 694 20.82% 15.03% 3.42% 8.49% 3.03% NA
1994 4,497 976 21.70% 14.77% 2.91% 9.58% 3.20% NA
1995 4,964 1,026 20.67% 14.81% 2.76% 7.84% 4.03% NA
1996 6,553 1,298 19.81% 9.64% 1.18% 10.83% 2.96% 10.84%
1997 8,123 1,675 20.62% 10.39% 1.53% 11.81% 3.36% 11.78%
1998 11,546 1,992 17.25% 7.28% 1.12% 10.69% 2.75% 10.69%
1999 13,136 2,237 17.03% 6.44% 1.08% 10.88% 2.95% 10.87%
2000 306 37 12.09% 8.17% 2.61% 1.96% 4.25% 1.96%
2001 190 12 6.32% 3.68% 1.05% 2.11% 1.58% 2.12%
2002 298 27 9.06% 6.04% 2.01% 1.68% 1.68% 1.68%
2003 256 17 6.64% 4.30% 1.95% 1.56% 1.17% 1.56%
2004 369 17 4.61% 2.71% 0.81% 0.81% 1.36% 0.82%
2005 236 20 8.47% 6.78% 2.54% 1.27% 1.27% 1.27%
2006 388 20 5.15% 3.87% 1.29% 0.52% 0.77% 0.52%
2007 234 7 2.99% 2.14% 1.28% 0.85% 0.85% 0.85%
2008 244 18 7.38% 4.51% 2.05% 1.23% 3.28% 1.23%
2009 93 10 10.75% 9.68% 6.45% 2.15% 1.08% 2.15%
2010 91 1 1.10% 1.10% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2011 134 1 0.75% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.75% 0.00%
2012 223 2 0.90% 0.45% 0.00% 0.45% 0.00% 0.45%
2013 146 2 1.37% 0.68% 0.00% 0.68% 0.00% 0.69%
2014 326 7 2.15% 1.23% 0.92% 0.61% 0.31% 0.61%
2015 150 1 0.67% 0.00% 0.00% 0.67% 0.00% 0.67%
2016 456 9 1.97% 0.44% 0.22% 1.32% 0.22% 1.32%
2017 78 1 1.28% 0.00% 0.00% 1.28% 0.00% 1.28%
2018 59 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 63 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 52 1 1.92% 1.92% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 45 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 49 2 4.08% 2.04% 2.04% 0.00% 2.04% 0.00%
2023 73 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 99 1 1.01% 0.00% 0.00% 1.01% 0.00% 1.01%
2025 2 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 77,016 14,307 18.58% 10.57% 2.36% 9.50% 3.15% 9.94%

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 1 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 4 1 25.00% 25.00% 25.00% 25.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 141 13 9.22% 6.38% 5.67% 5.67% 0.71% 0.66%
1999 625 85 13.60% 11.52% 2.24% 11.59% 7.89% 0.14%
2000 22,647 3,558 15.71% 14.24% 2.72% 14.06% 10.61% 0.36%
2001 19,504 3,179 16.30% 14.63% 3.25% 14.40% 10.49% 0.39%
2002 30,297 4,038 13.33% 11.64% 2.68% 11.48% 8.11% 0.27%
2003 25,073 3,457 13.79% 11.96% 3.23% 11.71% 8.01% 0.45%
2004 42,121 4,764 11.31% 9.98% 2.24% 9.80% 6.85% 0.30%
2005 31,417 3,693 11.75% 10.28% 2.36% 10.10% 6.88% 0.30%
2006 49,001 4,841 9.88% 8.60% 1.97% 8.44% 5.77% 0.23%
2007 37,465 3,508 9.36% 8.06% 2.02% 7.94% 5.24% 0.19%
2008 45,668 3,832 8.39% 7.43% 1.43% 7.34% 5.19% 0.14%
2009 21,150 1,789 8.46% 7.46% 1.44% 7.33% 5.06% 0.18%
2010 42,901 3,198 7.45% 6.87% 0.83% 6.79% 3.26% 0.11%
2011 28,114 2,666 9.48% 8.80% 1.08% 8.73% 3.86% 0.13%
2012 69,875 4,671 6.68% 6.04% 0.89% 6.00% 2.82% 0.07%
2013 33,161 2,707 8.16% 7.39% 1.07% 7.35% 3.22% 0.06%
2014 94,981 4,735 4.99% 4.35% 0.78% 4.32% 1.98% 0.04%
2015 34,601 2,507 7.25% 6.61% 0.87% 6.56% 2.90% 0.07%
2016 120,100 4,836 4.03% 3.60% 0.51% 3.56% 1.74% 0.04%
2017 16,781 982 5.85% 5.55% 0.46% 5.52% 3.28% 0.06%
2018 16,817 875 5.20% 4.89% 0.39% 4.88% 3.20% 0.02%
2019 16,832 851 5.06% 4.84% 0.31% 4.83% 3.57% 0.01%
2020 17,946 911 5.08% 4.88% 0.26% 4.88% 3.77% 0.00%
2021 14,668 617 4.21% 4.05% 0.23% 4.02% 3.05% 0.03%
2022 10,493 461 4.39% 4.29% 0.13% 4.26% 3.46% 0.03%
2023 6,534 232 3.55% 3.47% 0.11% 3.47% 2.75% 0.00%
2024 2,625 234 8.91% 8.88% 0.11% 8.88% 7.93% 0.00%
Other 4 3 75.00% 0.00% 75.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 851,547 67,244 7.90% 7.06% 1.27% 6.97% 4.26% 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 8,143 10.57%
All Visual 10,850 1.27% 2,425 3.15%
All Functional 60,100 7.06% 7,315 9.50%
OBDII 59,383 6.97% 4,376 9.94%
Overall 67,244 7.90% 14,307 18.58%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 735,658 58,059 7.89% 63,836 12,157 19.04%
Partial 42,841 3,526 8.23% 4,018 794 19.76%
Basic 67,361 5,204 7.73% 8,660 1,261 14.56%
Change of Ownership 5,687 455 8.00% 502 95 18.92%
All Program Areas 851,547 67,244 7.90% 77,016 14,307 18.58%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 473,060 39,276 8.30% 45,632 8,428 18.47%
Non-STAR Test-Only 27,292 1,768 6.48% 1,660 223 13.43%
STAR Test-and-Repair 228,753 19,017 8.31% 23,055 4,711 20.43%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 117,647 6,831 5.81% 5,864 803 13.69%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,113 109 5.16% 30 2 6.67%
Business Fleet 128 4 3.12% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 9 2 22.22% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 209 127 60.77% 68 33 48.53%
Government Fleet 2,336 110 4.71% 707 107 15.13%
All Stations 851,547 67,244 7.90% 77,016 14,307 18.58%

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 840,583 90.53% 87,980 9.47%
All Tests 908,168 90.01% 100,769 9.99%

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 226,922 90.12% 24,886 9.88%
STAR Test-Only 469,411 90.50% 49,281 9.50%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 115,148 93.23% 8,363 6.77%
Non-STAR Test-Only 26,841 92.71% 2,111 7.29%
Total 838,322 90.83% 84,641 9.17%

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 23,055 $72.74 228,753 $60.58 251,808 $66.66
STAR Test-Only 45,632 $61.65 473,060 $55.54 518,692 $58.59
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 5,864 $66.96 117,647 $70.56 123,511 $68.76
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,660 $61.04 27,292 $50.94 28,952 $55.99
Total 76,211 $66.99 846,752 $61.91 922,963 $64.45

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 $0.00 507 $57.76 23,055 $72.74 228,246 $60.59
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 334 $43.00 45,632 $61.65 472,726 $55.58
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 44,791 $74.62 5,864 $66.96 72,856 $67.54
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 9,130 $51.59 1,660 $60.45 18,162 $50.35
Total 0 $0.00 54,762 $71.51 76,211 $66.98 791,990 $60.07

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) $1-100 528 $55.02 3,429 $669.76
$101-250 719 $174.58
$251-500 713 $365.34
$501-650 307 $578.88
Over $650 1162 $1,466.28
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 140 $53.66 739 $666.52
$101-250 189 $177.32
$251-500 139 $368.04
$501-650 63 $568.24
Over $650 208 $1,752.75
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 $0.00 398 $1,379.78
$101-250 35 $207.47
$251-500 51 $369.62
$501-650 19 $580.59
Over $650 293 $1,747.46
Total Repairs $1-100 668 $54.74 4,566 $731.12
$101-250 943 $176.35
$251-500 903 $366.00
$501-650 389 $577.24
Over $650 1663 $1,551.65

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 110 37 1,680 79 1,906
STAR Test-Only 21 2 1,692 36 1,751
STAR Sub-Total 131 39 3,372 115 3,657
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 439 49 1,767 191 2,446
Non-STAR Test-Only 35 8 294 35 372
Non-STAR Sub-Total 474 57 2,061 226 2,818
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 32 1 34
Other Station Sub-Total 99 5 375 15 494
All Stations 704 101 5,808 356 6,969

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 0 250 1,579
STAR Test-Only 0 134 1,544
STAR Sub-Total 0 384 3,123
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,563 282
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 152 78
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,715 360
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 3 0
Business Fleet 0 1 0
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 40 4
Government Fleet 6 145 24
Referee 0 3 30
Other Station Sub-Total 6 192 58
All Stations 7 2,291 3,541

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 501
Law Enforcement Citations 357
BAR Referrals 199
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 152
CAT BAR Label 142
Engine Change/Replacement 94
Clean Gas 72
OBD Monitor Issues 24
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 22
Grey Market 17
Unknown 1
All Inspections 1,581

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 186 87
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 40 6
Limited Parts Exemption 11 0
Exempt Vehicle 8 14
Exempted by Directive 19 0
All Certificates Issued 264 107

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,593
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 3,982
GU (Government) 243
All License Types 8,818

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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