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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
September 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 839,606 74,773 8.91%
All Tests 912,498 86,139 9.44%

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 93,866 216,104 82,847 190,927
Non-Directed 136,979 245,759 125,020 226,499
Total 230,845 461,863 207,867 417,426

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 219 39 68 20
Non-Directed 115,374 19,130 107,322 17,821
Total 115,593 19,169 107,390 17,841

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 325 77 23.69% 16.92% 7.08% 8.00% 5.23% NA
1977 467 111 23.77% 17.13% 6.64% 10.49% 5.35% NA
1978 518 113 21.81% 14.86% 6.95% 9.85% 5.02% NA
1979 621 153 24.64% 18.36% 6.28% 10.47% 5.15% NA
1980 305 59 19.34% 13.44% 8.20% 9.18% 3.61% NA
1981 358 91 25.42% 18.16% 7.54% 12.29% 6.98% NA
1982 396 98 24.75% 19.95% 7.83% 7.58% 4.29% NA
1983 432 88 20.37% 14.81% 5.09% 9.72% 5.09% NA
1984 779 168 21.57% 17.20% 6.03% 7.83% 4.49% NA
1985 1,043 239 22.91% 16.97% 5.75% 10.93% 4.60% NA
1986 1,547 338 21.85% 16.87% 5.24% 8.60% 4.78% NA
1987 1,670 386 23.11% 17.31% 5.99% 8.62% 4.31% NA
1988 1,786 389 21.78% 15.17% 5.38% 9.91% 4.87% NA
1989 2,647 524 19.80% 13.98% 4.46% 8.80% 3.74% NA
1990 2,884 577 20.01% 12.73% 3.54% 9.74% 3.47% NA
1991 3,507 650 18.53% 13.52% 3.36% 7.21% 3.14% NA
1992 3,058 571 18.67% 13.34% 3.50% 7.26% 2.81% NA
1993 3,938 858 21.79% 15.01% 3.50% 9.42% 3.35% NA
1994 5,311 1,042 19.62% 13.65% 2.67% 8.12% 2.79% NA
1995 5,918 1,256 21.22% 14.36% 2.79% 8.47% 3.26% NA
1996 7,216 1,356 18.79% 9.80% 1.40% 9.91% 3.28% 9.89%
1997 8,951 1,710 19.10% 9.18% 1.40% 10.67% 3.30% 10.65%
1998 14,079 2,310 16.41% 6.85% 1.19% 9.97% 2.88% 9.97%
1999 13,751 2,216 16.12% 5.45% 1.03% 10.54% 3.21% 10.54%
2000 333 43 12.91% 8.71% 3.90% 3.30% 2.40% 3.30%
2001 228 30 13.16% 8.77% 2.63% 3.95% 1.75% 3.95%
2002 287 23 8.01% 4.53% 1.39% 2.44% 2.09% 2.44%
2003 261 20 7.66% 4.98% 0.38% 2.68% 1.53% 2.68%
2004 334 21 6.29% 3.59% 1.50% 2.10% 1.20% 2.10%
2005 201 14 6.97% 4.98% 1.00% 2.49% 1.00% 2.49%
2006 382 18 4.71% 2.09% 0.79% 1.05% 1.83% 1.05%
2007 236 22 9.32% 6.36% 3.39% 2.12% 2.12% 2.12%
2008 274 13 4.74% 3.28% 0.73% 0.36% 1.09% 0.36%
2009 76 4 5.26% 5.26% 3.95% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2010 77 2 2.60% 1.30% 0.00% 1.30% 0.00% 1.30%
2011 121 2 1.65% 0.83% 0.83% 0.83% 0.00% 0.83%
2012 290 3 1.03% 0.34% 0.00% 0.69% 0.00% 0.69%
2013 94 1 1.06% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 1.06% 0.00%
2014 341 2 0.59% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.59% 0.00%
2015 69 1 1.45% 0.00% 0.00% 1.45% 0.00% 1.45%
2016 49 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2017 78 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2018 66 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2019 35 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 53 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 45 1 2.22% 0.00% 0.00% 2.22% 0.00% 2.22%
2022 121 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 9 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 85,567 15,600 18.23% 10.37% 2.44% 9.16% 3.25% 5.35%

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 7 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 146 19 13.01% 8.90% 2.74% 8.22% 4.11% 0.68%
1999 590 69 11.69% 10.17% 2.54% 9.83% 5.76% 0.34%
2000 27,594 4,095 14.84% 13.13% 2.88% 12.94% 9.60% 0.20%
2001 21,890 3,368 15.39% 13.51% 2.98% 13.29% 9.37% 0.22%
2002 36,848 4,648 12.61% 10.87% 2.58% 10.67% 7.53% 0.21%
2003 28,460 3,714 13.05% 10.96% 3.03% 10.71% 7.38% 0.26%
2004 49,702 5,185 10.43% 8.92% 2.09% 8.76% 6.00% 0.16%
2005 31,213 3,580 11.47% 9.71% 2.27% 9.53% 6.55% 0.18%
2006 58,490 5,178 8.85% 7.54% 1.68% 7.39% 5.09% 0.15%
2007 36,598 3,382 9.24% 7.63% 1.86% 7.48% 5.05% 0.15%
2008 54,357 3,612 6.64% 5.80% 1.07% 5.66% 4.02% 0.13%
2009 22,022 1,604 7.28% 6.39% 1.11% 6.29% 4.31% 0.10%
2010 50,339 3,078 6.11% 5.64% 0.68% 5.57% 2.65% 0.07%
2011 25,285 1,984 7.85% 7.22% 0.79% 7.15% 2.84% 0.07%
2012 75,953 4,459 5.87% 5.25% 0.75% 5.19% 2.37% 0.06%
2013 25,355 1,763 6.95% 6.36% 0.70% 6.31% 2.88% 0.05%
2014 102,200 4,606 4.51% 4.05% 0.54% 4.01% 1.86% 0.04%
2015 17,711 1,024 5.78% 5.32% 0.47% 5.28% 2.52% 0.04%
2016 18,032 839 4.65% 4.36% 0.26% 4.35% 2.45% 0.02%
2017 16,489 732 4.44% 4.14% 0.33% 4.09% 2.48% 0.04%
2018 18,499 719 3.89% 3.68% 0.24% 3.67% 2.52% 0.01%
2019 12,750 567 4.45% 4.23% 0.24% 4.20% 3.30% 0.03%
2020 12,224 455 3.72% 3.58% 0.13% 3.57% 2.77% 0.01%
2021 6,853 229 3.34% 3.20% 0.16% 3.15% 2.32% 0.04%
2022 4,225 237 5.61% 5.54% 0.07% 5.51% 4.62% 0.02%
2023 246 30 12.20% 12.20% 0.00% 12.20% 11.79% 0.00%
All Model Years 754,080 59,177 7.85% 6.89% 1.28% 6.78% 4.24% 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 8,872 10.37%
All Visual 9,637 1.28% 2,785 3.25%
All Functional 51,954 6.89% 7,841 9.16%
OBDII 51,156 6.78% 4,581 5.35%
Overall 59,177 7.85% 15,600 18.23%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 650,317 51,126 7.86% 65,490 12,164 18.57%
Partial 36,686 2,891 7.88% 5,486 1,098 20.01%
Basic 61,871 4,721 7.63% 10,993 1,524 13.86%
Change of Ownership 5,206 439 8.43% 839 197 23.48%
No Program 0 0 0.00% 1 1 100.00%
Unknown 0 0 0.00% 2,758 616 22.34%
All Program Areas 754,080 59,177 7.85% 85,567 15,600 18.23%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 411,334 34,174 8.31% 50,529 9,109 18.03%
STAR Test-Only (Suspended) 4,206 316 7.51% 688 85 12.35%
Non-STAR Test-Only 17,666 1,064 6.02% 1,503 175 11.64%
STAR Test-and-Repair 206,025 16,417 7.97% 24,820 5,044 20.32%
STAR Test-and-Repair (Suspended) 2,300 211 9.17% 212 30 14.15%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 108,253 6,236 5.76% 7,340 1,055 14.37%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 2,131 114 5.35% 15 0 0.00%
Business Fleet 255 15 5.88% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 58 2 3.45% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 679 564 83.06% 72 28 38.89%
Government Fleet 1,173 64 5.46% 388 74 19.07%
All Stations 754,080 59,177 7.85% 85,567 15,600 18.23%

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 759,611 90.47% 79,995 9.53%
All Tests 820,626 89.93% 91,872 10.07%

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 417,426 90.38% 44,437 9.62%
Non-STAR Test-Only 17,841 93.07% 1,328 6.93%
STAR Test-and-Repair 207,867 90.05% 22,978 9.95%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 107,390 92.90% 8,203 7.10%
All Stations 750,524 90.70% 76,946 9.30%

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 24,804 $63.66 204,330 $55.56 229,134 $56.44
STAR Test-Only 50,415 $55.84 409,211 $52.20 459,626 $52.60
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 7,225 $61.88 106,105 $61.45 113,330 $61.48
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,465 $46.44 17,485 $46.97 18,950 $46.93
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 15 $69.07 2,080 $65.95 2,095 $65.97
Total 83,924 $58.51 739,211 $54.37 823,135 $54.79

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 $31.75 11,308 $54.14 24,803 $63.66 193,022 $55.65
STAR Test-Only 331 $39.34 13,942 $47.11 50,084 $55.95 395,269 $52.38
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 68,176 $66.85 7,225 $61.88 37,929 $51.74
Non-STAR Test-Only 8 $51.75 7,298 $47.10 1,457 $46.41 10,187 $46.87
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 $0.00 1,907 $66.25 15 $69.07 173 $62.59
Total 340 $39.61 102,631 $61.36 83,584 $58.59 636,580 $53.25

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) $1-100 260 $57.45 1,854 $679.10
$101-250 371 $173.83
$251-500 386 $372.74
$501-650 148 $580.00
Over $650 689 $1,378.66
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 94 $58.63 609 $680.71
$101-250 171 $170.26
$251-500 122 $367.94
$501-650 38 $573.97
Over $650 184 $1,702.31
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 $0.00 292 $1,261.57
$101-250 26 $190.56
$251-500 20 $393.47
$501-650 30 $566.46
Over $650 216 $1,567.41
Total Repairs $1-100 354 $57.77 2,755 $741.19
$101-250 568 $173.52
$251-500 528 $372.42
$501-650 216 $577.06
Over $650 1089 $1,470.78

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 104 41 1,761 80 1,986
STAR Test-Only 22 2 1,684 34 1,742
STAR Sub-Total 126 43 3,445 114 3,728
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 469 53 1,989 205 2,716
Non-STAR Test-Only 25 10 258 33 326
Non-STAR Sub-Total 494 63 2,247 238 3,042
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 39 1 41
Unknown Type 1 1 74 2 78
Other Station Sub-Total 109 8 491 18 626
All Stations 729 114 6,183 370 7,396

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 253 1,644
STAR Test-Only 5 94 1,582
STAR Sub-Total 6 347 3,226
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,662 314
Non-STAR Test-Only 1 97 61
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,759 375
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 16 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Basic Area Dealer 0 42 4
Unknown Type 0 16 53
Government Fleet 7 143 24
Referee 0 3 28
Other Station Sub-Total 7 222 109
All Stations 14 2,328 3,710

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
CAT BAR Label 683
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 571
Law Enforcement Citations 560
BAR Referrals 206
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 144
Engine Change/Replacement 95
Clean Gas 55
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 46
Grey Market 23
OBD Monitor Issues 3
All Inspections 2,386

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 207 76
Certificate of Non Compliance 0 0
Repair Cost Waiver 27 7
Limited Parts Exemption 4 0
Exempt Vehicle 4 13
Exempted by Directive 13 0
Permanently Exempt Vehicle 0 0
Temporarily Exempt Vehicle 0 0
All Certificates Issued 255 96

Technicians

License Type Licenses
EO (Inspect Only) 4,328
EO + EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,296
All License Types 8,624

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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