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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
July 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 909,381 78,838 8.67%
All Tests 984,778 90,378 9.18%

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 102,921 234,431 91,168 207,706
Non-Directed 150,126 272,048 137,656 251,802
Total 253,047 506,479 228,824 459,508

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 204 58 72 16
Non-Directed 122,377 21,385 114,346 19,977
Total 122,581 21,443 114,418 19,993

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 94 23.56% 17.04% 6.02% 9.52% 5.76% NA
1977 506 110 21.74% 14.62% 4.35% 10.08% 6.92% NA
1978 569 123 21.62% 15.47% 6.68% 8.79% 5.80% NA
1979 631 145 22.98% 16.80% 6.34% 8.56% 5.39% NA
1980 343 76 22.16% 16.62% 7.29% 9.91% 4.96% NA
1981 380 93 24.47% 19.47% 7.63% 8.95% 6.58% NA
1982 391 80 20.46% 14.32% 6.14% 10.23% 4.35% NA
1983 565 112 19.82% 14.16% 6.19% 8.50% 5.66% NA
1984 878 198 22.55% 18.00% 6.38% 8.20% 4.67% NA
1985 1,196 261 21.82% 16.64% 5.69% 8.28% 4.68% NA
1986 1,670 359 21.50% 16.17% 5.69% 9.10% 4.73% NA
1987 1,662 395 23.77% 17.45% 5.54% 9.69% 4.63% NA
1988 2,056 453 22.03% 14.93% 4.33% 10.26% 3.70% NA
1989 2,713 530 19.54% 12.61% 3.50% 8.81% 3.54% NA
1990 3,230 628 19.44% 13.00% 4.09% 8.73% 3.34% NA
1991 3,713 750 20.20% 14.19% 3.91% 8.32% 3.20% NA
1992 3,509 678 19.32% 13.31% 3.53% 8.24% 3.31% NA
1993 4,276 926 21.66% 15.48% 3.41% 8.89% 3.39% NA
1994 5,754 1,216 21.13% 14.29% 2.78% 9.12% 3.28% NA
1995 6,158 1,253 20.35% 14.47% 2.65% 7.76% 3.10% NA
1996 8,411 1,438 17.10% 8.71% 0.99% 9.02% 2.73% 9.01%
1997 10,020 1,949 19.45% 9.13% 1.22% 11.29% 2.86% 11.29%
1998 15,580 2,594 16.65% 7.03% 1.20% 9.98% 2.43% 9.97%
1999 15,886 2,462 15.50% 5.51% 0.71% 9.90% 2.72% 9.88%
2000 387 48 12.40% 7.24% 3.10% 5.17% 2.33% 5.17%
2001 224 46 20.54% 9.38% 4.91% 15.63% 6.25% 15.63%
2002 335 49 14.63% 6.57% 2.69% 10.45% 2.99% 10.45%
2003 314 45 14.33% 5.73% 1.91% 10.19% 3.18% 10.19%
2004 434 64 14.75% 5.07% 1.38% 10.14% 4.84% 10.14%
2005 276 46 16.67% 4.71% 3.26% 12.68% 3.62% 12.68%
2006 440 38 8.64% 1.82% 0.91% 6.59% 1.59% 6.59%
2007 243 40 16.46% 5.35% 2.06% 11.93% 2.06% 11.93%
2008 319 23 7.21% 2.19% 0.63% 4.39% 1.88% 4.39%
2009 98 14 14.29% 3.06% 2.04% 13.27% 4.08% 13.27%
2010 96 12 12.50% 1.04% 0.00% 11.46% 0.00% 11.46%
2011 100 6 6.00% 0.00% 0.00% 5.00% 1.00% 5.00%
2012 261 16 6.13% 0.38% 0.00% 5.75% 0.38% 5.75%
2013 117 12 10.26% 0.00% 0.00% 9.40% 1.71% 9.40%
2014 282 8 2.84% 0.00% 0.00% 2.48% 0.71% 2.48%
2015 57 5 8.77% 0.00% 0.00% 8.77% 0.00% 8.77%
2016 73 2 2.74% 0.00% 0.00% 1.37% 1.37% 1.37%
2017 75 2 2.67% 0.00% 0.00% 2.67% 0.00% 2.67%
2018 51 1 1.96% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 1.96% 0.00%
2019 47 2 4.26% 0.00% 0.00% 2.13% 2.13% 2.13%
2020 63 1 1.59% 1.59% 0.00% 0.00% 1.59% 0.00%
2021 47 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 82 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 94,917 17,403 18.33% 10.26% 2.29% 9.38% 3.10% 5.64%

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% 50.00% 0.00% 50.00% 50.00% 0.00%
1997 5 3 60.00% 20.00% 0.00% 20.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 181 21 11.60% 8.84% 1.10% 7.73% 3.87% 1.10%
1999 686 85 12.39% 11.08% 1.60% 10.79% 8.75% 0.29%
2000 29,881 4,244 14.20% 12.44% 2.79% 12.20% 9.31% 0.24%
2001 23,080 3,537 15.32% 13.73% 2.84% 13.49% 9.94% 0.24%
2002 40,793 4,971 12.19% 10.59% 2.41% 10.38% 7.32% 0.21%
2003 29,939 3,869 12.92% 10.86% 2.83% 10.62% 7.21% 0.23%
2004 53,681 5,369 10.00% 8.53% 1.98% 8.34% 5.88% 0.19%
2005 37,058 4,054 10.94% 9.15% 2.23% 8.97% 6.08% 0.18%
2006 60,857 5,362 8.81% 7.48% 1.56% 7.33% 5.10% 0.15%
2007 39,578 3,425 8.65% 7.09% 1.69% 6.95% 4.66% 0.14%
2008 56,313 3,706 6.58% 5.72% 1.18% 5.60% 3.88% 0.12%
2009 24,323 1,681 6.91% 6.10% 1.08% 5.97% 4.22% 0.13%
2010 58,192 3,218 5.53% 5.08% 0.60% 5.02% 2.46% 0.05%
2011 26,996 1,997 7.40% 6.79% 0.77% 6.69% 2.91% 0.10%
2012 83,311 4,404 5.29% 4.80% 0.60% 4.75% 2.23% 0.05%
2013 26,914 1,820 6.76% 6.13% 0.75% 6.08% 2.72% 0.06%
2014 116,801 4,890 4.19% 3.77% 0.50% 3.74% 1.76% 0.03%
2015 17,867 965 5.40% 4.98% 0.51% 4.96% 2.31% 0.02%
2016 18,475 873 4.73% 4.35% 0.35% 4.34% 2.51% 0.02%
2017 17,010 695 4.09% 3.76% 0.38% 3.76% 2.39% 0.01%
2018 19,410 789 4.06% 3.83% 0.24% 3.81% 2.72% 0.02%
2019 12,897 587 4.55% 4.28% 0.24% 4.23% 3.24% 0.05%
2020 10,859 459 4.23% 4.10% 0.16% 4.08% 3.26% 0.02%
2021 5,427 206 3.80% 3.70% 0.07% 3.69% 2.60% 0.02%
2022 3,916 202 5.16% 5.11% 0.05% 5.11% 4.37% 0.00%
2023 56 6 10.71% 10.71% 0.00% 10.71% 10.71% 0.00%
Other 4 1 25.00% 25.00% 0.00% 25.00% 25.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 814,512 61,440 7.54% 6.62% 1.22% 6.51% 4.13% 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 9,735 10.26%
All Visual 9,932 1.22% 2,943 3.10%
All Functional 53,911 6.62% 8,907 9.38%
OBDII 53,037 6.51% 5,357 5.64%
Overall 61,440 7.54% 17,403 18.33%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 706,111 53,378 7.56% 73,439 13,687 18.64%
Partial 38,821 2,914 7.51% 5,839 1,301 22.28%
Basic 64,584 4,762 7.37% 11,872 1,545 13.01%
Change of Ownership 4,996 386 7.73% 840 186 22.14%
No Program 0 0 0.00% 2 0 0.00%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 2,925 684 23.38%
All Program Areas 814,512 61,440 7.54% 94,917 17,403 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 449,879 35,759 7.95% 56,600 10,159 17.95%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 491 53 10.79% 48 13 27.08%
Non-STAR Test-Only 19,726 1,185 6.01% 1,717 220 12.81%
STAR Test-and-Repair 224,796 17,145 7.63% 28,251 5,838 20.66%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 451 39 8.65% 33 8 24.24%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 114,943 6,454 5.61% 7,638 1,014 13.28%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,070 91 4.40% 40 1 2.50%
Business Fleet 232 21 9.05% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 33 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 759 636 83.79% 84 44 52.38%
Government Fleet 1,132 57 5.04% 506 106 20.95%
All Stations 814,512 61,440 7.54% 94,917 17,403 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 826,013 90.83% 83,368 9.17%
All Tests 889,305 90.31% 95,473 9.69%

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 459,508 90.73% 46,971 9.27%
Non-STAR Test-Only 19,993 93.24% 1,450 6.76%
STAR Test-and-Repair 228,824 90.43% 24,223 9.57%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 114,418 93.34% 8,163 6.66%
All Stations 822,743 91.06% 80,807 8.94%

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 28,238 $63.42 220,132 $52.93 248,370 $54.12
STAR Test-Only 56,428 $55.42 447,578 $52.31 504,006 $52.65
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 7,616 $61.95 110,869 $61.26 118,485 $61.30
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,718 $47.54 19,359 $45.73 21,077 $45.88
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 40 $64.91 1,982 $65.72 2,022 $65.71
Total 94,040 $58.21 799,920 $53.59 893,960 $54.08

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 0 $0.00 11,562 $54.46 28,238 $63.42 208,570 $52.84
STAR Test-Only 393 $42.88 14,917 $45.54 56,035 $55.51 432,661 $52.54
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 70,949 $68.20 7,616 $61.95 39,920 $48.93
Non-STAR Test-Only 50 $51.75 7,655 $46.90 1,668 $47.42 11,704 $44.96
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 1,760 $67.33 40 $64.91 222 $53.00
Total 443 $43.88 106,843 $62.01 93,597 $58.28 693,077 $52.29

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.

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) $1-100 313 $55.36 1,936 $639.46
$101-250 388 $166.99
$251-500 443 $375.54
$501-650 160 $575.86
Over $650 632 $1,419.89
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 103 $58.50 623 $697.79
$101-250 151 $173.32
$251-500 130 $366.74
$501-650 53 $567.77
Over $650 186 $1,745.99
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 $0.00 252 $1,153.50
$101-250 22 $198.80
$251-500 35 $380.40
$501-650 25 $562.16
Over $650 170 $1,523.18
Total Repairs $1-100 416 $56.14 2,811 $698.47
$101-250 561 $169.95
$251-500 608 $373.94
$501-650 238 $572.62
Over $650 988 $1,499.06

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 42 1,799 78 2,025
STAR Test-Only 22 2 1,734 33 1,791
STAR Sub-Total 128 44 3,533 111 3,816
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 466 51 1,926 211 2,654
Non-STAR Test-Only 27 10 231 30 298
Non-STAR Sub-Total 493 61 2,157 241 2,952
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 44 5 296 11 356
Repair Only 1 0 38 1 40
Unknown Type 0 1 10 2 13
Other Station Sub-Total 108 8 426 18 560
All Stations 729 113 6,116 370 7,328

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 0 227 1,695
STAR Test-Only 6 91 1,623
STAR Sub-Total 6 318 3,318
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,672 325
Non-STAR Test-Only 3 86 55
Non-STAR Sub-Total 3 1,758 380
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 16 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 42 3
Unknown Type 0 4 9
Government Fleet 8 138 28
Referee 0 4 26
Other Station Sub-Total 8 206 66
All Stations 17 2,282 3,764

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
CAT BAR Label 796
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 552
Law Enforcement Citations 538
BAR Referrals 193
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 127
Engine Change/Replacement 98
Clean Gas 81
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 28
Grey Market 19
OBD Monitor Issues 4
All Inspections 2,436

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 216 72
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 25 7
Limited Parts Exemption 4 0
Exempt Vehicle 3 11
Exempted by Directive 12 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 260 90

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,354
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,304
All License Types 8,658

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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