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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
December 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 803,675 71,048 8.84%
All Tests 870,408 81,300 9.34%

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 94,612 209,269 83,673 185,955
Non-Directed 130,334 224,624 117,989 205,841
Total 224,946 433,893 201,662 391,796

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 218 80 80 16
Non-Directed 119,847 17,715 111,014 16,420
Total 120,065 17,795 111,094 16,436

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 305 69 22.62% 16.39% 7.21% 10.82% 4.92% NA
1977 403 81 20.10% 13.90% 3.97% 9.43% 5.21% NA
1978 454 90 19.82% 14.54% 4.41% 8.59% 5.07% NA
1979 540 104 19.26% 13.52% 4.44% 8.52% 4.26% NA
1980 282 56 19.86% 12.77% 5.32% 9.57% 7.45% NA
1981 311 69 22.19% 16.40% 7.40% 8.04% 4.50% NA
1982 313 63 20.13% 13.74% 3.51% 9.90% 4.47% NA
1983 412 98 23.79% 18.69% 4.61% 9.95% 4.61% NA
1984 749 178 23.77% 18.83% 7.48% 8.95% 3.47% NA
1985 989 216 21.84% 15.77% 5.06% 8.90% 4.25% NA
1986 1,351 309 22.87% 17.02% 6.29% 9.77% 4.44% NA
1987 1,579 335 21.22% 16.21% 5.64% 8.87% 4.24% NA
1988 1,698 374 22.03% 15.90% 5.12% 9.84% 3.65% NA
1989 2,385 496 20.80% 14.26% 4.32% 9.43% 3.27% NA
1990 2,580 520 20.16% 13.49% 3.06% 9.96% 3.41% NA
1991 3,161 628 19.87% 13.95% 4.30% 8.29% 2.78% NA
1992 2,896 547 18.89% 12.74% 3.35% 7.56% 3.14% NA
1993 3,641 762 20.93% 14.17% 2.64% 9.06% 3.54% NA
1994 4,746 1,023 21.55% 14.24% 2.70% 9.33% 3.29% NA
1995 6,417 1,300 20.26% 14.23% 2.85% 8.27% 3.01% NA
1996 6,121 1,146 18.72% 8.28% 1.13% 10.93% 2.83% 10.86%
1997 9,804 1,795 18.31% 8.22% 1.23% 10.74% 2.75% 10.74%
1998 11,620 2,033 17.50% 6.94% 1.27% 11.01% 2.93% 11.01%
1999 16,208 2,472 15.25% 4.89% 0.83% 10.21% 2.57% 10.21%
2000 315 46 14.60% 6.03% 4.13% 10.79% 2.54% 10.79%
2001 267 62 23.22% 8.24% 3.37% 15.73% 5.99% 15.73%
2002 280 40 14.29% 5.00% 1.79% 10.00% 3.21% 10.00%
2003 296 54 18.24% 6.42% 2.36% 13.18% 3.38% 13.18%
2004 292 33 11.30% 3.08% 1.37% 8.22% 2.40% 8.22%
2005 321 42 13.08% 5.92% 2.18% 8.41% 4.67% 8.41%
2006 348 45 12.93% 2.87% 1.15% 10.06% 3.45% 10.06%
2007 287 42 14.63% 6.27% 2.79% 10.10% 3.48% 10.10%
2008 213 18 8.45% 1.41% 1.41% 6.57% 1.41% 6.57%
2009 115 14 12.17% 1.74% 1.74% 9.57% 3.48% 9.57%
2010 74 12 16.22% 4.05% 2.70% 14.86% 2.70% 14.86%
2011 214 13 6.07% 2.34% 0.47% 5.14% 0.93% 5.14%
2012 201 8 3.98% 0.50% 0.50% 3.48% 0.50% 3.48%
2013 235 17 7.23% 1.28% 0.00% 6.38% 0.43% 6.38%
2014 166 3 1.81% 0.60% 0.60% 1.20% 0.60% 1.20%
2015 54 1 1.85% 0.00% 0.00% 1.85% 0.00% 1.85%
2016 60 2 3.33% 0.00% 0.00% 3.33% 0.00% 3.33%
2017 73 4 5.48% 0.00% 0.00% 2.74% 2.74% 2.74%
2018 28 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 46 1 2.17% 0.00% 0.00% 2.17% 0.00% 2.17%
2020 112 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 66 1 1.52% 0.00% 0.00% 1.52% 0.00% 1.52%
2022 26 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 83,054 15,222 18.33% 9.83% 2.26% 9.79% 3.05% 6.01%

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 1 25.00% 0.00% 25.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 5 3 60.00% 20.00% 0.00% 20.00% 20.00% 0.00%
1998 211 24 11.37% 6.16% 4.74% 5.21% 1.90% 0.95%
1999 709 101 14.25% 12.69% 2.12% 11.99% 9.03% 0.71%
2000 21,934 3,365 15.34% 13.70% 2.86% 13.47% 10.04% 0.23%
2001 26,920 4,162 15.46% 13.72% 2.88% 13.52% 9.90% 0.20%
2002 29,697 3,804 12.81% 11.21% 2.43% 10.95% 7.85% 0.26%
2003 35,504 4,407 12.41% 10.66% 2.39% 10.43% 7.39% 0.22%
2004 38,452 4,063 10.57% 8.96% 2.02% 8.79% 6.19% 0.17%
2005 43,293 4,357 10.06% 8.54% 1.83% 8.40% 5.92% 0.14%
2006 46,745 4,089 8.75% 7.39% 1.57% 7.24% 4.95% 0.15%
2007 50,611 3,989 7.88% 6.50% 1.41% 6.37% 4.33% 0.13%
2008 42,851 2,878 6.72% 5.90% 1.05% 5.79% 3.99% 0.11%
2009 27,299 1,813 6.64% 5.90% 0.91% 5.80% 4.12% 0.10%
2010 35,208 2,199 6.25% 5.75% 0.62% 5.69% 2.95% 0.05%
2011 44,570 2,940 6.60% 6.15% 0.61% 6.08% 2.91% 0.07%
2012 48,752 2,654 5.44% 5.07% 0.48% 5.03% 2.64% 0.04%
2013 67,941 4,142 6.10% 5.54% 0.67% 5.49% 2.57% 0.05%
2014 54,259 2,043 3.77% 3.45% 0.34% 3.43% 1.76% 0.02%
2015 17,716 967 5.46% 5.13% 0.37% 5.10% 2.69% 0.02%
2016 17,842 852 4.78% 4.37% 0.43% 4.35% 2.63% 0.02%
2017 19,607 818 4.17% 3.90% 0.31% 3.87% 2.78% 0.03%
2018 24,711 1,078 4.36% 4.17% 0.18% 4.14% 3.32% 0.04%
2019 13,045 553 4.24% 4.01% 0.25% 3.99% 3.27% 0.02%
2020 7,083 232 3.28% 3.05% 0.24% 3.02% 2.41% 0.03%
2021 4,586 205 4.47% 4.27% 0.20% 4.27% 3.45% 0.00%
2022 1,059 83 7.84% 7.84% 0.09% 7.84% 6.89% 0.00%
Other 7 4 57.14% 14.29% 0.00% 14.29% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 720,621 55,826 7.75% 6.84% 1.16% 6.74% 4.39% 0.10%

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 8,167 9.83%
All Visual 8,385 1.16% 2,534 3.05%
All Functional 49,320 6.84% 8,133 9.79%
OBDII 48,569 6.74% 4,988 6.01%
Overall 55,826 7.75% 15,222 18.33%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 623,434 48,541 7.79% 64,051 11,941 18.64%
Partial 34,484 2,516 7.30% 5,096 1,021 20.04%
Basic 57,590 4,347 7.55% 10,337 1,450 14.03%
Change of Ownership 5,113 422 8.25% 797 193 24.22%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 2,773 617 22.25%
All Program Areas 720,621 55,826 7.75% 83,054 15,222 18.33%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 384,588 31,464 8.18% 49,305 8,687 17.62%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 1,027 62 6.04% 36 6 16.67%
Non-STAR Test-Only 16,366 992 6.06% 1,429 175 12.25%
STAR Test-and-Repair 200,085 15,710 7.85% 24,861 5,277 21.23%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 238 20 8.40% 42 8 19.05%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 113,134 6,571 5.81% 6,931 979 14.12%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,368 114 4.81% 17 0 0.00%
Business Fleet 410 22 5.37% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 36 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 938 785 83.69% 72 25 34.72%
Government Fleet 1,431 86 6.01% 361 65 18.01%
All Stations 720,621 55,826 7.75% 83,054 15,222 18.33%

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 725,073 90.22% 78,602 9.78%
All Tests 780,778 89.70% 89,630 10.30%

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 391,796 90.30% 42,097 9.70%
Non-STAR Test-Only 16,436 92.36% 1,359 7.64%
STAR Test-and-Repair 201,662 89.65% 23,284 10.35%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 111,094 92.53% 8,971 7.47%
All Stations 720,988 90.50% 75,711 9.50%

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 24,914 $59.75 197,875 $51.58 222,789 $52.49
STAR Test-Only 49,232 $53.58 382,878 $51.57 432,110 $51.79
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 6,929 $58.22 110,616 $61.37 117,545 $61.18
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,427 $45.72 16,278 $45.15 17,705 $45.19
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 17 $74.32 2,332 $68.82 2,349 $68.86
Total 82,519 $55.70 709,979 $53.01 792,498 $53.29

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 4 $44.88 10,899 $53.42 24,910 $59.75 186,976 $51.47
STAR Test-Only 177 $42.48 12,334 $56.18 49,055 $53.62 370,544 $51.41
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 73,407 $68.15 6,929 $58.22 37,209 $47.99
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 6,121 $46.27 1,427 $45.72 10,157 $44.47
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 2,112 $68.23 17 $74.32 220 $74.47
Total 181 $42.54 104,873 $63.94 82,338 $55.73 605,106 $51.11

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) $1-100 536 $54.47 3,119 $586.37
$101-250 689 $173.62
$251-500 713 $363.98
$501-650 244 $576.15
Over $650 937 $1,366.04
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 164 $53.57 886 $598.78
$101-250 239 $166.88
$251-500 190 $377.11
$501-650 76 $568.07
Over $650 217 $1,691.35
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 $0.00 322 $1,167.77
$101-250 28 $182.60
$251-500 35 $388.47
$501-650 31 $569.89
Over $650 228 $1,489.68
Total Repairs $1-100 700 $54.26 4,327 $632.18
$101-250 956 $172.20
$251-500 938 $367.55
$501-650 351 $573.85
Over $650 1382 $1,437.52

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 1,827 75 2,053
STAR Test-Only 21 1 1,731 33 1,786
STAR Sub-Total 126 47 3,558 108 3,839
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 473 47 1,950 219 2,689
Non-STAR Test-Only 24 8 224 32 288
Non-STAR Sub-Total 497 55 2,174 251 2,977
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 38 1 41
Unknown Type 0 1 9 2 12
Other Station Sub-Total 108 8 425 20 561
All Stations 731 110 6,157 379 7,377

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 2 252 1,700
STAR Test-Only 2 86 1,623
STAR Sub-Total 4 338 3,323
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,687 340
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 101 68
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,788 408
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 16 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 45 5
Unknown Type 0 1 9
Government Fleet 7 130 22
Referee 0 1 26
Other Station Sub-Total 7 195 62
All Stations 11 2,321 3,793

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 259 68
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 31 8
Limited Parts Exemption 6 1
Exempt Vehicle 0 22
Exempted by Directive 10 1
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 306 100

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,137
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,561
All License Types 8,698

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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