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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
April 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 949,458 94,525 9.96%
All Tests 1,041,552 108,758 10.44%

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 105,090 225,805 91,369 195,967
Non-Directed 163,068 280,868 147,351 255,101
Total 268,158 506,673 238,720 451,068

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 375 61 164 30
Non-Directed 143,184 21,440 132,923 19,790
Total 143,559 21,501 133,087 19,820

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 524 109 20.80% 14.12% 5.34% 9.16% 6.11% NA
1977 656 156 23.78% 18.45% 7.62% 10.06% 3.66% NA
1978 770 164 21.30% 15.32% 6.62% 8.96% 3.64% NA
1979 792 171 21.59% 16.92% 5.93% 8.33% 3.03% NA
1980 415 87 20.96% 13.73% 6.51% 10.12% 6.75% NA
1981 510 128 25.10% 19.02% 6.67% 10.20% 6.47% NA
1982 567 120 21.16% 15.52% 5.29% 7.76% 5.64% NA
1983 644 151 23.45% 17.24% 7.14% 9.94% 5.28% NA
1984 1,174 297 25.30% 19.59% 8.26% 10.48% 5.88% NA
1985 1,530 355 23.20% 17.25% 6.54% 9.35% 6.34% NA
1986 1,987 475 23.91% 17.36% 5.84% 10.37% 5.33% NA
1987 2,162 500 23.13% 16.93% 5.64% 10.08% 4.26% NA
1988 2,551 565 22.15% 16.46% 5.41% 9.76% 4.35% NA
1989 3,337 756 22.66% 15.22% 4.38% 10.04% 3.75% NA
1990 3,957 796 20.12% 13.87% 3.99% 8.92% 3.51% NA
1991 4,588 951 20.73% 13.97% 4.01% 9.63% 3.57% NA
1992 4,530 907 20.02% 13.95% 3.49% 8.39% 3.47% NA
1993 5,402 1,199 22.20% 15.81% 3.50% 9.07% 3.74% NA
1994 6,778 1,547 22.82% 15.09% 3.16% 9.87% 4.06% NA
1995 9,638 1,965 20.39% 14.01% 2.33% 8.36% 3.64% NA
1996 8,474 1,789 21.11% 10.46% 1.48% 11.94% 3.60% 11.94%
1997 15,287 3,068 20.07% 8.79% 1.27% 12.17% 3.05% 12.15%
1998 15,801 3,011 19.06% 7.51% 1.39% 12.25% 3.35% 12.24%
1999 25,739 4,013 15.59% 5.02% 0.87% 10.58% 2.77% 10.58%
2000 411 68 16.55% 10.22% 4.87% 7.30% 3.41% 7.30%
2001 366 64 17.49% 8.74% 3.83% 13.39% 3.83% 13.39%
2002 345 48 13.91% 4.06% 1.16% 8.12% 3.77% 8.12%
2003 474 63 13.29% 4.01% 0.84% 8.86% 2.11% 8.86%
2004 379 45 11.87% 5.01% 1.06% 7.92% 2.11% 7.92%
2005 462 49 10.61% 3.68% 0.65% 6.93% 2.16% 6.93%
2006 380 37 9.74% 3.42% 1.58% 6.58% 2.37% 6.58%
2007 404 56 13.86% 3.71% 0.74% 11.14% 1.73% 11.14%
2008 256 30 11.72% 1.56% 0.39% 8.98% 1.56% 8.98%
2009 145 13 8.97% 4.14% 2.07% 6.21% 1.38% 6.21%
2010 93 14 15.05% 3.23% 0.00% 15.05% 1.08% 15.05%
2011 221 8 3.62% 0.00% 0.00% 2.71% 0.90% 2.71%
2012 128 5 3.91% 0.00% 0.00% 3.91% 0.78% 3.91%
2013 400 17 4.25% 0.25% 0.00% 3.50% 0.75% 3.50%
2014 65 4 6.15% 1.54% 1.54% 6.15% 0.00% 6.15%
2015 63 4 6.35% 0.00% 0.00% 6.35% 0.00% 6.35%
2016 94 1 1.06% 0.00% 0.00% 1.06% 0.00% 1.06%
2017 84 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 73 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 59 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 208 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 122,923 23,806 19.37% 10.47% 2.43% 10.38% 3.45% 6.42%

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 42 1 2.38% 0.00% 2.38% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 82 3 3.66% 3.66% 0.00% 3.66% 2.44% 0.00%
1998 302 29 9.60% 6.95% 3.31% 5.96% 1.99% 0.99%
1999 963 93 9.66% 8.93% 1.56% 8.31% 5.82% 0.62%
2000 25,739 4,792 18.62% 16.57% 3.62% 16.27% 11.75% 0.30%
2001 41,021 6,421 15.65% 14.06% 2.73% 13.82% 10.07% 0.24%
2002 31,581 4,714 14.93% 13.18% 2.92% 12.94% 8.98% 0.24%
2003 53,424 6,471 12.11% 10.65% 2.27% 10.41% 7.23% 0.25%
2004 39,780 4,933 12.40% 10.84% 2.40% 10.63% 7.33% 0.21%
2005 65,213 6,763 10.37% 9.18% 1.81% 9.04% 6.27% 0.14%
2006 44,563 4,755 10.67% 9.37% 1.88% 9.18% 6.35% 0.19%
2007 75,203 5,634 7.49% 6.54% 1.26% 6.44% 4.42% 0.10%
2008 41,483 3,414 8.23% 7.36% 1.21% 7.23% 5.20% 0.13%
2009 45,938 2,871 6.25% 5.67% 0.79% 5.59% 4.14% 0.09%
2010 29,849 2,440 8.17% 7.61% 0.75% 7.54% 3.77% 0.07%
2011 65,625 3,964 6.04% 5.66% 0.50% 5.60% 2.86% 0.06%
2012 30,917 2,523 8.16% 7.68% 0.72% 7.63% 3.70% 0.05%
2013 109,676 5,371 4.90% 4.50% 0.50% 4.47% 2.23% 0.03%
2014 18,966 1,056 5.57% 5.25% 0.43% 5.22% 2.65% 0.03%
2015 22,502 1,091 4.85% 4.61% 0.32% 4.57% 2.48% 0.04%
2016 20,559 852 4.14% 3.89% 0.28% 3.86% 2.37% 0.03%
2017 26,281 1,042 3.96% 3.81% 0.20% 3.78% 2.68% 0.03%
2018 16,697 642 3.85% 3.69% 0.17% 3.68% 2.64% 0.01%
2019 10,809 442 4.09% 3.89% 0.19% 3.86% 3.06% 0.04%
2020 6,871 246 3.58% 3.51% 0.10% 3.51% 3.06% 0.00%
2021 2,436 150 6.16% 6.12% 0.00% 6.12% 5.30% 0.00%
2022 6 2 33.33% 33.33% 0.00% 33.33% 33.33% 0.00%
Other 7 4 57.14% 14.29% 0.00% 14.29% 14.29% 0.00%
All Model Years 826,535 70,719 8.56% 7.70% 1.29% 7.58% 4.97% 0.12%

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 12,875 10.47%
All Visual 10,632 1.29% 4,235 3.45%
All Functional 63,613 7.70% 12,756 10.38%
OBDII 62,650 7.58% 7,887 6.42%
Overall 70,719 8.56% 23,806 19.37%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 710,642 61,438 8.65% 93,833 18,569 19.79%
Partial 41,397 3,345 8.08% 7,798 1,759 22.56%
Basic 67,137 5,414 8.06% 15,492 2,240 14.46%
Change of Ownership 7,359 522 7.09% 1,342 289 21.54%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 4,458 949 21.29%
All Program Areas 826,535 70,719 8.56% 122,923 23,806 19.37%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 435,098 40,435 9.29% 71,575 13,751 19.21%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 2,061 178 8.64% 127 27 21.26%
Non-STAR Test-Only 19,146 1,272 6.64% 2,355 330 14.01%
STAR Test-and-Repair 231,324 20,209 8.74% 36,834 7,862 21.34%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 552 28 5.07% 55 7 12.73%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 132,669 7,969 6.01% 10,890 1,628 14.95%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,786 131 4.70% 22 0 0.00%
Business Fleet 420 47 11.19% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 37 2 5.41% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 551 325 58.98% 59 29 49.15%
Government Fleet 1,891 123 6.50% 1,006 172 17.10%
All Stations 826,535 70,719 8.56% 122,923 23,806 19.37%

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 848,556 89.37% 100,902 10.63%
All Tests 925,582 88.87% 115,970 11.13%

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 451,068 89.03% 55,605 10.97%
Non-STAR Test-Only 19,820 92.18% 1,681 7.82%
STAR Test-and-Repair 238,720 89.02% 29,438 10.98%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 133,087 92.71% 10,472 7.29%
All Stations 842,695 89.66% 97,196 10.34%

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 36,818 $58.31 229,042 $50.98 265,860 $51.99
STAR Test-Only 71,461 $51.56 433,015 $49.04 504,476 $49.40
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 10,880 $56.58 130,910 $62.21 141,790 $61.77
Non-STAR Test-Only 2,266 $45.86 18,334 $43.88 20,600 $44.10
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 22 $75.08 2,656 $65.30 2,678 $65.38
Total 121,447 $53.95 813,957 $51.64 935,404 $51.94

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 5 $87.39 8,827 $54.63 36,813 $58.30 220,215 $50.83
STAR Test-Only 265 $43.35 12,614 $43.77 71,196 $51.59 420,401 $49.20
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 83,467 $65.37 10,880 $56.58 47,443 $56.63
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 $40.00 6,678 $44.43 2,265 $45.86 11,656 $43.57
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 2,518 $64.78 22 $75.08 138 $74.74
Total 271 $44.15 114,104 $60.92 121,176 $53.98 699,853 $50.13

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) $1-100 360 $57.51 2,334 $585.85
$101-250 505 $171.27
$251-500 552 $363.52
$501-650 203 $575.35
Over $650 714 $1,320.33
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 140 $57.13 863 $557.10
$101-250 219 $165.99
$251-500 203 $357.06
$501-650 80 $576.70
Over $650 221 $1,438.04
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 $0.00 428 $1,094.06
$101-250 21 $175.91
$251-500 59 $384.47
$501-650 47 $572.64
Over $650 301 $1,378.63
Total Repairs $1-100 500 $57.41 3,625 $639.01
$101-250 745 $169.85
$251-500 814 $363.43
$501-650 330 $575.29
Over $650 1236 $1,355.57

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 47 1,866 73 2,091
STAR Test-Only 21 2 1,733 36 1,792
STAR Sub-Total 126 49 3,599 109 3,883
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 480 49 2,031 230 2,790
Non-STAR Test-Only 26 6 254 32 318
Non-STAR Sub-Total 506 55 2,285 262 3,108
Basic Area Dealer 56 0 0 0 56
Business Fleet 0 0 4 0 4
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 48 4 57
Referee 5 0 31 0 36
Government Fleet 41 5 304 13 363
Repair-Only 2 0 43 1 46
Unknown Type 0 1 19 0 20
Other Station Sub-Total 107 8 449 18 582
All Stations 739 112 6,333 389 7,573

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 3 165 1,843
STAR Test-Only 1 81 1,649
STAR Sub-Total 4 246 3,492
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,733 382
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 88 69
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,821 451
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 17 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 49 5
Unknown Type 0 2 14
Government Fleet 5 148 31
Referee 0 1 25
Other Station Sub-Total 5 219 75
All Stations 10 2,286 4,018

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 378 71
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Parts Cost 26 5
Hardship Extensions 0 0
Exempt Vehicle 1 7
Exempted by Directive 8 1
Parts Exemption 9 1
Unknown Outcome 0 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 422 85

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,114
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,870
All License Types 8,984

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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