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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
November 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 754,676 69,808 9.25%
All Tests 823,089 80,754 9.81%

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 88,805 197,662 78,461 175,017
Non-Directed 122,878 210,671 110,292 191,540
Total 211,683 408,333 188,753 366,557

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 192 45 59 14
Non-Directed 111,746 16,163 103,476 14,830
Total 111,938 16,208 103,535 14,844

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 303 65 21.45% 16.83% 5.94% 10.89% 4.29% NA
1977 390 92 23.59% 17.69% 7.18% 10.00% 4.36% NA
1978 526 96 18.25% 13.69% 6.08% 7.79% 3.42% NA
1979 631 143 22.66% 15.85% 7.13% 10.78% 4.91% NA
1980 313 60 19.17% 14.38% 6.07% 7.99% 3.19% NA
1981 337 77 22.85% 17.51% 5.93% 9.20% 5.93% NA
1982 419 104 24.82% 18.62% 7.64% 10.98% 6.21% NA
1983 445 101 22.70% 17.98% 8.31% 9.21% 4.04% NA
1984 783 192 24.52% 19.03% 8.30% 9.58% 5.36% NA
1985 967 208 21.51% 17.06% 6.10% 8.89% 5.58% NA
1986 1,491 307 20.59% 15.22% 4.69% 8.38% 3.89% NA
1987 1,811 385 21.26% 16.45% 5.30% 8.89% 4.53% NA
1988 1,749 376 21.50% 16.58% 5.72% 8.18% 3.14% NA
1989 2,507 531 21.18% 14.04% 4.79% 10.33% 3.79% NA
1990 2,674 508 19.00% 12.00% 3.29% 8.23% 3.07% NA
1991 3,318 595 17.93% 12.27% 3.16% 7.69% 2.83% NA
1992 3,027 560 18.50% 12.65% 3.30% 7.80% 3.47% NA
1993 3,980 837 21.03% 14.30% 2.89% 8.59% 3.42% NA
1994 4,916 1,034 21.03% 14.28% 3.11% 8.58% 3.56% NA
1995 7,061 1,359 19.25% 13.24% 2.63% 7.55% 2.90% NA
1996 5,900 1,177 19.95% 9.12% 1.47% 11.49% 3.64% 11.49%
1997 10,708 1,914 17.87% 8.02% 1.23% 10.35% 3.03% 10.34%
1998 11,062 2,008 18.15% 7.03% 1.45% 11.49% 3.47% 11.47%
1999 17,541 2,658 15.15% 4.95% 0.95% 10.18% 2.71% 10.18%
2000 285 55 19.30% 8.42% 2.81% 11.93% 3.16% 11.93%
2001 320 59 18.44% 6.88% 3.13% 12.19% 4.69% 12.19%
2002 269 54 20.07% 8.18% 4.83% 14.87% 3.35% 14.87%
2003 338 58 17.16% 5.03% 1.78% 12.13% 5.33% 12.13%
2004 250 50 20.00% 6.40% 2.00% 17.20% 2.40% 17.20%
2005 308 51 16.56% 7.14% 2.27% 11.69% 4.55% 11.69%
2006 315 42 13.33% 5.71% 2.22% 8.89% 4.44% 8.89%
2007 339 41 12.09% 4.13% 1.47% 7.67% 2.65% 7.67%
2008 226 17 7.52% 2.65% 1.33% 6.19% 0.88% 6.19%
2009 131 15 11.45% 3.82% 2.29% 9.16% 0.76% 9.16%
2010 81 9 11.11% 1.23% 0.00% 11.11% 1.23% 11.11%
2011 227 12 5.29% 0.88% 0.00% 4.41% 0.00% 4.41%
2012 184 10 5.43% 0.54% 0.54% 5.43% 0.54% 5.43%
2013 255 11 4.31% 1.18% 0.00% 3.92% 0.00% 3.92%
2014 76 5 6.58% 1.32% 0.00% 6.58% 0.00% 6.58%
2015 47 5 10.64% 2.13% 0.00% 10.64% 0.00% 10.64%
2016 75 4 5.33% 1.33% 0.00% 5.33% 2.67% 5.33%
2017 83 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 45 2 4.44% 2.22% 2.22% 4.44% 4.44% 4.44%
2019 46 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 106 1 0.94% 0.00% 0.00% 0.94% 0.00% 0.94%
2021 115 1 0.87% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.87% 0.00%
2022 18 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 86,998 15,889 18.26% 9.85% 2.42% 9.65% 3.26% 5.99%

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 2 1 50.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 5 3 60.00% 40.00% 0.00% 20.00% 0.00% 20.00%
1998 166 21 12.65% 9.64% 4.22% 7.23% 4.22% 2.41%
1999 612 78 12.75% 9.97% 2.61% 9.48% 6.70% 0.49%
2000 19,113 3,117 16.31% 14.45% 3.41% 14.15% 10.27% 0.30%
2001 30,001 4,432 14.77% 13.19% 2.72% 12.91% 9.41% 0.27%
2002 24,830 3,444 13.87% 12.20% 2.68% 11.94% 8.31% 0.26%
2003 40,247 4,862 12.08% 10.40% 2.40% 10.18% 6.95% 0.22%
2004 31,343 3,660 11.68% 9.99% 2.29% 9.77% 6.81% 0.22%
2005 48,155 4,801 9.97% 8.54% 1.80% 8.38% 5.95% 0.16%
2006 37,290 3,732 10.01% 8.47% 1.82% 8.29% 5.76% 0.19%
2007 56,841 4,369 7.69% 6.47% 1.39% 6.37% 4.34% 0.10%
2008 33,040 2,462 7.45% 6.52% 1.17% 6.37% 4.55% 0.15%
2009 32,047 2,018 6.30% 5.70% 0.87% 5.58% 4.01% 0.12%
2010 25,781 1,860 7.21% 6.69% 0.71% 6.59% 3.25% 0.10%
2011 51,535 3,116 6.05% 5.66% 0.50% 5.61% 2.80% 0.05%
2012 27,999 1,912 6.83% 6.34% 0.67% 6.26% 3.06% 0.08%
2013 87,475 4,712 5.39% 4.95% 0.54% 4.91% 2.41% 0.04%
2014 26,145 1,206 4.61% 4.26% 0.42% 4.22% 2.20% 0.03%
2015 18,443 1,016 5.51% 5.12% 0.41% 5.09% 2.55% 0.03%
2016 18,346 782 4.26% 3.97% 0.33% 3.94% 2.27% 0.03%
2017 19,702 793 4.02% 3.74% 0.30% 3.72% 2.58% 0.02%
2018 15,619 576 3.69% 3.53% 0.16% 3.53% 2.74% 0.01%
2019 11,560 453 3.92% 3.71% 0.25% 3.71% 2.92% 0.00%
2020 6,245 207 3.31% 3.11% 0.18% 3.09% 2.51% 0.02%
2021 4,411 213 4.83% 4.67% 0.18% 4.67% 3.83% 0.00%
2022 720 69 9.58% 9.58% 0.00% 9.58% 8.75% 0.00%
Other 5 4 80.00% 20.00% 0.00% 20.00% 20.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 667,678 53,919 8.08% 7.16% 1.25% 7.04% 4.56% 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 8,573 9.85%
All Visual 8,322 1.25% 2,838 3.26%
All Functional 47,801 7.16% 8,392 9.65%
OBDII 47,001 7.04% 5,208 5.99%
Overall 53,919 8.08% 15,889 18.26%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 575,677 46,836 8.14% 66,492 12,326 18.54%
Partial 32,549 2,565 7.88% 5,415 1,095 20.22%
Basic 54,139 4,117 7.60% 11,045 1,603 14.51%
Change of Ownership 5,313 401 7.55% 875 208 23.77%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 3,171 657 20.72%
All Program Areas 667,678 53,919 8.08% 86,998 15,889 18.26%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 357,182 30,857 8.64% 51,151 9,114 17.82%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 1,037 50 4.82% 57 10 17.54%
Non-STAR Test-Only 14,514 1,013 6.98% 1,694 218 12.87%
STAR Test-and-Repair 185,707 15,244 8.21% 25,976 5,364 20.65%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 277 13 4.69% 36 8 22.22%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 104,390 5,976 5.72% 7,548 1,060 14.04%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,213 94 4.25% 12 3 25.00%
Business Fleet 369 31 8.40% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 60 2 3.33% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 714 572 80.11% 64 28 43.75%
Government Fleet 1,215 67 5.51% 460 84 18.26%
All Stations 667,678 53,919 8.08% 86,998 15,889 18.26%

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 677,654 89.79% 77,022 10.21%
All Tests 734,405 89.23% 88,684 10.77%

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 366,557 89.77% 41,776 10.23%
Non-STAR Test-Only 14,844 91.58% 1,364 8.42%
STAR Test-and-Repair 188,753 89.17% 22,930 10.83%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 103,535 92.49% 8,403 7.51%
All Stations 673,689 90.05% 74,473 9.95%

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 26,017 $59.58 185,146 $51.30 211,163 $52.32
STAR Test-Only 51,021 $53.37 356,137 $50.48 407,158 $50.84
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 7,555 $58.94 103,385 $64.27 110,940 $63.90
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,694 $45.23 14,472 $45.40 16,166 $45.38
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 12 $72.04 2,193 $64.53 2,205 $64.58
Total 86,299 $55.57 661,333 $52.80 747,632 $53.12

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 1 $85.00 8,720 $52.72 26,016 $59.58 176,426 $51.23
STAR Test-Only 205 $51.47 11,481 $47.45 50,816 $53.38 344,656 $50.58
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 67,447 $67.07 7,555 $58.94 35,938 $58.99
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 5,800 $45.19 1,694 $45.23 8,672 $45.55
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 2,067 $64.62 12 $72.04 126 $63.10
Total 206 $51.63 95,515 $62.02 86,093 $55.58 565,818 $51.24

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) $1-100 635 $51.61 3,216 $556.63
$101-250 704 $171.81
$251-500 720 $360.51
$501-650 247 $574.29
Over $650 910 $1,357.14
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 189 $56.01 901 $521.12
$101-250 260 $169.32
$251-500 179 $359.10
$501-650 66 $566.38
Over $650 207 $1,513.32
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 $0.00 256 $1,145.25
$101-250 17 $194.66
$251-500 40 $382.59
$501-650 29 $562.29
Over $650 170 $1,519.21
Total Repairs $1-100 824 $52.62 4,373 $583.78
$101-250 981 $171.55
$251-500 939 $361.18
$501-650 342 $571.74
Over $650 1287 $1,403.67

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 106 46 1,833 75 2,060
STAR Test-Only 20 1 1,746 33 1,800
STAR Sub-Total 126 47 3,579 108 3,860
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 467 46 1,969 220 2,702
Non-STAR Test-Only 25 8 212 33 278
Non-STAR Sub-Total 492 54 2,181 253 2,980
Basic Area Dealer 55 0 0 0 55
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 49 4 58
Referee 5 0 30 0 35
Government Fleet 43 5 296 13 357
Repair Only 2 0 39 1 42
Unknown Type 0 1 8 2 11
Other Station Sub-Total 108 8 425 20 561
All Stations 726 109 6,185 381 7,401

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 223 1,737
STAR Test-Only 2 87 1,634
STAR Sub-Total 3 310 3,371
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,698 345
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 94 57
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,792 402
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 19 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 46 4
Unknown Type 0 1 9
Government Fleet 7 142 20
Referee 0 4 24
Other Station Sub-Total 7 214 57
All Stations 10 2,316 3,830

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 252 57
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 30 6
Limited Parts Exemption 4 2
Exempt Vehicle 3 21
Exempted by Directive 11 1
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 300 87

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,153
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,586
All License Types 8,739

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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