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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
October 2020

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 880,007 89,086 10.12%
All Tests 967,040 102,606 10.61%

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 105,692 224,497 91,610 194,506
Non-Directed 147,726 249,563 132,563 226,394
Total 253,418 474,060 224,173 420,900

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 409 85 200 37
Non-Directed 124,849 20,315 115,055 18,637
Total 125,258 20,400 115,255 18,674

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 400 97 24.25% 17.25% 5.50% 11.25% 5.75% NA
1977 621 129 20.77% 12.72% 5.80% 10.14% 5.64% NA
1978 656 131 19.97% 14.18% 6.25% 9.60% 5.34% NA
1979 840 197 23.45% 16.43% 6.07% 12.38% 5.83% NA
1980 428 99 23.13% 16.59% 7.71% 11.21% 5.37% NA
1981 468 119 25.43% 19.66% 7.48% 10.90% 5.56% NA
1982 518 115 22.20% 14.48% 5.98% 11.00% 7.14% NA
1983 594 132 22.22% 15.82% 7.07% 11.45% 5.22% NA
1984 1,053 240 22.79% 18.14% 7.88% 9.02% 5.51% NA
1985 1,393 325 23.33% 18.38% 6.60% 8.61% 5.46% NA
1986 1,984 465 23.44% 16.73% 5.29% 10.28% 4.74% NA
1987 2,223 518 23.30% 17.50% 6.52% 9.72% 5.04% NA
1988 2,348 538 22.91% 16.01% 5.62% 10.26% 4.17% NA
1989 3,470 726 20.92% 14.03% 3.92% 10.09% 4.12% NA
1990 3,658 750 20.50% 13.29% 3.58% 9.62% 3.75% NA
1991 4,730 973 20.57% 13.23% 3.59% 9.45% 3.66% NA
1992 4,171 846 20.28% 13.38% 3.07% 9.09% 3.91% NA
1993 5,494 1,272 23.15% 15.45% 3.48% 10.25% 3.86% NA
1994 7,066 1,530 21.65% 13.93% 2.76% 10.05% 3.96% NA
1995 8,341 1,790 21.46% 14.17% 2.90% 9.23% 3.96% NA
1996 9,873 1,870 18.94% 8.94% 1.37% 10.78% 3.08% 10.77%
1997 12,559 2,507 19.96% 8.74% 1.26% 12.28% 3.42% 12.27%
1998 19,820 3,455 17.43% 6.43% 1.17% 11.41% 2.97% 11.40%
1999 19,083 3,146 16.49% 5.26% 0.91% 11.52% 2.77% 11.52%
2000 475 86 18.11% 10.53% 4.21% 7.79% 4.42% 7.79%
2001 269 55 20.45% 5.58% 2.23% 14.87% 5.20% 14.87%
2002 420 60 14.29% 5.00% 1.43% 11.19% 0.95% 11.19%
2003 355 58 16.34% 7.04% 2.54% 13.24% 2.82% 13.24%
2004 487 61 12.53% 3.70% 1.03% 9.45% 1.23% 9.45%
2005 330 60 18.18% 6.06% 2.12% 13.64% 2.42% 13.64%
2006 499 47 9.42% 3.61% 0.80% 6.41% 2.00% 6.41%
2007 298 40 13.42% 6.04% 2.35% 8.72% 1.01% 8.72%
2008 339 24 7.08% 1.18% 0.59% 5.90% 0.88% 5.90%
2009 83 12 14.46% 6.02% 3.61% 12.05% 0.00% 12.05%
2010 130 14 10.77% 4.62% 1.54% 7.69% 1.54% 7.69%
2011 215 9 4.19% 0.93% 0.47% 3.72% 0.00% 3.72%
2012 393 14 3.56% 0.51% 0.51% 3.05% 0.25% 3.05%
2013 58 4 6.90% 0.00% 0.00% 6.90% 0.00% 6.90%
2014 90 6 6.67% 2.22% 1.11% 6.67% 0.00% 6.67%
2015 64 1 1.56% 0.00% 0.00% 1.56% 0.00% 1.56%
2016 69 2 2.90% 1.45% 1.45% 1.45% 0.00% 1.45%
2017 56 1 1.79% 1.79% 1.79% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 64 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 76 1 1.32% 0.00% 0.00% 1.32% 0.00% 1.32%
2020 438 4 0.91% 0.68% 0.46% 0.23% 0.00% 0.23%
All Model Years 116,999 22,529 19.26% 10.17% 2.41% 10.60% 3.48% 6.37%

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 8 6 75.00% 50.00% 12.50% 50.00% 25.00% 0.00%
1998 211 29 13.74% 12.80% 1.90% 10.90% 5.69% 1.90%
1999 775 109 14.06% 12.77% 2.45% 12.00% 7.23% 0.77%
2000 36,381 5,957 16.37% 14.68% 2.89% 14.41% 10.56% 0.27%
2001 29,223 4,999 17.11% 15.30% 3.09% 15.01% 10.53% 0.29%
2002 49,762 6,715 13.49% 12.06% 2.28% 11.85% 8.25% 0.21%
2003 35,075 4,720 13.46% 11.83% 2.64% 11.54% 7.84% 0.29%
2004 61,006 6,582 10.79% 9.57% 1.80% 9.37% 6.49% 0.20%
2005 37,765 4,396 11.64% 10.28% 2.05% 10.08% 7.06% 0.21%
2006 73,918 6,403 8.66% 7.64% 1.41% 7.49% 5.35% 0.15%
2007 42,633 3,585 8.41% 7.44% 1.34% 7.31% 4.81% 0.13%
2008 69,006 4,485 6.50% 5.82% 0.88% 5.71% 4.07% 0.12%
2009 23,918 1,681 7.03% 6.25% 1.05% 6.12% 4.57% 0.14%
2010 61,373 3,517 5.73% 5.37% 0.48% 5.31% 2.88% 0.05%
2011 25,968 1,913 7.37% 6.89% 0.67% 6.84% 3.14% 0.04%
2012 93,024 5,739 6.17% 5.81% 0.47% 5.76% 3.04% 0.05%
2013 19,271 1,089 5.65% 5.33% 0.39% 5.31% 2.71% 0.03%
2014 17,527 974 5.56% 5.26% 0.37% 5.25% 2.75% 0.01%
2015 19,727 1,000 5.07% 4.80% 0.34% 4.78% 2.61% 0.02%
2016 21,083 825 3.91% 3.67% 0.25% 3.65% 2.28% 0.01%
2017 15,495 572 3.69% 3.46% 0.24% 3.45% 2.55% 0.01%
2018 12,772 487 3.81% 3.64% 0.20% 3.61% 2.87% 0.03%
2019 11,596 482 4.16% 4.02% 0.13% 3.99% 3.16% 0.03%
2020 5,132 263 5.12% 5.07% 0.08% 5.05% 4.40% 0.02%
2021 353 26 7.37% 7.37% 0.00% 7.37% 6.23% 0.00%
Other 5 3 60.00% 20.00% 0.00% 20.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 763,008 66,557 8.72% 7.87% 1.26% 7.74% 5.13% 0.13%

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 11,897 10.17%
All Visual 9,623 1.26% 4,067 3.48%
All Functional 60,065 7.87% 12,406 10.60%
OBDII 59,066 7.74% 7,456 6.37%
Overall 66,557 8.72% 22,529 19.26%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 657,947 58,247 8.85% 90,620 17,901 19.75%
Partial 36,706 2,957 8.06% 7,235 1,512 20.90%
Basic 61,758 4,868 7.88% 14,058 2,003 14.25%
Change of Ownership 6,597 485 7.35% 1,216 271 22.29%
No Program 0 0 0.00% 3 0 0.00%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 3,867 842 21.77%
All Program Areas 763,008 66,557 8.72% 116,999 22,529 19.26%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 404,998 38,157 9.42% 69,062 13,069 18.92%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 1,015 109 10.74% 112 31 27.68%
Non-STAR Test-Only 18,254 1,319 7.23% 2,146 294 13.70%
STAR Test-and-Repair 218,223 19,289 8.84% 35,195 7,530 21.40%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 675 54 8.00% 34 7 20.59%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 115,369 7,152 6.20% 9,889 1,392 14.08%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,358 115 4.88% 19 1 5.26%
Business Fleet 317 26 8.20% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 75 3 4.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 392 246 62.76% 203 132 65.02%
Government Fleet 1,332 87 6.53% 339 73 21.53%
All Stations 763,008 66,557 8.72% 116,999 22,529 19.26%

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 783,419 89.02% 96,588 10.98%
All Tests 856,166 88.53% 110,874 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 420,900 88.79% 53,160 11.21%
Non-STAR Test-Only 18,674 91.54% 1,726 8.46%
STAR Test-and-Repair 224,173 88.46% 29,245 11.54%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 115,255 92.01% 10,003 7.99%
All Stations 779,002 89.22% 94,134 10.78%

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 35,152 $57.26 217,744 $51.10 252,896 $51.95
STAR Test-Only 68,958 $50.83 404,118 $49.02 473,076 $49.29
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 9,894 $54.44 113,956 $57.94 123,850 $57.66
Non-STAR Test-Only 2,143 $45.18 18,182 $43.31 20,325 $43.50
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 20 $67.07 2,358 $65.34 2,378 $65.35
Total 116,167 $52.98 756,358 $50.88 872,525 $51.16

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 2 $90.00 7,131 $52.74 35,150 $57.26 210,613 $51.04
STAR Test-Only 2 $50.75 10,594 $43.01 68,956 $50.83 393,524 $49.19
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 70,510 $64.62 9,894 $54.44 43,446 $47.08
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 7,005 $43.20 2,143 $45.18 11,177 $43.37
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 2,193 $64.54 20 $67.07 165 $76.00
Total 4 $70.38 97,433 $59.86 116,163 $52.98 658,925 $49.55

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) $1-100 871 $49.67 4,475 $495.55
$101-250 988 $171.41
$251-500 1076 $363.02
$501-650 399 $574.96
Over $650 1141 $1,213.82
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 293 $49.86 1,129 $458.32
$101-250 304 $173.10
$251-500 241 $365.21
$501-650 82 $571.96
Over $650 209 $1,508.58
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 1 $61.25 186 $1,046.85
$101-250 4 $183.28
$251-500 26 $389.32
$501-650 14 $569.24
Over $650 141 $1,247.01
Total Repairs $1-100 1165 $49.73 5,790 $506.00
$101-250 1296 $171.84
$251-500 1343 $363.92
$501-650 495 $574.30
Over $650 1491 $1,258.28

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 107 49 1,884 71 2,111
STAR Test-Only 17 2 1,743 35 1,797
STAR Sub-Total 124 51 3,627 106 3,908
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 480 43 2,030 238 2,791
Non-STAR Test-Only 26 5 281 31 343
Non-STAR Sub-Total 506 48 2,311 269 3,134
Basic Area Dealer 58 0 0 0 58
Business Fleet 0 0 4 0 4
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 48 4 57
Referee 5 0 30 0 35
Government Fleet 41 5 302 13 361
Repair-Only 2 0 45 1 48
Unknown Type 1 0 15 2 18
Other Station Sub-Total 110 7 444 20 581
All Stations 740 106 6,382 395 7,623

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 170 1,853
STAR Test-Only 2 81 1,655
STAR Sub-Total 3 251 3,508
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,747 398
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 97 68
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,844 466
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 25 0
Business Fleet 0 3 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 49 5
Unknown Type 0 2 11
Government Fleet 10 146 22
Referee 0 1 24
Other Station Sub-Total 10 226 62
All Stations 13 2,321 4,036

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 292 148
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Parts Cost 33 7
Hardship Extensions 0 0
Exempt Vehicle 0 21
Exempted by Directive 9 0
Parts Exemption 8 0
Unknown Outcome 0 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 342 176

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,079
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,899
All License Types 8,978

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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