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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
April 2022

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 867,178 79,607 9.18%
All Tests 945,982 91,885 9.71%

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 97,299 217,069 85,545 191,136
Non-Directed 145,242 257,076 132,344 236,077
Total 242,541 474,145 217,889 427,213

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 239 43 82 15
Non-Directed 121,718 21,101 113,430 19,656
Total 121,957 21,144 113,512 19,671

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 389 82 21.08% 14.65% 5.66% 10.28% 5.14% NA
1977 511 105 20.55% 14.48% 6.46% 9.78% 4.70% NA
1978 580 122 21.03% 14.14% 5.86% 12.59% 5.34% NA
1979 649 146 22.50% 16.64% 6.32% 8.32% 5.08% NA
1980 343 55 16.03% 10.20% 5.54% 7.29% 4.66% NA
1981 396 96 24.24% 18.69% 6.57% 10.35% 5.56% NA
1982 428 83 19.39% 15.65% 5.61% 8.18% 3.04% NA
1983 545 119 21.83% 14.86% 5.87% 10.46% 4.04% NA
1984 958 220 22.96% 17.85% 7.10% 9.19% 5.32% NA
1985 1,262 297 23.53% 17.59% 5.07% 9.98% 4.36% NA
1986 1,578 343 21.74% 16.03% 6.27% 9.51% 4.94% NA
1987 1,831 372 20.32% 15.02% 5.63% 8.25% 4.37% NA
1988 2,082 468 22.48% 15.71% 4.47% 9.22% 3.99% NA
1989 2,763 535 19.36% 13.28% 4.27% 8.87% 3.62% NA
1990 3,227 638 19.77% 13.63% 3.97% 8.96% 3.10% NA
1991 3,781 718 18.99% 12.85% 3.46% 7.96% 3.41% NA
1992 3,580 676 18.88% 12.65% 3.10% 7.99% 3.18% NA
1993 4,327 976 22.56% 16.64% 3.98% 8.62% 3.77% NA
1994 5,690 1,180 20.74% 14.24% 3.11% 8.89% 3.23% NA
1995 6,369 1,389 21.81% 15.04% 2.67% 8.42% 3.75% NA
1996 8,052 1,420 17.64% 8.73% 0.92% 9.35% 2.89% 9.34%
1997 10,216 2,006 19.64% 9.28% 1.43% 10.97% 3.27% 10.97%
1998 14,640 2,495 17.04% 6.83% 1.17% 10.51% 2.85% 10.51%
1999 16,366 2,702 16.51% 5.72% 1.00% 11.01% 3.02% 11.00%
2000 391 69 17.65% 9.97% 3.58% 9.46% 3.58% 9.46%
2001 267 52 19.48% 9.74% 1.12% 12.36% 2.25% 12.36%
2002 356 70 19.66% 8.71% 2.81% 13.76% 4.21% 13.76%
2003 326 57 17.48% 4.60% 1.84% 14.11% 4.29% 14.11%
2004 449 59 13.14% 5.12% 2.45% 9.13% 3.79% 9.13%
2005 328 64 19.51% 5.18% 2.44% 13.72% 3.96% 13.72%
2006 503 53 10.54% 4.17% 0.80% 6.76% 1.99% 6.76%
2007 283 50 17.67% 3.89% 1.77% 13.07% 4.59% 13.07%
2008 293 23 7.85% 1.71% 1.37% 6.14% 1.71% 6.14%
2009 100 17 17.00% 7.00% 2.00% 11.00% 4.00% 11.00%
2010 113 13 11.50% 0.00% 0.00% 11.50% 0.00% 11.50%
2011 149 18 12.08% 1.34% 0.67% 10.74% 0.67% 10.74%
2012 255 15 5.88% 0.78% 0.00% 5.10% 0.39% 5.10%
2013 148 17 11.49% 2.70% 0.68% 10.81% 0.00% 10.81%
2014 360 17 4.72% 0.00% 0.00% 4.44% 0.56% 4.44%
2015 77 7 9.09% 3.90% 3.90% 7.79% 2.60% 7.79%
2016 66 2 3.03% 0.00% 0.00% 3.03% 0.00% 3.03%
2017 71 2 2.82% 1.41% 0.00% 2.82% 0.00% 2.82%
2018 60 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 41 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 94 1 1.06% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 1.06% 0.00%
2021 67 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 45 1 2.22% 0.00% 0.00% 2.22% 0.00% 2.22%
2023 1 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 95,406 17,850 18.71% 10.33% 2.40% 9.72% 3.30% 5.92%

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% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 7 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 159 15 9.43% 5.66% 3.14% 5.66% 1.89% 0.00%
1999 679 90 13.25% 11.34% 2.21% 10.60% 7.51% 0.74%
2000 27,589 4,281 15.52% 13.87% 2.87% 13.65% 10.28% 0.22%
2001 22,977 3,805 16.56% 14.61% 3.24% 14.36% 10.44% 0.25%
2002 36,460 4,636 12.72% 11.18% 2.46% 10.91% 7.84% 0.26%
2003 28,569 3,828 13.40% 11.51% 2.63% 11.24% 7.76% 0.27%
2004 49,311 5,349 10.85% 9.33% 2.11% 9.15% 6.40% 0.18%
2005 35,157 4,087 11.62% 9.76% 2.34% 9.57% 6.66% 0.19%
2006 57,250 5,310 9.28% 7.90% 1.66% 7.74% 5.37% 0.16%
2007 41,177 3,625 8.80% 7.31% 1.62% 7.14% 4.84% 0.17%
2008 51,693 3,572 6.91% 6.03% 1.16% 5.90% 4.23% 0.12%
2009 21,869 1,731 7.92% 7.07% 1.19% 6.95% 5.04% 0.12%
2010 47,698 3,004 6.30% 5.83% 0.66% 5.77% 2.77% 0.05%
2011 27,306 2,242 8.21% 7.64% 0.79% 7.58% 3.50% 0.06%
2012 79,205 4,395 5.55% 5.09% 0.59% 5.05% 2.53% 0.04%
2013 28,687 2,121 7.39% 6.81% 0.72% 6.74% 3.14% 0.07%
2014 108,091 4,744 4.39% 3.94% 0.52% 3.92% 1.83% 0.02%
2015 18,840 1,115 5.92% 5.47% 0.56% 5.45% 2.72% 0.03%
2016 19,017 923 4.85% 4.45% 0.38% 4.40% 2.51% 0.05%
2017 18,541 757 4.08% 3.82% 0.28% 3.81% 2.65% 0.02%
2018 21,699 793 3.65% 3.47% 0.22% 3.44% 2.50% 0.03%
2019 13,438 540 4.02% 3.76% 0.31% 3.74% 2.98% 0.02%
2020 8,798 363 4.13% 3.90% 0.20% 3.85% 2.88% 0.05%
2021 4,972 212 4.26% 4.04% 0.20% 4.04% 2.98% 0.00%
2022 2,573 217 8.43% 8.39% 0.04% 8.39% 7.54% 0.00%
2023 1 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other 5 1 20.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 771,772 61,757 8.00% 7.07% 1.25% 6.96% 4.46% 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 9,854 10.33%
All Visual 9,666 1.25% 3,153 3.30%
All Functional 54,573 7.07% 9,269 9.72%
OBDII 53,722 6.96% 5,649 5.92%
Overall 61,757 8.00% 17,850 18.71%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 667,753 53,710 8.04% 72,740 13,857 19.05%
Partial 38,189 2,974 7.79% 6,168 1,288 20.88%
Basic 60,180 4,628 7.69% 11,730 1,690 14.41%
Change of Ownership 5,650 445 7.88% 977 241 24.67%
No Program 0 0 0.00% 1 0 0.00%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 3,790 774 20.42%
All Program Areas 771,772 61,757 8.00% 95,406 17,850 18.71%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 417,971 35,569 8.51% 56,174 10,198 18.15%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 233 14 6.01% 27 3 11.11%
Non-STAR Test-Only 19,261 1,180 6.13% 1,883 242 12.85%
STAR Test-and-Repair 214,271 17,352 8.10% 28,270 6,055 21.42%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 566 20 3.53% 58 10 17.24%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 114,290 6,647 5.82% 7,667 1,076 14.03%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,152 92 4.28% 61 8 13.11%
Business Fleet 305 22 7.21% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 33 1 3.03% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 877 771 87.91% 87 49 56.32%
Government Fleet 1,813 89 4.91% 1,179 209 17.73%
All Stations 771,772 61,757 8.00% 95,406 17,850 18.71%

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 781,695 90.14% 85,483 9.86%
All Tests 847,558 89.60% 98,424 10.40%

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 427,213 90.10% 46,932 9.90%
Non-STAR Test-Only 19,671 93.03% 1,473 6.97%
STAR Test-and-Repair 217,889 89.84% 24,652 10.16%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 113,512 93.08% 8,445 6.92%
All Stations 778,285 90.52% 81,502 9.48%

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 28,250 $61.45 212,363 $54.96 240,613 $55.72
STAR Test-Only 56,009 $54.53 415,537 $52.16 471,546 $52.44
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 7,660 $61.70 111,598 $60.81 119,258 $60.87
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,877 $48.16 19,173 $50.24 21,050 $50.06
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 61 $61.72 2,076 $66.08 2,137 $65.95
Total 93,857 $57.07 760,747 $54.20 854,604 $54.52

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 2 $62.50 9,889 $53.73 28,248 $61.45 202,474 $55.02
STAR Test-Only 257 $39.76 15,885 $46.09 55,752 $54.60 399,652 $52.40
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 72,701 $67.11 7,660 $61.70 38,897 $49.04
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 7,563 $47.70 1,877 $48.16 11,610 $51.90
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 1,736 $66.99 61 $61.72 340 $61.40
Total 259 $39.94 107,774 $61.42 93,598 $57.12 652,973 $53.01

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) $1-100 286 $57.67 1,983 $657.13
$101-250 397 $171.23
$251-500 421 $370.60
$501-650 166 $572.90
Over $650 713 $1,356.94
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 114 $55.55 679 $619.94
$101-250 198 $172.63
$251-500 128 $362.42
$501-650 42 $583.33
Over $650 197 $1,571.26
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 $0.00 327 $1,227.16
$101-250 17 $196.80
$251-500 36 $404.21
$501-650 26 $565.18
Over $650 248 $1,486.65
Total Repairs $1-100 400 $57.07 2,989 $711.05
$101-250 612 $172.39
$251-500 585 $370.88
$501-650 234 $573.91
Over $650 1158 $1,421.18

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 43 1,805 76 2,029
STAR Test-Only 21 2 1,737 33 1,793
STAR Sub-Total 126 45 3,542 109 3,822
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 465 50 1,943 214 2,672
Non-STAR Test-Only 26 9 227 35 297
Non-STAR Sub-Total 491 59 2,170 249 2,969
Basic Area Dealer 58 0 0 0 58
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 3 2 49 4 58
Referee 5 0 30 0 35
Government Fleet 44 5 298 13 360
Repair Only 2 0 38 1 41
Unknown Type 0 2 9 1 12
Other Station Sub-Total 112 9 427 19 567
All Stations 729 113 6,139 377 7,358

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 2 224 1,721
STAR Test-Only 6 99 1,621
STAR Sub-Total 8 323 3,342
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,673 333
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 92 59
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,765 392
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 10 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 41 7
Unknown Type 0 3 8
Government Fleet 8 143 29
Referee 0 4 24
Other Station Sub-Total 8 203 68
All Stations 16 2,291 3,802

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
CAT BAR Label 808
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 569
Law Enforcement Citations 452
BAR Referrals 258
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 122
Engine Change/Replacement 96
Clean Gas 69
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 27
Grey Market 9
OBD Monitor Issues 1
All Inspections 2,411

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 209 62
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 32 8
Limited Parts Exemption 5 3
Exempt Vehicle 7 17
Exempted by Directive 9 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 262 90

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,358
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,347
All License Types 8,705

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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