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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
August 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 987,307 84,560 8.56%
All Tests 1,068,584 96,886 9.07%

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 99,928 240,940 88,069 212,880
Non-Directed 168,359 317,964 154,655 294,227
Total 268,287 558,904 242,724 507,107

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 0 39 0 1
Non-Directed 123,626 31,654 115,628 29,433
Total 123,626 31,693 115,628 29,434

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 297 60 20.20% 15.15% 6.73% 10.44% 6.40% NA
1977 430 77 17.91% 13.95% 4.88% 6.98% 3.49% NA
1978 469 106 22.60% 14.93% 6.61% 10.23% 5.54% NA
1979 539 125 23.19% 16.70% 5.94% 9.83% 6.68% NA
1980 289 47 16.26% 11.76% 4.84% 7.61% 3.81% NA
1981 339 55 16.22% 12.09% 5.01% 6.19% 4.13% NA
1982 329 63 19.15% 13.68% 4.86% 10.33% 5.17% NA
1983 489 111 22.70% 19.22% 6.95% 7.98% 4.91% NA
1984 752 180 23.94% 20.35% 7.98% 7.85% 3.32% NA
1985 1,070 218 20.37% 15.14% 5.98% 8.13% 3.36% NA
1986 1,482 309 20.85% 15.65% 5.67% 7.76% 4.45% NA
1987 1,482 320 21.59% 16.06% 5.67% 9.11% 3.24% NA
1988 1,723 395 22.93% 15.84% 4.99% 10.16% 4.47% NA
1989 2,392 469 19.61% 13.96% 4.01% 8.86% 2.84% NA
1990 2,667 504 18.90% 13.39% 3.60% 8.81% 2.74% NA
1991 3,157 589 18.66% 12.96% 3.33% 7.76% 2.60% NA
1992 2,892 547 18.91% 12.76% 3.46% 7.85% 3.39% NA
1993 3,584 793 22.13% 15.62% 3.43% 9.49% 3.46% NA
1994 4,670 913 19.55% 13.19% 2.57% 8.93% 2.76% NA
1995 5,375 1,098 20.43% 14.44% 2.81% 8.07% 2.87% NA
1996 6,550 1,252 19.11% 9.25% 1.33% 10.12% 3.24% 10.12%
1997 8,114 1,551 19.12% 9.02% 1.31% 10.91% 3.07% 10.91%
1998 12,735 2,211 17.36% 7.62% 1.21% 10.39% 2.64% 10.39%
1999 12,985 2,097 16.15% 6.07% 1.12% 10.34% 2.62% 10.34%
2000 290 32 11.03% 7.24% 3.10% 3.45% 1.38% 3.45%
2001 200 17 8.50% 5.00% 2.00% 3.00% 2.00% 3.00%
2002 270 13 4.81% 2.22% 1.11% 1.48% 1.11% 1.48%
2003 255 20 7.84% 5.10% 2.35% 1.57% 1.57% 1.57%
2004 337 16 4.75% 3.26% 1.48% 0.59% 1.78% 0.60%
2005 221 14 6.33% 4.98% 1.81% 0.00% 2.26% 0.00%
2006 408 18 4.41% 2.70% 0.98% 0.49% 2.21% 0.49%
2007 233 14 6.01% 2.58% 0.43% 1.29% 3.00% 1.29%
2008 270 3 1.11% 0.74% 0.74% 0.00% 0.37% 0.00%
2009 79 4 5.06% 3.80% 1.27% 1.27% 0.00% 1.27%
2010 74 2 2.70% 1.35% 0.00% 1.35% 0.00% 1.35%
2011 140 1 0.71% 0.00% 0.00% 0.71% 0.00% 0.71%
2012 268 12 4.48% 1.49% 0.37% 2.61% 1.12% 2.61%
2013 125 1 0.80% 0.00% 0.00% 0.80% 0.00% 0.80%
2014 317 3 0.95% 0.63% 0.32% 0.32% 0.00% 0.32%
2015 174 3 1.72% 0.00% 0.00% 1.72% 0.00% 1.72%
2016 469 7 1.49% 0.21% 0.00% 0.85% 0.43% 0.85%
2017 71 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 49 2 4.08% 0.00% 0.00% 2.04% 2.04% 2.04%
2019 55 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 30 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 56 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 56 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 112 3 2.68% 0.89% 0.00% 1.79% 0.00% 1.79%
2025 43 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 79,444 14,275 17.97% 10.27% 2.38% 9.10% 2.93% 9.48%

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 1 100.00% 100.00% 0.00% 100.00% 100.00% 50.00%
1997 3 1 33.33% 33.33% 0.00% 33.33% 33.33% 0.00%
1998 141 14 9.93% 8.51% 2.13% 7.09% 2.84% 2.00%
1999 598 85 14.21% 12.54% 2.84% 11.64% 7.42% 1.04%
2000 24,759 3,842 15.52% 13.74% 3.04% 13.56% 10.13% 0.33%
2001 20,149 3,118 15.47% 13.73% 3.28% 13.46% 9.65% 0.42%
2002 34,054 4,260 12.51% 10.94% 2.51% 10.79% 7.63% 0.28%
2003 27,042 3,664 13.55% 11.69% 3.17% 11.45% 7.73% 0.38%
2004 45,749 5,019 10.97% 9.51% 2.31% 9.32% 6.49% 0.31%
2005 31,653 3,765 11.89% 10.18% 2.60% 10.02% 6.81% 0.31%
2006 53,808 5,169 9.61% 8.40% 1.79% 8.26% 5.63% 0.24%
2007 38,061 3,624 9.52% 8.10% 2.04% 7.98% 5.29% 0.21%
2008 51,797 3,934 7.60% 6.70% 1.33% 6.57% 4.59% 0.18%
2009 24,738 2,000 8.08% 7.17% 1.36% 7.05% 4.72% 0.19%
2010 51,328 3,462 6.74% 6.19% 0.81% 6.15% 2.94% 0.08%
2011 28,683 2,564 8.94% 8.29% 1.04% 8.18% 3.36% 0.14%
2012 73,160 4,970 6.79% 6.13% 0.91% 6.06% 2.87% 0.08%
2013 33,503 2,611 7.79% 7.01% 1.06% 6.98% 3.02% 0.07%
2014 101,576 5,223 5.14% 4.51% 0.78% 4.48% 2.22% 0.04%
2015 32,457 2,224 6.85% 6.21% 0.87% 6.17% 2.93% 0.04%
2016 129,071 5,349 4.14% 3.72% 0.54% 3.69% 1.80% 0.04%
2017 17,298 1,032 5.97% 5.58% 0.57% 5.54% 3.19% 0.05%
2018 17,576 939 5.34% 5.16% 0.31% 5.13% 3.32% 0.04%
2019 16,897 843 4.99% 4.78% 0.28% 4.75% 3.17% 0.03%
2020 17,097 839 4.91% 4.78% 0.18% 4.77% 3.53% 0.03%
2021 12,763 549 4.30% 4.14% 0.19% 4.12% 3.17% 0.02%
2022 11,422 610 5.34% 5.18% 0.22% 5.18% 4.29% 0.00%
2023 7,955 254 3.19% 3.03% 0.19% 3.02% 2.45% 0.01%
2024 4,258 295 6.93% 6.67% 0.28% 6.65% 5.73% 0.07%
2025 259 21 8.11% 8.11% 0.00% 8.11% 6.95% 0.00%
Other 7 4 57.14% 0.00% 66.67% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 907,863 70,285 7.74% 6.89% 1.28% 6.80% 4.15% 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 8,157 10.27%
All Visual 11,599 1.28% 2,328 2.93%
All Functional 62,511 6.89% 7,226 9.10%
OBDII 61,715 6.80% 4,266 9.48%
Overall 70,285 7.74% 14,275 17.97%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 785,348 60,769 7.74% 65,929 12,128 18.40%
Partial Enhanced 44,386 3,537 7.97% 4,002 785 19.62%
Basic 72,546 5,549 7.65% 9,018 1,251 13.87%
Change of Ownership 5,583 430 7.70% 495 111 22.42%
All Program Areas 907,863 70,285 7.74% 79,444 14,275 17.97%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 511,191 41,639 8.15% 47,713 8,572 17.97%
Non-STAR Test-Only 29,843 1,975 6.62% 1,850 206 11.14%
STAR Test-and-Repair 244,871 19,800 8.09% 23,416 4,605 19.67%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 117,975 6,554 5.56% 5,778 764 13.22%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 1,989 122 6.13% 34 1 2.94%
Business Fleet 262 7 2.67% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 18 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 235 112 47.66% 86 55 63.95%
Government Fleet 1,479 76 5.14% 567 72 12.70%
All Stations 907,863 70,285 7.74% 79,444 14,275 17.97%

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 897,198 90.87% 90,109 9.13%
All Tests 965,658 90.37% 102,926 9.63%

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 242,724 90.47% 25,563 9.53%
STAR Test-Only 507,107 90.73% 51,797 9.27%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 115,628 93.43% 8,125 6.57%
Non-STAR Test-Only 29,434 92.87% 2,259 7.13%
Total 894,893 91.07% 87,744 8.93%

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 23,416 $73.57 244,871 $62.20 268,287 $67.89
STAR Test-Only 47,713 $62.67 511,191 $56.44 558,904 $59.56
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 5,778 $67.84 117,975 $73.42 123,753 $70.63
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,850 $58.94 29,843 $50.50 31,693 $54.72
Total 78,757 $67.86 903,880 $63.54 982,637 $65.70

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 $0.00 468 $52.51 23,416 $73.57 244,403 $62.25
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 1,139 $45.25 47,713 $62.70 510,052 $56.49
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 45,514 $75.82 5,778 $68.11 72,461 $71.56
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 9,626 $52.33 1,850 $58.21 20,217 $48.73
Total 0 $0.00 56,747 $72.31 78,757 $67.88 847,133 $61.82

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) $1-100 476 $51.90 3,328 $676.57
$101-250 723 $174.24
$251-500 648 $369.69
$501-650 292 $572.79
Over $650 1189 $1,424.84
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 101 $52.38 724 $670.37
$101-250 205 $175.10
$251-500 145 $365.10
$501-650 60 $572.20
Over $650 213 $1,675.53
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 $0.00 467 $1,234.77
$101-250 29 $210.97
$251-500 62 $385.74
$501-650 26 $592.86
Over $650 350 $1,517.69
Total Repairs $1-100 577 $51.98 4,519 $733.26
$101-250 957 $175.54
$251-500 855 $370.07
$501-650 378 $574.08
Over $650 1752 $1,473.87

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 112 35 1,663 79 1,889
STAR Test-Only 18 3 1,677 36 1,734
STAR Sub-Total 130 38 3,340 115 3,623
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 431 50 1,739 185 2,405
Non-STAR Test-Only 36 9 302 35 382
Non-STAR Sub-Total 467 59 2,041 220 2,787
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 50 0 0 0 50
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 0 12 1 13
Referee 5 0 30 0 35
Government Fleet 44 5 299 13 361
Repair Only 1 0 28 1 30
Other Station Sub-Total 100 5 372 15 492
All Stations 697 102 5,753 350 6,902

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 259 1,559
STAR Test-Only 2 150 1,523
STAR Sub-Total 3 409 3,082
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,558 257
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 161 81
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,719 338
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 6 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 42 4
Government Fleet 6 131 30
Referee 0 1 32
Other Station Sub-Total 6 182 66
All Stations 9 2,310 3,486

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 532
Law Enforcement Citations 418
BAR Referrals 208
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 126
Clean Gas 104
CAT BAR Label 97
Engine Change/Replacement 95
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 28
OBD Monitor Issues 24
Grey Market 6
All Inspections 1,638

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 236 82
Repair Cost Waiver 31 6
Limited Parts Exemption 9 1
Exempt Vehicle 8 12
Exempted by Directive 12 0
Hardship Extensions 1 0
All Certificates Issued 297 101

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,655
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 3,961
GU (Government) 234
All License Types 8,850

Smog Check Requirements by Vehicle Type

Fuel Type Model-Year GVWR1 OBD II Equipped? Smog Check Required
All2 (except Diesel) Four model-years and newer3 All ‐ None
Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth model-years4 All ‐ None
1975 and earlier All ‐ None
Gasoline and Flex Fuel
(Methanol or Ethanol)
1976-1999 All ‐ BAR-97
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes5 BAR-OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 ‐ BAR-97
Hybrid 2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes BAR-OIS
Dedicated Propane and Natural Gas
(CNG, LNG, or LPG)
1976-1999 14,000 and less ‐ BAR-97
Over 14,000 ‐ None
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes BAR-OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 ‐ None
Diesel 1976-1997 All ‐ None
1998 and newer 14,000 and less Yes BAR-OIS
Over 14,000 ‐ None6
Full Electric Powered All All ‐ None
Motorcycle All All ‐ None
Other Vehicles: Two Cylinder Engine,
Two-stroke Engine,
Off-highway Registered
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 2020 model-year vehicle will be first subject to a change-of-ownership Smog Check in 2024 (2020+4=2024).
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 2020 model-year vehicle will be first subject to a biennial Smog Check in 2028 (2020+8=2028).
5 BAR has identified 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 CARB’s Clean Truck Check Program replaces the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP) effective October 1, 2024. Vehicles with 2012 and older model year engines are required to undergo an opacity test and a vehicle emissions control equipment inspection. Vehicles with 2013 and newer model year engines are required to undergo OBD testing. See CARB’s Clean Truck Check webpage for details.

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