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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
November 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 751,163 75,137 10.00%
All Tests 823,861 86,367 10.48%

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 90,957 194,958 79,235 169,700
Non-Directed 125,180 208,877 111,832 189,292
Total 216,137 403,835 191,067 358,992

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 305 51 142 31
Non-Directed 108,338 16,424 99,810 15,046
Total 108,643 16,475 99,952 15,077

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 361 84 23.27% 16.90% 9.14% 11.08% 4.99% NA
1977 482 98 20.33% 10.37% 4.36% 10.58% 4.98% NA
1978 540 119 22.04% 15.19% 7.59% 9.07% 5.19% NA
1979 682 176 25.81% 17.45% 5.57% 12.76% 6.30% NA
1980 356 80 22.47% 16.57% 7.30% 10.67% 6.18% NA
1981 356 86 24.16% 15.73% 5.34% 12.08% 5.34% NA
1982 407 87 21.38% 15.23% 5.41% 9.83% 5.65% NA
1983 504 111 22.02% 16.87% 7.14% 10.32% 5.56% NA
1984 892 235 26.35% 19.62% 8.18% 11.32% 6.28% NA
1985 1,187 291 24.52% 18.53% 6.07% 10.70% 5.22% NA
1986 1,522 328 21.55% 16.10% 5.65% 9.59% 4.27% NA
1987 1,905 482 25.30% 18.53% 6.51% 11.44% 4.99% NA
1988 1,911 416 21.77% 14.81% 4.19% 9.99% 3.87% NA
1989 2,812 624 22.19% 15.54% 4.84% 10.31% 3.88% NA
1990 3,074 651 21.18% 14.31% 3.77% 9.66% 3.51% NA
1991 3,753 793 21.13% 13.32% 3.62% 10.42% 4.40% NA
1992 3,342 670 20.05% 13.02% 2.78% 9.69% 3.23% NA
1993 4,318 1,022 23.67% 16.47% 3.57% 10.26% 3.54% NA
1994 5,770 1,266 21.94% 14.63% 2.86% 10.28% 4.02% NA
1995 7,023 1,569 22.34% 14.87% 2.86% 9.47% 3.46% NA
1996 8,079 1,521 18.83% 8.57% 1.18% 11.12% 3.22% 11.10%
1997 10,570 2,270 21.48% 9.66% 1.50% 12.79% 4.00% 12.77%
1998 15,625 2,719 17.40% 6.55% 1.09% 11.38% 2.82% 11.37%
1999 16,761 2,634 15.72% 4.80% 0.81% 11.14% 2.83% 11.14%
2000 356 62 17.42% 9.83% 6.18% 10.67% 4.49% 10.67%
2001 233 36 15.45% 4.72% 0.86% 10.73% 2.58% 10.73%
2002 311 50 16.08% 7.07% 2.89% 11.25% 1.93% 11.25%
2003 283 35 12.37% 4.59% 2.12% 8.13% 1.77% 8.13%
2004 359 47 13.09% 3.62% 2.23% 9.75% 1.11% 9.75%
2005 278 39 14.03% 6.83% 2.16% 10.43% 2.88% 10.43%
2006 406 42 10.34% 4.93% 2.46% 6.16% 0.74% 6.16%
2007 262 35 13.36% 5.73% 3.05% 8.02% 0.38% 8.02%
2008 244 22 9.02% 4.92% 2.05% 5.74% 1.64% 5.74%
2009 84 10 11.90% 2.38% 0.00% 9.52% 1.19% 9.52%
2010 86 11 12.79% 1.16% 0.00% 12.79% 0.00% 12.79%
2011 138 9 6.52% 2.90% 2.17% 5.07% 0.00% 5.07%
2012 243 11 4.53% 0.41% 0.00% 3.70% 0.41% 3.70%
2013 88 3 3.41% 1.14% 1.14% 3.41% 0.00% 3.41%
2014 61 4 6.56% 0.00% 0.00% 4.92% 1.64% 4.92%
2015 70 3 4.29% 2.86% 2.86% 1.43% 1.43% 1.43%
2016 62 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2017 59 2 3.39% 1.69% 1.69% 3.39% 0.00% 3.39%
2018 38 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 61 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 238 1 0.42% 0.00% 0.00% 0.42% 0.00% 0.42%
Other 1 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 96,193 18,754 19.50% 10.37% 2.41% 10.78% 3.46% 6.43%

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 3 2 66.67% 66.67% 33.33% 66.67% 33.33% 0.00%
1997 4 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 162 18 11.11% 9.26% 4.32% 6.79% 2.47% 2.47%
1999 598 72 12.04% 10.20% 2.34% 9.87% 6.52% 0.33%
2000 28,251 4,833 17.11% 15.40% 2.99% 15.14% 11.17% 0.27%
2001 26,046 4,276 16.42% 14.83% 3.12% 14.54% 10.12% 0.30%
2002 38,405 5,320 13.85% 12.38% 2.54% 12.12% 8.54% 0.26%
2003 32,518 4,341 13.35% 11.82% 2.49% 11.54% 8.04% 0.28%
2004 48,794 5,340 10.94% 9.67% 1.92% 9.50% 6.63% 0.17%
2005 36,205 3,855 10.65% 9.36% 1.94% 9.16% 6.43% 0.20%
2006 58,990 5,312 9.00% 7.96% 1.50% 7.80% 5.40% 0.16%
2007 39,909 3,171 7.95% 6.93% 1.38% 6.82% 4.77% 0.12%
2008 55,359 3,788 6.84% 6.07% 0.99% 5.96% 4.27% 0.11%
2009 22,975 1,441 6.27% 5.68% 0.76% 5.60% 4.09% 0.09%
2010 47,366 2,849 6.01% 5.62% 0.53% 5.54% 2.91% 0.08%
2011 29,046 1,906 6.56% 6.11% 0.61% 6.06% 2.95% 0.06%
2012 68,865 4,455 6.47% 6.05% 0.56% 6.01% 3.22% 0.05%
2013 31,602 1,454 4.60% 4.30% 0.37% 4.27% 2.35% 0.03%
2014 14,684 780 5.31% 5.01% 0.41% 4.99% 2.57% 0.01%
2015 16,522 880 5.33% 5.03% 0.37% 5.00% 2.47% 0.03%
2016 17,106 675 3.95% 3.71% 0.25% 3.69% 2.31% 0.02%
2017 15,602 599 3.84% 3.66% 0.21% 3.65% 2.69% 0.01%
2018 11,401 405 3.55% 3.46% 0.10% 3.45% 2.54% 0.01%
2019 9,466 353 3.73% 3.61% 0.14% 3.59% 2.92% 0.02%
2020 4,585 225 4.91% 4.84% 0.07% 4.80% 4.21% 0.04%
2021 499 28 5.61% 5.61% 0.00% 5.41% 5.41% 0.20%
Other 7 5 71.43% 42.86% 0.00% 42.86% 14.29% 0.00%
All Model Years 654,970 56,383 8.61% 7.76% 1.28% 7.63% 5.08% 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 9,973 10.37%
All Visual 8,416 1.28% 3,330 3.46%
All Functional 50,850 7.76% 10,372 10.78%
OBDII 50,006 7.63% 6,181 6.43%
Overall 56,383 8.61% 18,754 19.50%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 563,768 49,062 8.70% 74,181 14,819 19.98%
Partial 31,710 2,577 8.13% 5,910 1,253 21.20%
Basic 54,057 4,334 8.02% 12,047 1,756 14.58%
Change of Ownership 5,435 410 7.54% 952 247 25.95%
No Program 0 0 0.00% 1 0 0.00%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 3,102 679 21.89%
All Program Areas 654,970 56,383 8.61% 96,193 18,754 19.50%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 347,271 32,293 9.30% 56,564 10,868 19.21%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 1,156 117 10.12% 102 14 13.73%
Non-STAR Test-Only 14,784 1,032 6.98% 1,691 250 14.78%
STAR Test-and-Repair 187,318 16,505 8.81% 28,819 6,242 21.66%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 632 51 8.07% 42 10 23.81%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 100,092 6,071 6.07% 8,551 1,220 14.27%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,008 103 5.13% 12 1 8.33%
Business Fleet 367 26 7.08% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 44 2 4.55% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 208 121 58.17% 156 94 60.26%
Government Fleet 1,090 62 5.69% 256 55 21.48%
All Stations 654,970 56,383 8.61% 96,193 18,754 19.50%

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 669,221 89.09% 81,942 10.91%
All Tests 730,009 88.61% 93,852 11.39%

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 358,992 88.90% 44,843 11.10%
Non-STAR Test-Only 15,077 91.51% 1,398 8.49%
STAR Test-and-Repair 191,067 88.40% 25,070 11.60%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 99,952 92.00% 8,691 8.00%
All Stations 665,088 89.26% 80,002 10.74%

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 28,822 $57.31 186,292 $50.39 215,114 $51.32
STAR Test-Only 56,464 $50.97 346,597 $50.41 403,061 $50.49
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 8,533 $53.81 99,201 $58.22 107,734 $57.87
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,693 $46.86 14,694 $42.50 16,387 $42.95
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 12 $69.52 1,993 $67.18 2,005 $67.20
Total 95,524 $53.07 648,777 $51.47 744,301 $51.68

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 7,111 $58.62 28,822 $57.31 179,181 $50.06
STAR Test-Only 53 $37.22 8,791 $43.82 56,411 $50.98 337,806 $50.58
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 61,325 $63.89 8,533 $53.81 37,876 $49.04
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 $71.75 6,055 $43.63 1,692 $46.85 8,639 $41.71
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 1,860 $66.39 12 $69.52 133 $78.26
Total 54 $37.86 85,142 $59.99 95,470 $53.07 563,635 $50.18

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) $1-100 705 $50.41 3,605 $486.85
$101-250 832 $169.50
$251-500 855 $366.48
$501-650 339 $578.50
Over $650 874 $1,221.79
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 196 $49.37 899 $474.48
$101-250 262 $167.32
$251-500 187 $372.28
$501-650 71 $573.48
Over $650 183 $1,435.58
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 0 $0.00 164 $978.23
$101-250 7 $172.29
$251-500 27 $399.82
$501-650 19 $573.24
Over $650 111 $1,239.07
Total Repairs $1-100 901 $50.18 4,668 $501.73
$101-250 1101 $169.00
$251-500 1069 $368.34
$501-650 429 $577.43
Over $650 1168 $1,257.98

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 104 47 1,889 74 2,114
STAR Test-Only 17 2 1,728 35 1,782
STAR Sub-Total 121 49 3,617 109 3,896
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 487 45 2,030 234 2,796
Non-STAR Test-Only 29 5 287 32 353
Non-STAR Sub-Total 516 50 2,317 266 3,149
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 44 1 47
Unknown Type 1 1 21 2 25
Other Station Sub-Total 110 8 449 20 587
All Stations 747 107 6,383 395 7,632

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 0 192 1,828
STAR Test-Only 2 82 1,639
STAR Sub-Total 2 274 3,467
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1 1,735 383
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 102 64
Non-STAR Sub-Total 2 1,837 447
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 14 0
Business Fleet 0 3 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 50 4
Unknown Type 0 3 17
Government Fleet 8 133 24
Referee 0 0 23
Other Station Sub-Total 8 203 68
All Stations 12 2,314 3,982

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 178 119
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Parts Cost 16 2
Hardship Extensions 0 0
Exempt Vehicle 0 9
Exempted by Directive 4 0
Parts Exemption 6 1
Unknown Outcome 0 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 204 131

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,025
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,841
All License Types 8,866

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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