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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
2019

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 Test 10,334,486 1,045,448 10.12%
All Tests 11,348,136 1,209,246 10.66%

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 1,194,602 2,556,287 1,026,210 2,202,622
Non-Directed 1,787,869 2,861,037 1,616,915 2,608,424
Total 2,982,471 5,417,324 2,643,125 4,811,046

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 5,414 1,691 2,403 647
Non-Directed 1,580,098 253,276 1,462,369 232,454
Total 1,585,512 254,967 1,464,772 233,101

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 5,365 1,291 24.06% 16.79% 6.56% 10.70% 6.32% NA
1977 7,023 1,631 23.22% 15.72% 6.19% 11.23% 6.08% NA
1978 8,048 1,829 22.73% 14.79% 5.69% 11.01% 6.20% NA
1979 8,978 2,209 24.60% 16.85% 6.98% 11.91% 6.69% NA
1980 5,049 1,155 22.88% 15.61% 7.11% 10.99% 6.30% NA
1981 5,625 1,339 23.80% 17.67% 7.38% 9.96% 6.49% NA
1982 6,008 1,451 24.15% 16.93% 6.79% 11.57% 7.06% NA
1983 7,570 1,869 24.69% 17.85% 7.28% 11.00% 6.63% NA
1984 13,281 3,383 25.47% 18.73% 7.66% 11.18% 6.29% NA
1985 17,857 4,408 24.68% 18.14% 7.03% 10.65% 5.88% NA
1986 23,992 5,906 24.62% 17.23% 6.37% 11.74% 5.96% NA
1987 27,213 6,755 24.82% 17.41% 5.99% 10.92% 5.60% NA
1988 31,619 7,267 22.98% 16.09% 5.49% 10.26% 5.02% NA
1989 44,098 9,819 22.27% 14.59% 4.59% 10.52% 4.71% NA
1990 50,790 10,904 21.47% 14.31% 4.00% 9.95% 4.59% NA
1991 60,657 13,031 21.48% 14.18% 3.77% 9.78% 4.17% NA
1992 59,437 12,765 21.48% 14.18% 3.79% 9.62% 4.26% NA
1993 75,038 17,511 23.34% 16.18% 3.62% 9.84% 4.41% NA
1994 93,756 21,281 22.70% 15.03% 3.10% 10.19% 4.50% NA
1995 136,566 28,878 21.15% 14.02% 2.58% 8.86% 4.20% NA
1996 119,127 25,669 21.55% 9.76% 1.42% 12.82% 4.17% 12.75%
1997 215,509 42,717 19.82% 8.28% 1.27% 12.29% 3.46% 12.24%
1998 220,103 41,605 18.90% 7.01% 1.30% 12.47% 3.56% 12.42%
1999 348,398 54,129 15.54% 4.50% 0.84% 10.97% 3.00% 10.94%
2000 4,932 799 16.20% 8.62% 4.18% 9.00% 2.17% 8.94%
2001 4,464 563 12.61% 5.71% 2.35% 8.80% 2.02% 8.76%
2002 3,726 428 11.49% 6.04% 2.23% 7.35% 1.96% 7.33%
2003 5,271 502 9.52% 4.72% 1.86% 6.17% 1.59% 6.11%
2004 4,131 337 8.16% 3.82% 1.45% 5.76% 1.38% 5.74%
2005 5,213 382 7.33% 3.97% 1.36% 4.30% 1.06% 4.24%
2006 4,281 313 7.31% 3.62% 1.64% 4.23% 0.93% 4.23%
2007 4,509 257 5.70% 3.19% 1.09% 3.33% 0.58% 3.33%
2008 2,741 147 5.36% 2.52% 1.13% 2.74% 0.84% 2.74%
2009 1,561 80 5.12% 2.75% 1.54% 2.50% 0.64% 2.43%
2010 797 46 5.77% 2.13% 0.88% 4.39% 0.88% 4.39%
2011 2,611 42 1.61% 0.80% 0.27% 1.23% 0.34% 1.19%
2012 912 23 2.52% 1.32% 0.66% 2.08% 0.44% 2.08%
2013 774 24 3.10% 0.90% 0.39% 1.94% 1.29% 1.94%
2014 633 21 3.32% 0.47% 0.00% 2.05% 1.26% 2.05%
2015 644 10 1.55% 0.78% 0.00% 0.00% 1.09% 0.00%
2016 494 21 4.25% 1.42% 0.20% 1.82% 2.43% 1.82%
2017 662 9 1.36% 0.45% 0.00% 0.30% 1.06% 0.30%
2018 908 5 0.55% 0.44% 0.00% 0.11% 0.33% 0.11%
2019 1,689 12 0.71% 0.47% 0.06% 0.12% 0.47% 0.12%
2020 431 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other 14 3 21.43% 21.43% 7.14% 7.14% 14.29% 0.00%
All Model Years 1,642,505 322,826 19.65% 10.18% 2.41% 10.88% 3.90% 6.66%

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 53 19 35.85% 18.87% 13.21% 18.87% 11.32% 0.00%
1997 115 36 31.30% 22.61% 10.43% 21.74% 12.17% 0.87%
1998 2,571 457 17.78% 15.21% 4.24% 13.96% 6.50% 1.24%
1999 9,557 1,399 14.64% 13.00% 2.49% 12.38% 8.15% 0.62%
2000 354,471 62,320 17.58% 15.44% 3.50% 15.15% 10.49% 0.29%
2001 573,398 84,929 14.81% 13.00% 2.78% 12.75% 8.79% 0.24%
2002 423,879 60,347 14.24% 12.22% 2.98% 11.94% 7.88% 0.27%
2003 737,917 81,484 11.04% 9.50% 2.18% 9.27% 6.11% 0.23%
2004 502,208 56,356 11.22% 9.65% 2.20% 9.43% 6.34% 0.23%
2005 881,308 77,958 8.85% 7.63% 1.62% 7.47% 5.01% 0.16%
2006 553,601 50,287 9.08% 7.83% 1.61% 7.67% 5.14% 0.16%
2007 974,316 61,700 6.33% 5.45% 1.08% 5.34% 3.44% 0.11%
2008 475,367 32,004 6.73% 5.92% 0.99% 5.80% 3.96% 0.12%
2009 597,113 29,721 4.98% 4.44% 0.64% 4.36% 3.05% 0.08%
2010 330,723 19,484 5.89% 5.38% 0.64% 5.30% 3.11% 0.08%
2011 841,086 38,413 4.57% 4.20% 0.44% 4.15% 2.41% 0.05%
2012 238,878 13,733 5.75% 5.37% 0.46% 5.33% 3.33% 0.04%
2013 205,640 10,886 5.29% 4.92% 0.44% 4.88% 3.19% 0.04%
2014 195,804 9,234 4.72% 4.44% 0.32% 4.40% 3.04% 0.04%
2015 276,986 12,380 4.47% 4.24% 0.24% 4.21% 3.15% 0.03%
2016 188,245 7,926 4.21% 4.02% 0.21% 3.99% 3.26% 0.03%
2017 148,447 5,056 3.41% 3.21% 0.21% 3.18% 2.67% 0.02%
2018 127,475 3,867 3.03% 2.91% 0.13% 2.88% 2.57% 0.03%
2019 50,636 2,413 4.77% 4.63% 0.12% 4.60% 4.19% 0.03%
2020 2,066 123 5.95% 5.76% 0.15% 5.76% 5.23% 0.00%
Other 122 90 73.77% 32.79% 33.61% 32.79% 13.93% 0.00%
All Model Years 8,691,982 722,622 8.31% 7.30% 1.39% 7.16% 4.80% 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 167,258 10.18%
All Visual 120,797 1.39% 63,987 3.90%
All Functional 634,641 7.30% 178,654 10.88%
OBDII 622,514 7.16% 109,464 6.66%
Overall 722,622 8.31% 322,826 19.65%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 7,524,503 631,196 8.39% 1,295,197 259,371 20.03%
Partial 406,790 32,526 8.00% 98,908 21,686 21.93%
Basic 691,148 53,469 7.74% 188,201 27,672 14.70%
Change of Ownership 69,541 5,431 7.81% 14,021 3,295 23.50%
No Program 0 0 0.00% 11 1 9.09%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 46,167 10,801 23.40%
All Program Areas 8,691,982 722,622 8.31% 1,642,505 322,826 19.65%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 4,447,936 400,078 8.99% 969,388 188,858 19.48%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 12,716 963 7.57% 1,157 248 21.43%
Non-STAR Test-Only 227,249 16,033 7.06% 27,718 4,049 14.61%
STAR Test-and-Repair 2,486,112 213,309 8.58% 496,359 106,625 21.48%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 4,489 341 7.60% 467 80 17.13%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1,448,988 84,700 5.85% 136,524 20,402 14.94%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 31,964 1,778 5.56% 240 22 9.17%
Business Fleet 4,176 58 1.39% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 1,051 36 3.43% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 4,891 4,053 82.87% 1,856 892 48.06%
Government Fleet 22,410 1,273 5.68% 8,796 1,650 18.76%
All Stations 8,691,982 722,622 8.31% 1,642,505 322,826 19.65%

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 Test 9,205,712 89.08% 1,128,774 10.92%
All Tests 10,046,824 88.53% 1,301,312 11.47%

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-Only 4,811,046 88.81% 606,278 11.19%
Non-STAR Test-Only 233,101 91.42% 21,866 8.58%
STAR Test-and-Repair 2,643,125 88.62% 339,346 11.38%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1,464,772 92.38% 120,740 7.62%
All Stations 9,152,044 89.37% 1,088,230 10.63%

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 497,572 $54.76 2,485,897 $60.89 2,983,469 $59.87
STAR Test-Only 968,789 $49.54 4,447,618 $67.23 5,416,407 $64.07
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 136,564 $52.88 1,448,822 $65.18 1,585,386 $64.12
Non-STAR Test-Only 27,574 $43.49 227,129 $58.10 254,703 $56.52
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 241 $62.74 31,964 $73.15 32,205 $73.07
Total 1,630,740 $51.31 8,641,430 $64.85 10,272,170 $62.70

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 55,144 $51.69 497,572 $54.76 2,430,753 $61.10
STAR Test-Only 1,102 $28.11 44,524 $44.47 967,687 $49.56 4,403,094 $67.46
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 879,885 $73.14 136,564 $52.88 568,937 $52.88
Non-STAR Test-Only 52 $42.89 73,017 $45.71 27,522 $43.49 154,112 $63.97
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 28,706 $73.30 241 $62.74 3,258 $71.86
Total 1,154 $28.78 1,081,276 $69.02 1,629,586 $51.33 7,560,154 $64.25

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 14313 $48.17 56,979 $415.62
$101-250 13074 $171.82
$251-500 13911 $363.80
$501-650 4776 $572.70
Over $650 10905 $1,187.50
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 4455 $48.80 16,280 $406.26
$101-250 4259 $169.86
$251-500 3756 $360.42
$501-650 1118 $571.38
Over $650 2692 $1,367.17
Repair-Only $1-100 23 $39.30 53 $261.40
$101-250 13 $179.92
$251-500 11 $355.55
$501-650 1 $570.00
Over $650 5 $1,226.00
CAP Repairs $1-100 1 $44.95 2,336 $721.15
$101-250 62 $216.86
$251-500 568 $393.28
$501-650 563 $580.14
Over $650 1142 $981.71
Total Repairs $1-100 18792 $48.31 75,648 $422.93
$101-250 17408 $171.51
$251-500 18246 $364.02
$501-650 6458 $573.12
Over $650 14744 $1,204.38

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 115 48 2,013 80 2,256
STAR Test-Only 19 1 1,905 38 1,963
STAR Sub-Total 134 49 3,918 118 4,219
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 561 53 2,510 263 3,387
Non-STAR Test-Only 31 8 564 35 638
Non-STAR Sub-Total 592 61 3,074 298 4,025
Basic Area Dealer 65 0 0 0 65
Business Fleet 0 0 4 0 4
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 51 4 60
Referee 5 0 27 0 32
Government Fleet 41 5 298 13 357
Repair-Only 2 0 51 1 54
Unknown Type 0 0 15 0 15
Other Station Sub-Total 116 7 446 18 587
All Stations 842 117 7,438 434 8,831

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 0 123 2,135
STAR Test-Only 3 62 1,881
STAR Sub-Total 3 185 4,016
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 2,113 567
Non-STAR Test-Only 2 167 157
Non-STAR Sub-Total 2 2,280 724
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 40 0
Business Fleet 0 3 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 55 8
Unknown Type 0 0 14
Government Fleet 3 180 52
Referee 0 0 31
Other Station Sub-Total 3 278 105
All Stations 8 2,743 4,845

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 2,865 1,987
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Parts Cost 432 119
Hardship Extensions 1 1
Exempt Vehicle 5 224
Exempted by Directive 66 11
Parts Exemption 89 6
Unknown Outcome 0 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 3,458 2,348

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 5,457
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 6,152
All License Types 11,609

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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