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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
September 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 856,029 73,838 8.63%
All Tests 928,787 84,942 9.15%

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 86,430 208,975 76,174 184,862
Non-Directed 145,698 273,002 132,917 252,101
Total 232,128 481,977 209,091 436,963

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 0 0 0
Non-Directed 109,653 27,787 102,163 25,766
Total 109,653 27,787 102,163 25,766

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 269 51 18.96% 14.87% 5.95% 8.55% 7.06% NA
1977 378 73 19.31% 15.34% 6.61% 6.88% 4.76% NA
1978 405 101 24.94% 15.06% 6.42% 11.85% 8.40% NA
1979 507 126 24.85% 17.75% 6.90% 10.26% 6.90% NA
1980 265 66 24.91% 17.36% 9.43% 12.83% 6.79% NA
1981 283 72 25.44% 20.14% 10.25% 9.54% 4.59% NA
1982 294 62 21.09% 13.27% 5.10% 10.88% 5.44% NA
1983 392 83 21.17% 14.54% 7.65% 8.93% 6.89% NA
1984 641 134 20.90% 15.91% 6.40% 9.20% 4.84% NA
1985 889 194 21.82% 16.09% 5.96% 9.11% 4.16% NA
1986 1,337 286 21.39% 15.71% 4.94% 10.17% 4.11% NA
1987 1,325 288 21.74% 16.23% 5.36% 9.13% 4.15% NA
1988 1,561 340 21.78% 16.21% 5.64% 8.65% 3.27% NA
1989 2,049 404 19.72% 13.37% 4.15% 8.59% 3.27% NA
1990 2,281 459 20.12% 12.76% 3.68% 9.51% 3.99% NA
1991 2,701 479 17.73% 11.70% 2.70% 8.29% 2.67% NA
1992 2,410 442 18.34% 12.03% 3.20% 7.93% 3.11% NA
1993 3,074 681 22.15% 15.65% 3.81% 8.98% 3.77% NA
1994 3,981 815 20.47% 14.09% 2.91% 8.49% 3.47% NA
1995 4,648 896 19.28% 13.77% 2.84% 7.31% 2.71% NA
1996 5,327 991 18.60% 9.24% 1.30% 9.56% 3.17% 9.54%
1997 6,860 1,389 20.25% 9.68% 1.44% 11.57% 3.15% 11.56%
1998 10,875 1,871 17.20% 7.74% 1.12% 10.17% 2.80% 10.17%
1999 10,590 1,705 16.10% 6.31% 1.06% 10.19% 2.98% 10.19%
2000 243 22 9.05% 6.17% 1.65% 1.23% 2.47% 1.24%
2001 159 17 10.69% 7.55% 2.52% 2.52% 3.14% 2.53%
2002 208 17 8.17% 7.69% 0.96% 1.44% 0.00% 1.44%
2003 180 9 5.00% 3.33% 1.11% 0.00% 1.67% 0.00%
2004 279 15 5.38% 2.87% 0.72% 1.79% 0.72% 1.79%
2005 179 11 6.15% 5.59% 2.23% 0.56% 1.68% 0.56%
2006 332 18 5.42% 3.61% 0.60% 0.30% 1.51% 0.30%
2007 233 13 5.58% 4.29% 0.86% 0.43% 1.29% 0.43%
2008 266 10 3.76% 1.50% 0.75% 0.38% 2.26% 0.38%
2009 65 3 4.62% 4.62% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2010 76 3 3.95% 3.95% 1.32% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2011 105 3 2.86% 1.90% 0.00% 0.95% 0.00% 0.95%
2012 261 2 0.77% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.77% 0.00%
2013 94 1 1.06% 0.00% 0.00% 1.06% 0.00% 1.06%
2014 290 3 1.03% 0.34% 0.00% 0.00% 0.69% 0.00%
2015 131 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2016 395 3 0.76% 0.00% 0.00% 0.51% 0.25% 0.51%
2017 69 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 42 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 65 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 41 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 37 1 2.70% 2.70% 2.70% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 34 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 52 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 92 1 1.09% 0.00% 0.00% 1.09% 0.00% 1.09%
2025 22 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 67,292 12,160 18.07% 10.39% 2.43% 9.04% 3.18% 9.34%

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 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 2 1 50.00% 0.00% 50.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 124 11 8.87% 8.87% 0.81% 8.13% 4.07% 1.56%
1999 541 72 13.31% 11.83% 2.03% 11.48% 7.22% 0.33%
2000 21,234 3,252 15.32% 13.59% 3.05% 13.35% 9.92% 0.40%
2001 17,630 2,717 15.41% 13.82% 3.01% 13.53% 9.56% 0.50%
2002 28,902 3,696 12.79% 11.21% 2.62% 10.99% 7.84% 0.37%
2003 23,542 3,184 13.52% 11.63% 3.26% 11.38% 7.60% 0.43%
2004 39,858 4,517 11.33% 9.81% 2.37% 9.63% 6.74% 0.29%
2005 26,446 3,194 12.08% 10.36% 2.71% 10.20% 6.78% 0.30%
2006 47,368 4,492 9.48% 8.15% 1.96% 8.00% 5.40% 0.23%
2007 32,673 3,153 9.65% 8.16% 2.16% 8.01% 5.25% 0.27%
2008 44,638 3,433 7.69% 6.66% 1.45% 6.53% 4.55% 0.20%
2009 20,442 1,728 8.45% 7.41% 1.49% 7.28% 5.04% 0.23%
2010 42,820 2,934 6.85% 6.28% 0.87% 6.22% 3.07% 0.10%
2011 24,662 2,092 8.48% 7.76% 1.06% 7.66% 3.16% 0.15%
2012 63,205 4,441 7.03% 6.22% 1.05% 6.16% 2.92% 0.09%
2013 29,433 2,350 7.98% 7.27% 1.04% 7.20% 3.08% 0.09%
2014 85,138 4,494 5.28% 4.70% 0.73% 4.67% 2.28% 0.05%
2015 28,816 2,010 6.98% 6.32% 0.88% 6.29% 2.87% 0.06%
2016 113,131 4,860 4.30% 3.87% 0.53% 3.84% 1.83% 0.03%
2017 15,941 949 5.95% 5.51% 0.56% 5.49% 3.14% 0.03%
2018 15,692 880 5.61% 5.33% 0.41% 5.31% 3.39% 0.03%
2019 15,319 845 5.52% 5.33% 0.34% 5.31% 3.64% 0.04%
2020 15,371 775 5.04% 4.91% 0.18% 4.91% 3.61% 0.01%
2021 11,494 493 4.29% 4.08% 0.27% 4.07% 2.86% 0.02%
2022 11,387 556 4.88% 4.75% 0.16% 4.74% 3.94% 0.01%
2023 8,422 261 3.10% 2.97% 0.17% 2.92% 2.49% 0.03%
2024 4,223 264 6.25% 6.16% 0.12% 6.16% 5.50% 0.00%
2025 277 20 7.22% 7.22% 0.00% 7.27% 6.18% 0.00%
Other 6 4 66.67% 0.00% 80.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 788,737 61,678 7.82% 6.94% 1.31% 6.85% 4.16% 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 6,993 10.39%
All Visual 10,354 1.31% 2,138 3.18%
All Functional 54,736 6.94% 6,083 9.04%
OBDII 54,002 6.85% 3,510 9.34%
Overall 61,678 7.82% 12,160 18.07%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 680,888 53,423 7.85% 55,510 10,287 18.53%
Partial Enhanced 38,786 2,973 7.67% 3,481 682 19.59%
Basic 64,017 4,909 7.67% 7,820 1,085 13.87%
Change of Ownership 5,046 373 7.39% 481 106 22.04%
All Program Areas 788,737 61,678 7.82% 67,292 12,160 18.07%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 442,133 36,390 8.23% 39,844 7,011 17.60%
Non-STAR Test-Only 26,092 1,710 6.55% 1,735 228 13.14%
STAR Test-and-Repair 211,985 17,270 8.15% 20,143 4,135 20.53%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 104,804 6,006 5.73% 4,972 636 12.79%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 1,836 94 5.12% 17 1 5.88%
Business Fleet 182 6 3.30% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 43 2 4.65% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 207 105 50.72% 97 53 54.64%
Government Fleet 1,455 95 6.53% 484 96 19.83%
All Stations 788,737 61,678 7.82% 67,292 12,160 18.07%

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 776,083 90.66% 79,946 9.34%
All Tests 837,181 90.14% 91,606 9.86%

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 209,091 90.08% 23,037 9.92%
STAR Test-Only 436,963 90.66% 45,014 9.34%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 102,163 93.06% 7,613 6.94%
Non-STAR Test-Only 25,766 92.59% 2,061 7.41%
Total 773,983 90.87% 77,725 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 20,143 $73.46 211,985 $60.95 232,128 $67.21
STAR Test-Only 39,844 $63.06 442,133 $55.37 481,977 $59.22
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 4,972 $68.62 104,804 $72.44 109,776 $70.53
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,735 $59.65 26,092 $50.51 27,827 $55.08
Total 66,694 $67.95 785,014 $62.47 851,708 $65.21

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 $0.00 396 $52.87 20,143 $73.48 211,589 $60.98
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 1,224 $48.71 39,844 $63.06 440,909 $55.40
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 40,431 $75.58 4,972 $68.62 64,373 $70.04
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 8,292 $50.68 1,735 $59.64 17,800 $50.37
Total 0 $0.00 50,343 $72.03 66,694 $67.96 734,671 $60.62

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) $1-100 429 $52.52 2,934 $642.62
$101-250 633 $173.71
$251-500 589 $367.93
$501-650 278 $575.96
Over $650 1005 $1,369.29
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 82 $55.71 624 $659.02
$101-250 194 $179.75
$251-500 126 $362.01
$501-650 40 $582.45
Over $650 182 $1,664.16
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 $0.00 296 $1,379.79
$101-250 20 $214.27
$251-500 31 $387.21
$501-650 19 $566.09
Over $650 226 $1,687.49
Total Repairs $1-100 511 $53.03 3,854 $701.89
$101-250 847 $176.05
$251-500 746 $367.73
$501-650 337 $576.17
Over $650 1413 $1,458.16

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 1,652 78 1,877
STAR Test-Only 18 3 1,667 37 1,725
STAR Sub-Total 130 38 3,319 115 3,602
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 431 50 1,742 184 2,407
Non-STAR Test-Only 36 9 318 35 398
Non-STAR Sub-Total 467 59 2,060 219 2,805
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 5 300 13 362
Repair Only 1 0 28 0 29
Other Station Sub-Total 100 5 373 14 492
All Stations 697 102 5,752 348 6,899

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 3 302 1,497
STAR Test-Only 5 160 1,504
STAR Sub-Total 8 462 3,001
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,574 253
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 155 94
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,729 347
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 7 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 43 3
Government Fleet 9 138 28
Referee 0 2 31
Other Station Sub-Total 9 192 62
All Stations 18 2,383 3,410

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 489
Law Enforcement Citations 391
BAR Referrals 188
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 132
Clean Gas 113
Engine Change/Replacement 106
CAT BAR Label 96
OBD Monitor Issues 26
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 15
Grey Market 11
All Inspections 1,567

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 198 98
Repair Cost Waiver 30 5
Limited Parts Exemption 20 0
Exempt Vehicle 4 4
Exempted by Directive 12 0
Hardship Extensions 0 0
All Certificates Issued 264 107

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,603
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 3,949
GU (Government) 231
All License Types 8,783

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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