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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
October 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 879,989 76,212 8.66%
All Tests 955,785 87,712 9.18%

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 89,175 215,740 78,604 191,106
Non-Directed 148,874 276,680 135,039 254,539
Total 238,049 492,420 213,643 445,645

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 114,796 29,439 106,939 27,213
Total 114,796 29,439 106,939 27,213

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 63 21.21% 15.82% 7.41% 5.72% 6.73% NA
1977 406 84 20.69% 13.79% 4.93% 7.14% 5.17% NA
1978 453 107 23.62% 18.32% 6.40% 8.83% 4.64% NA
1979 527 119 22.58% 17.46% 6.64% 9.49% 5.12% NA
1980 231 41 17.75% 13.85% 4.76% 6.49% 5.19% NA
1981 287 59 20.56% 16.72% 4.18% 6.97% 2.79% NA
1982 375 88 23.47% 16.80% 4.53% 10.67% 4.80% NA
1983 379 79 20.84% 16.36% 6.60% 8.18% 4.75% NA
1984 726 162 22.31% 16.39% 6.47% 8.26% 3.44% NA
1985 881 213 24.18% 17.48% 7.26% 10.56% 6.02% NA
1986 1,298 274 21.11% 15.02% 4.93% 9.24% 3.78% NA
1987 1,389 283 20.37% 15.33% 4.75% 7.63% 3.24% NA
1988 1,583 338 21.35% 15.41% 4.74% 9.41% 4.30% NA
1989 2,283 481 21.07% 14.41% 4.86% 8.80% 3.50% NA
1990 2,292 432 18.85% 12.91% 3.58% 8.38% 3.62% NA
1991 2,925 564 19.28% 12.85% 3.42% 8.17% 3.32% NA
1992 2,448 452 18.46% 11.97% 3.76% 7.84% 3.68% NA
1993 3,199 682 21.32% 15.50% 3.66% 8.47% 3.34% NA
1994 4,012 852 21.24% 14.46% 2.57% 9.12% 3.61% NA
1995 4,674 910 19.47% 13.80% 2.87% 8.04% 3.32% NA
1996 5,420 1,017 18.76% 9.43% 1.27% 9.91% 3.25% 9.89%
1997 6,996 1,388 19.84% 9.58% 1.34% 11.13% 3.50% 11.14%
1998 10,962 1,873 17.09% 7.88% 1.26% 9.95% 2.78% 9.95%
1999 10,870 1,843 16.95% 6.43% 1.10% 10.72% 3.19% 10.71%
2000 272 21 7.72% 3.68% 1.47% 2.94% 1.84% 2.94%
2001 180 18 10.00% 8.33% 2.78% 0.56% 1.11% 0.56%
2002 261 18 6.90% 5.36% 3.45% 0.77% 1.15% 0.77%
2003 217 18 8.29% 5.99% 1.38% 0.46% 2.76% 0.46%
2004 270 17 6.30% 4.81% 2.22% 0.37% 1.11% 0.37%
2005 208 12 5.77% 5.29% 1.44% 0.00% 0.48% 0.00%
2006 340 16 4.71% 2.94% 1.18% 0.59% 1.47% 0.59%
2007 225 18 8.00% 5.33% 1.78% 0.44% 2.67% 0.44%
2008 221 8 3.62% 2.71% 1.81% 0.90% 0.45% 0.90%
2009 79 4 5.06% 3.80% 2.53% 0.00% 1.27% 0.00%
2010 67 2 2.99% 0.00% 0.00% 1.49% 1.49% 1.49%
2011 147 3 2.04% 1.36% 0.00% 0.00% 0.68% 0.00%
2012 258 4 1.55% 0.39% 0.00% 0.39% 0.78% 0.39%
2013 112 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2014 313 3 0.96% 0.64% 0.32% 0.00% 0.32% 0.00%
2015 178 2 1.12% 0.56% 0.00% 0.56% 0.00% 0.56%
2016 472 4 0.85% 0.00% 0.00% 0.42% 0.42% 0.42%
2017 74 4 5.41% 2.70% 1.35% 1.35% 4.05% 1.35%
2018 53 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 63 1 1.59% 1.59% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 34 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 31 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 55 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 67 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 136 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2025 24 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 69,270 12,577 18.16% 10.51% 2.44% 8.95% 3.26% 9.31%

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 5 2 40.00% 40.00% 0.00% 20.00% 20.00% 16.67%
1998 134 18 13.43% 11.19% 3.73% 11.28% 3.01% 0.00%
1999 529 62 11.72% 10.59% 1.51% 9.87% 8.16% 0.82%
2000 20,928 3,243 15.50% 13.83% 3.08% 13.60% 10.22% 0.41%
2001 18,297 2,842 15.53% 13.71% 3.25% 13.47% 9.67% 0.47%
2002 30,184 3,837 12.71% 11.21% 2.51% 11.01% 7.86% 0.37%
2003 23,236 3,141 13.52% 11.84% 2.97% 11.55% 7.88% 0.50%
2004 39,274 4,418 11.25% 9.86% 2.31% 9.66% 6.67% 0.31%
2005 26,846 3,229 12.03% 10.33% 2.75% 10.06% 6.71% 0.48%
2006 48,488 4,729 9.75% 8.45% 1.91% 8.32% 5.70% 0.23%
2007 33,330 3,179 9.54% 8.21% 2.05% 8.04% 5.26% 0.27%
2008 46,901 3,590 7.65% 6.67% 1.42% 6.52% 4.46% 0.22%
2009 20,125 1,775 8.82% 7.76% 1.56% 7.65% 5.28% 0.16%
2010 43,291 3,085 7.13% 6.56% 0.86% 6.48% 3.12% 0.10%
2011 25,635 2,241 8.74% 8.07% 1.05% 8.00% 3.42% 0.14%
2012 64,088 4,596 7.17% 6.37% 1.08% 6.31% 2.93% 0.09%
2013 30,909 2,362 7.64% 6.84% 1.16% 6.77% 2.95% 0.13%
2014 85,690 4,625 5.40% 4.76% 0.78% 4.73% 2.23% 0.05%
2015 30,341 2,112 6.96% 6.35% 0.79% 6.32% 2.83% 0.06%
2016 117,202 5,314 4.53% 4.12% 0.54% 4.09% 2.02% 0.04%
2017 17,815 975 5.47% 5.14% 0.49% 5.09% 2.79% 0.07%
2018 16,465 868 5.27% 4.94% 0.43% 4.91% 3.13% 0.05%
2019 16,181 855 5.28% 5.08% 0.28% 5.06% 3.41% 0.02%
2020 16,226 776 4.78% 4.59% 0.25% 4.59% 3.40% 0.00%
2021 12,394 503 4.06% 3.94% 0.18% 3.92% 2.90% 0.02%
2022 11,855 526 4.44% 4.34% 0.12% 4.34% 3.45% 0.00%
2023 8,640 348 4.03% 3.89% 0.14% 3.89% 2.97% 0.00%
2024 5,299 340 6.42% 6.34% 0.11% 6.32% 5.02% 0.02%
2025 403 41 10.17% 9.93% 0.25% 10.03% 8.77% 0.00%
Other 7 3 42.86% 14.29% 50.00% 14.29% 14.29% 0.00%
All Model Years 810,719 63,635 7.85% 7.00% 1.29% 6.90% 4.17% 0.16%

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 7,283 10.51%
All Visual 10,470 1.29% 2,258 3.26%
All Functional 56,729 7.00% 6,203 8.95%
OBDII 55,933 6.90% 3,594 9.31%
Overall 63,635 7.85% 12,577 18.16%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 699,242 54,991 7.86% 57,410 10,731 18.69%
Partial Enhanced 66,053 5,037 7.63% 7,875 1,086 13.79%
Basic 40,061 3,186 7.95% 3,521 669 19.00%
Change of Ownership 5,363 421 7.85% 464 91 19.61%
All Program Areas 810,719 63,635 7.85% 69,270 12,577 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 451,258 37,405 8.29% 41,162 7,264 17.65%
Non-STAR Test-Only 27,750 1,762 6.35% 1,732 235 13.57%
STAR Test-and-Repair 217,329 17,933 8.25% 20,720 4,266 20.59%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 109,912 6,185 5.63% 5,020 635 12.65%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,015 104 5.16% 24 3 12.50%
Business Fleet 345 5 1.45% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 25 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 268 132 49.25% 122 66 54.10%
Government Fleet 1,817 109 6.00% 490 108 22.04%
All Stations 810,719 63,635 7.85% 69,270 12,577 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 Tests 795,893 90.44% 84,096 9.56%
All Tests 859,594 89.94% 96,191 10.06%

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 213,643 89.75% 24,406 10.25%
STAR Test-Only 445,645 90.50% 46,775 9.50%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 106,939 93.05% 7,993 6.95%
Non-STAR Test-Only 27,213 92.30% 2,269 7.70%
Total 793,440 90.69% 81,443 9.31%

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 20,720 $74.22 217,329 $61.42 238,049 $67.82
STAR Test-Only 41,162 $62.60 451,258 $55.74 492,420 $59.17
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 5,020 $69.58 109,912 $72.31 114,932 $70.95
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,732 $61.74 27,750 $50.73 29,482 $56.24
Total 68,634 $68.21 806,249 $62.76 874,883 $65.49

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 $0.00 307 $54.30 20,720 $74.22 217,022 $61.45
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 1,077 $47.64 41,162 $62.60 450,181 $55.78
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 43,494 $75.78 5,020 $69.51 66,418 $69.57
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 8,851 $50.87 1,732 $61.69 18,899 $50.60
Total 0 $0.00 53,729 $72.26 68,634 $68.22 752,520 $60.86

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) $1-100 452 $51.35 3,253 $667.23
$101-250 673 $175.01
$251-500 692 $373.49
$501-650 267 $573.96
Over $650 1169 $1,383.92
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 104 $48.71 688 $696.13
$101-250 192 $179.93
$251-500 137 $358.53
$501-650 47 $579.26
Over $650 208 $1,745.10
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 $0.00 402 $1,243.50
$101-250 33 $210.73
$251-500 44 $362.99
$501-650 30 $586.38
Over $650 295 $1,557.19
Total Repairs $1-100 556 $50.86 4,343 $725.15
$101-250 898 $177.37
$251-500 873 $370.61
$501-650 344 $575.77
Over $650 1672 $1,459.42

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 114 35 1,652 78 1,879
STAR Test-Only 18 3 1,678 37 1,736
STAR Sub-Total 132 38 3,330 115 3,615
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 426 48 1,748 185 2,407
Non-STAR Test-Only 34 9 307 36 386
Non-STAR Sub-Total 460 57 2,055 221 2,793
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 50 0 0 0 50
Business Fleet 1 0 28 1 30
Permanent Fleet Registered 5 0 30 0 35
Referee 0 0 12 1 13
Government Fleet 44 5 300 13 362
Repair Only 0 0 3 0 3
Other Station Sub-Total 100 5 373 15 493
All Stations 692 100 5,758 351 6,901

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 3 279 1,514
STAR Test-Only 2 149 1,521
STAR Sub-Total 5 428 3,035
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,576 253
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 156 94
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,732 347
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 43 3
Business Fleet 0 2 31
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 6 0
Government Fleet 4 142 24
Referee 0 2 0
Other Station Sub-Total 4 195 58
All Stations 9 2,355 3,440

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 486
Law Enforcement Citations 425
BAR Referrals 210
Clean Gas 146
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 145
Engine Change/Replacement 116
CAT BAR Label 115
Grey Market 25
OBD Monitor Issues 19
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 16
All Inspections 1,703

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 222 116
Repair Cost Waiver 53 2
Limited Parts Exemption 12 1
Exempt Vehicle 6 8
Exempted by Directive 11 0
Hardship Extensions 0 0
All Certificates Issued 304 12

Technicians

Technician License Type Technicians Conducting Tests Total Licensed Technicians
EO (Inspect Only) 4,581 7,341
EO+EI (Inspect and Repair) 3,971 5,198
All License Types 8,552 12,539

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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