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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
February 2021

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 884,248 86,594 9.79%
All Tests 966,206 99,324 10.28%

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 102,583 222,815 89,473 193,995
Non-Directed 148,515 255,179 134,441 232,761
Total 251,098 477,994 223,914 426,756

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 337 51 158 27
Non-Directed 128,035 18,696 118,899 17,242
Total 128,372 18,747 119,057 17,269

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 399 95 23.81% 18.05% 7.02% 7.77% 5.26% NA
1977 581 136 23.41% 16.18% 7.57% 11.88% 5.85% NA
1978 628 127 20.22% 13.69% 4.46% 10.67% 5.73% NA
1979 732 145 19.81% 13.52% 4.78% 9.84% 5.60% NA
1980 391 82 20.97% 14.32% 6.65% 11.25% 4.60% NA
1981 421 107 25.42% 18.05% 5.70% 11.88% 4.04% NA
1982 419 91 21.72% 15.04% 6.44% 10.02% 5.01% NA
1983 573 134 23.39% 16.75% 6.63% 9.95% 5.24% NA
1984 1,011 268 26.51% 18.60% 7.72% 11.77% 4.95% NA
1985 1,326 320 24.13% 17.19% 6.26% 10.33% 5.28% NA
1986 1,759 438 24.90% 17.91% 6.25% 11.37% 5.17% NA
1987 1,900 477 25.11% 18.42% 6.37% 9.89% 4.26% NA
1988 2,292 531 23.17% 17.32% 5.37% 10.34% 3.93% NA
1989 3,131 633 20.22% 14.15% 4.25% 8.72% 4.06% NA
1990 3,510 695 19.80% 13.53% 3.73% 9.06% 3.45% NA
1991 4,122 825 20.01% 13.90% 3.57% 8.64% 3.25% NA
1992 3,967 831 20.95% 14.54% 3.50% 9.05% 3.23% NA
1993 4,768 1,052 22.06% 15.67% 3.75% 10.09% 3.23% NA
1994 6,529 1,435 21.98% 14.92% 3.37% 9.65% 3.49% NA
1995 8,877 1,841 20.74% 14.01% 2.33% 8.69% 3.58% NA
1996 7,941 1,666 20.98% 9.82% 1.16% 12.18% 3.58% 12.18%
1997 14,081 2,661 18.90% 8.66% 1.25% 11.18% 2.78% 11.18%
1998 14,673 2,757 18.79% 7.40% 1.40% 12.21% 3.16% 12.20%
1999 23,589 3,717 15.76% 4.89% 0.88% 11.11% 2.59% 11.11%
2000 341 81 23.75% 10.85% 3.81% 14.37% 4.11% 14.37%
2001 349 67 19.20% 6.30% 2.58% 14.33% 3.44% 14.33%
2002 319 54 16.93% 7.21% 2.19% 11.29% 1.57% 11.29%
2003 387 47 12.14% 3.62% 1.55% 10.59% 0.52% 10.59%
2004 352 53 15.06% 5.68% 1.99% 11.36% 1.99% 11.36%
2005 439 55 12.53% 4.56% 1.37% 8.66% 0.46% 8.66%
2006 369 42 11.38% 5.15% 1.63% 6.23% 1.08% 6.23%
2007 414 51 12.32% 4.83% 1.93% 8.45% 0.72% 8.45%
2008 233 19 8.15% 2.58% 0.86% 5.58% 0.43% 5.58%
2009 159 16 10.06% 2.52% 1.26% 8.81% 0.63% 8.81%
2010 81 11 13.58% 1.23% 0.00% 13.58% 0.00% 13.58%
2011 195 14 7.18% 1.03% 0.51% 6.15% 0.00% 6.15%
2012 132 14 10.61% 1.52% 0.00% 9.09% 0.76% 9.09%
2013 321 19 5.92% 0.62% 0.62% 5.61% 0.00% 5.61%
2014 66 5 7.58% 0.00% 0.00% 7.58% 0.00% 7.58%
2015 85 3 3.53% 0.00% 0.00% 3.53% 0.00% 3.53%
2016 75 1 1.33% 0.00% 0.00% 1.33% 0.00% 1.33%
2017 67 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 53 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 72 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 208 2 0.96% 0.96% 0.48% 0.00% 0.48% 0.00%
Other 1 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 112,338 21,618 19.24% 10.31% 2.38% 10.55% 3.22% 6.54%

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 4 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 10 4 40.00% 40.00% 10.00% 40.00% 20.00% 0.00%
1998 213 27 12.68% 11.27% 1.88% 9.39% 3.76% 1.88%
1999 731 95 13.00% 11.35% 2.33% 11.08% 7.52% 0.27%
2000 24,252 4,356 17.96% 16.18% 3.13% 15.93% 11.71% 0.25%
2001 38,286 5,875 15.35% 13.91% 2.55% 13.70% 9.96% 0.22%
2002 29,653 4,385 14.79% 13.14% 2.75% 12.87% 8.82% 0.27%
2003 50,196 6,056 12.06% 10.68% 2.13% 10.47% 7.36% 0.21%
2004 37,650 4,698 12.48% 11.09% 2.23% 10.89% 7.67% 0.20%
2005 60,783 6,143 10.11% 9.00% 1.59% 8.82% 6.21% 0.18%
2006 42,658 4,381 10.27% 9.03% 1.72% 8.87% 6.23% 0.16%
2007 69,173 5,137 7.43% 6.58% 1.21% 6.48% 4.50% 0.09%
2008 39,986 3,119 7.80% 7.01% 1.15% 6.90% 4.95% 0.11%
2009 42,455 2,586 6.09% 5.56% 0.73% 5.48% 3.97% 0.08%
2010 28,335 2,245 7.92% 7.51% 0.58% 7.44% 3.71% 0.07%
2011 66,483 3,762 5.66% 5.34% 0.45% 5.29% 2.69% 0.05%
2012 30,608 2,509 8.20% 7.78% 0.62% 7.71% 3.74% 0.07%
2013 103,681 4,869 4.70% 4.34% 0.44% 4.32% 2.24% 0.03%
2014 15,521 878 5.66% 5.35% 0.37% 5.31% 2.64% 0.04%
2015 18,225 905 4.97% 4.65% 0.36% 4.63% 2.28% 0.03%
2016 16,876 700 4.15% 3.90% 0.30% 3.88% 2.29% 0.02%
2017 24,492 1,017 4.15% 4.02% 0.14% 4.00% 2.86% 0.02%
2018 13,233 504 3.81% 3.62% 0.23% 3.62% 2.81% 0.00%
2019 10,263 348 3.39% 3.23% 0.19% 3.22% 2.54% 0.01%
2020 6,747 267 3.96% 3.78% 0.16% 3.78% 3.28% 0.00%
2021 1,387 105 7.57% 7.57% 0.07% 7.57% 6.99% 0.00%
2022 1 1 100.00% 100.00% 0.00% 100.00% 100.00% 0.00%
Other 8 4 50.00% 25.00% 0.00% 25.00% 25.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 771,910 64,976 8.42% 7.63% 1.19% 7.52% 4.96% 0.11%

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 11,587 10.31%
All Visual 9,164 1.19% 3,614 3.22%
All Functional 58,882 7.63% 11,854 10.55%
OBDII 58,029 7.52% 7,352 6.54%
Overall 64,976 8.42% 21,618 19.24%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 665,227 56,528 8.50% 86,299 17,048 19.75%
Partial 37,943 3,075 8.10% 7,192 1,525 21.20%
Basic 62,721 4,923 7.85% 13,925 1,994 14.32%
Change of Ownership 6,019 450 7.48% 1,013 217 21.42%
No Program 0 0 0.00% 3 2 66.67%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 3,906 832 21.30%
All Program Areas 771,910 64,976 8.42% 112,338 21,618 19.24%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 412,262 37,573 9.11% 65,732 12,473 18.98%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 1,257 87 6.92% 55 6 10.91%
Non-STAR Test-Only 16,823 1,175 6.98% 1,924 247 12.84%
STAR Test-and-Repair 217,282 18,504 8.52% 33,816 7,350 21.74%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 382 16 4.19% 45 6 13.33%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 118,656 7,110 5.99% 9,716 1,346 13.85%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,460 131 5.33% 19 0 0.00%
Business Fleet 446 9 2.02% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 19 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 551 271 49.18% 70 23 32.86%
Government Fleet 1,772 100 5.64% 961 167 17.38%
All Stations 771,910 64,976 8.42% 112,338 21,618 19.24%

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 791,718 89.54% 92,530 10.46%
All Tests 860,233 89.03% 105,973 10.97%

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 426,756 89.28% 51,238 10.72%
Non-STAR Test-Only 17,269 92.12% 1,478 7.88%
STAR Test-and-Repair 223,914 89.17% 27,184 10.83%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 119,057 92.74% 9,315 7.26%
All Stations 786,996 89.82% 89,215 10.18%

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 33,840 $57.69 201,779 $50.71 235,619 $51.71
STAR Test-Only 65,611 $51.55 385,118 $49.72 450,729 $49.99
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 9,717 $56.59 108,548 $57.18 118,265 $57.13
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,923 $46.31 14,497 $43.09 16,420 $43.47
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 19 $64.13 2,079 $64.50 2,098 $64.50
Total 111,110 $53.77 712,021 $51.05 823,131 $51.42

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 3 $66.67 8,164 $52.84 33,837 $57.69 193,615 $50.62
STAR Test-Only 76 $38.01 11,962 $46.93 65,535 $51.56 373,156 $49.81
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 67,597 $63.36 9,717 $56.59 40,951 $46.99
Non-STAR Test-Only 12 $61.75 5,958 $45.95 1,911 $46.22 8,539 $41.10
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 1,893 $63.28 19 $64.13 186 $76.90
Total 91 $42.09 95,574 $59.32 111,019 $53.78 616,447 $49.77

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) $1-100 407 $56.45 2,245 $553.99
$101-250 446 $171.39
$251-500 554 $366.34
$501-650 209 $570.71
Over $650 629 $1,306.94
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 175 $56.75 838 $527.53
$101-250 219 $173.63
$251-500 190 $368.54
$501-650 59 $571.76
Over $650 195 $1,489.01
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 $0.00 356 $1,003.72
$101-250 19 $187.85
$251-500 63 $374.12
$501-650 40 $581.39
Over $650 234 $1,311.67
Total Repairs $1-100 582 $56.54 3,439 $594.10
$101-250 684 $172.56
$251-500 807 $367.47
$501-650 308 $572.30
Over $650 1058 $1,341.54

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 105 46 1,877 74 2,102
STAR Test-Only 20 2 1,740 36 1,798
STAR Sub-Total 125 48 3,617 110 3,900
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 484 45 2,014 231 2,774
Non-STAR Test-Only 26 5 254 32 317
Non-STAR Sub-Total 510 50 2,268 263 3,091
Basic Area Dealer 57 0 0 0 57
Business Fleet 0 0 4 0 4
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 48 4 57
Referee 5 0 31 0 36
Government Fleet 41 5 303 13 362
Repair-Only 2 0 43 1 46
Unknown Type 0 1 11 0 12
Other Station Sub-Total 108 8 440 18 574
All Stations 743 106 6,325 391 7,565

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 2 185 1,829
STAR Test-Only 3 84 1,649
STAR Sub-Total 5 269 3,478
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,738 378
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 95 68
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,833 446
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 11 0
Business Fleet 0 3 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 48 6
Unknown Type 0 0 11
Government Fleet 5 120 36
Referee 0 0 26
Other Station Sub-Total 5 182 79
All Stations 11 2,284 4,003

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 425 75
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Parts Cost 34 5
Hardship Extensions 0 0
Exempt Vehicle 2 24
Exempted by Directive 4 0
Parts Exemption 10 0
Unknown Outcome 0 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 475 104

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,052
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,847
All License Types 8,899

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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