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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
2025

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 Tests 11,275,981 959,667 8.51%
All Tests 12,200,718 1,102,337 9.04%

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 1,080,867 2,691,884 950,888 2,379,772
Non-Directed 1,921,393 3,716,605 1,759,322 3,442,863
Total 3,002,260 6,408,489 2,710,210 5,822,635

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 1,612 457 3 2
Non-Directed 1,406,904 393,858 1,314,955 367,921
Total 1,408,516 394,315 1,314,958 367,923

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 3,586 755 21.05% 15.23% 5.66% 8.45% 4.60% NA
1977 4,488 912 20.32% 14.02% 5.01% 8.89% 5.06% NA
1978 5,239 1,031 19.68% 13.53% 5.10% 8.19% 4.75% NA
1979 5,774 1,157 20.04% 14.45% 5.63% 8.16% 4.59% NA
1980 3,151 613 19.45% 13.81% 6.73% 8.47% 5.01% NA
1981 3,519 769 21.85% 16.71% 6.42% 8.47% 4.83% NA
1982 3,605 775 21.50% 15.42% 5.83% 8.57% 4.99% NA
1983 4,472 928 20.75% 15.56% 5.55% 8.45% 4.63% NA
1984 7,802 1,627 20.85% 15.68% 6.13% 8.28% 4.72% NA
1985 10,558 2,265 21.45% 16.34% 5.81% 8.73% 4.21% NA
1986 13,802 2,793 20.24% 14.74% 5.47% 8.64% 4.22% NA
1987 15,891 3,384 21.30% 15.60% 4.99% 8.53% 4.24% NA
1988 17,913 3,662 20.44% 14.78% 4.58% 8.38% 3.71% NA
1989 23,915 4,659 19.48% 13.18% 4.00% 8.88% 3.35% NA
1990 26,545 5,134 19.34% 12.97% 3.69% 8.67% 3.35% NA
1991 30,935 5,844 18.89% 12.84% 3.47% 8.33% 2.95% NA
1992 29,227 5,546 18.98% 12.89% 3.42% 8.08% 3.13% NA
1993 35,250 7,539 21.39% 15.47% 3.57% 8.53% 3.25% NA
1994 42,646 8,839 20.73% 14.49% 2.99% 8.49% 3.39% NA
1995 60,498 12,080 19.97% 14.07% 2.58% 7.67% 3.27% NA
1996 53,717 10,688 19.90% 10.38% 1.40% 10.40% 3.27% 10.39%
1997 94,943 17,929 18.88% 9.12% 1.27% 10.49% 2.99% 10.49%
1998 100,885 19,185 19.02% 8.56% 1.43% 11.16% 3.34% 11.16%
1999 159,506 25,272 15.84% 5.77% 0.90% 10.21% 2.77% 10.21%
2000 2,814 300 10.66% 7.36% 3.27% 2.52% 2.24% 2.52%
2001 2,524 213 8.44% 5.35% 1.90% 2.10% 1.94% 2.07%
2002 2,433 185 7.60% 5.26% 1.97% 1.27% 1.89% 1.28%
2003 3,150 206 6.54% 4.19% 1.56% 1.33% 1.43% 1.34%
2004 2,922 158 5.41% 3.49% 1.30% 1.10% 1.16% 1.10%
2005 3,232 167 5.17% 3.87% 1.58% 0.50% 1.02% 0.50%
2006 3,337 213 6.38% 4.67% 1.68% 0.69% 1.71% 0.69%
2007 3,169 156 4.92% 3.47% 1.33% 0.73% 1.20% 0.73%
2008 2,571 151 5.87% 3.97% 1.40% 0.89% 1.32% 0.89%
2009 1,102 55 4.99% 3.72% 1.63% 0.36% 1.00% 0.36%
2010 698 11 1.58% 0.72% 0.29% 0.57% 0.72% 0.57%
2011 2,018 35 1.73% 0.69% 0.15% 0.64% 0.55% 0.64%
2012 1,835 27 1.47% 0.60% 0.27% 0.60% 0.33% 0.60%
2013 2,908 36 1.24% 0.72% 0.17% 0.45% 0.17% 0.45%
2014 2,179 35 1.61% 0.55% 0.23% 0.50% 0.64% 0.50%
2015 4,420 45 1.02% 0.27% 0.05% 0.45% 0.32% 0.45%
2016 2,857 30 1.05% 0.28% 0.07% 0.56% 0.28% 0.56%
2017 5,927 45 0.76% 0.35% 0.05% 0.37% 0.13% 0.37%
2018 865 11 1.27% 0.81% 0.23% 0.12% 0.35% 0.12%
2019 861 6 0.70% 0.35% 0.23% 0.12% 0.23% 0.12%
2020 696 12 1.72% 0.86% 0.72% 0.86% 0.00% 0.86%
2021 549 11 2.00% 1.64% 0.36% 0.36% 0.36% 0.36%
2022 465 4 0.86% 0.86% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 516 2 0.39% 0.19% 0.00% 0.19% 0.00% 0.19%
2024 972 1 0.10% 0.00% 0.00% 0.10% 0.00% 0.10%
2025 862 2 0.23% 0.12% 0.12% 0.12% 0.00% 0.12%
2026 93 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 813,842 145,503 17.88% 10.20% 2.31% 8.93% 3.11% 9.36%

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 14 5 35.71% 14.29% 35.71% 14.29% 7.14% 0.00%
1997 39 11 28.21% 15.38% 17.95% 12.82% 7.69% 6.67%
1998 1,656 165 9.96% 8.82% 2.30% 7.78% 3.52% 1.34%
1999 6,613 825 12.48% 11.11% 2.13% 10.61% 7.51% 0.62%
2000 179,133 30,250 16.89% 14.97% 3.50% 14.71% 10.78% 0.53%
2001 276,789 42,403 15.32% 13.64% 2.93% 13.42% 9.79% 0.41%
2002 234,273 34,802 14.86% 13.05% 3.17% 12.80% 8.84% 0.49%
2003 382,192 48,587 12.71% 11.10% 2.66% 10.88% 7.51% 0.41%
2004 315,598 40,993 12.99% 11.28% 2.81% 11.03% 7.58% 0.42%
2005 483,425 53,940 11.16% 9.75% 2.23% 9.59% 6.67% 0.30%
2006 378,489 42,822 11.31% 9.83% 2.37% 9.64% 6.56% 0.33%
2007 585,353 51,810 8.85% 7.59% 1.85% 7.46% 5.01% 0.22%
2008 367,600 34,834 9.48% 8.31% 1.76% 8.17% 5.58% 0.24%
2009 376,522 29,376 7.80% 6.94% 1.27% 6.84% 4.82% 0.18%
2010 314,125 28,718 9.14% 8.35% 1.23% 8.27% 3.80% 0.16%
2011 547,574 42,100 7.69% 7.02% 0.97% 6.95% 3.22% 0.11%
2012 385,461 35,157 9.12% 8.26% 1.26% 8.18% 3.56% 0.13%
2013 916,880 58,513 6.38% 5.61% 1.00% 5.56% 2.62% 0.08%
2014 434,333 31,847 7.33% 6.58% 1.02% 6.53% 2.89% 0.09%
2015 1,226,266 62,523 5.10% 4.46% 0.79% 4.42% 2.13% 0.05%
2016 442,331 27,052 6.12% 5.57% 0.75% 5.52% 2.60% 0.07%
2017 1,393,463 58,286 4.18% 3.77% 0.53% 3.74% 1.94% 0.04%
2018 250,093 11,780 4.71% 4.37% 0.45% 4.35% 2.60% 0.03%
2019 191,111 10,780 5.64% 5.38% 0.35% 5.36% 3.56% 0.03%
2020 154,605 8,089 5.23% 5.02% 0.29% 5.00% 3.52% 0.03%
2021 196,949 9,396 4.77% 4.58% 0.24% 4.57% 3.37% 0.01%
2022 145,834 6,463 4.43% 4.30% 0.16% 4.29% 3.25% 0.01%
2023 129,745 5,661 4.36% 4.23% 0.15% 4.22% 3.31% 0.01%
2024 100,305 4,538 4.52% 4.43% 0.12% 4.42% 3.60% 0.01%
2025 42,945 2,385 5.55% 5.46% 0.11% 5.53% 4.59% 0.00%
2026 2,359 24 1.02% 0.89% 0.21% 21.11% 11.11% 0.08%
Other 64 26 40.62% 13.11% 37.70% 10.17% 8.47% 4.88%
All Model Years 10,462,139 814,161 7.78% 6.92% 1.28% 6.84% 4.11% 0.16%

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 83,034 10.20%
All Visual 134,222 1.28% 25,308 3.11%
All Functional 724,477 6.92% 72,637 8.93%
OBDII 714,956 6.84% 43,518 9.36%
Overall 814,161 7.78% 145,503 17.88%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 9,035,335 703,456 7.79% 674,992 123,021 18.23%
Partial Enhanced 523,295 41,387 7.91% 40,699 8,058 19.80%
Basic 839,586 64,151 7.64% 92,938 13,260 14.27%
Change of Ownership 63,923 5,167 8.08% 5,213 1,164 22.33%
All Program Areas 10,462,139 814,161 7.78% 813,842 145,503 17.88%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 5,916,245 481,639 8.14% 492,244 86,405 17.55%
Non-STAR Test-Only 375,508 22,845 6.08% 18,807 2,055 10.93%
STAR Test-and-Repair 2,766,051 227,215 8.21% 236,209 47,368 20.05%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1,351,143 76,829 5.69% 57,373 7,513 13.10%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 22,934 1,239 5.40% 318 21 6.60%
Business Fleet 3,604 71 1.97% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 228 9 3.95% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 4,419 3,175 71.85% 1,287 795 61.77%
Government Fleet 22,007 1,139 5.18% 7,604 1,346 17.70%
All Stations 10,462,139 814,161 7.78% 813,842 145,503 17.88%

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 Tests 10,242,967 90.84% 1,033,014 9.16%
All Tests 11,018,763 90.31% 1,181,955 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-and-Repair 2,710,210 90.27% 292,050 9.73%
STAR Test-Only 5,822,635 90.86% 585,854 9.14%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1,314,958 93.36% 93,558 6.64%
Non-STAR Test-Only 367,923 93.31% 26,392 6.69%
Total 10,215,726 91.10% 997,854 8.90%

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 236,209 $75.79 2,766,051 $62.65 3,002,260 $69.22
STAR Test-Only 492,244 $64.75 5,916,245 $56.95 6,408,489 $60.85
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 57,373 $71.32 1,351,143 $73.97 1,408,516 $72.64
Non-STAR Test-Only 18,807 $62.95 375,508 $53.46 394,315 $58.21
Total 804,633 $70.00 10,408,947 $64.40 11,213,580 $67.20

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 4,134 $54.52 236,209 $75.82 2,761,917 $62.68
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 19,764 $50.15 492,244 $64.74 5,896,481 $57.02
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 542,294 $78.13 57,373 $71.20 808,849 $70.33
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 139,794 $54.02 18,807 $62.99 235,714 $52.95
Total 0 $0.00 705,986 $74.00 804,633 $70.00 9,702,961 $62.04

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 4846 $53.64 33,252 $665.59
$101-250 7473 $176.27
$251-500 6491 $368.66
$501-650 2909 $573.71
Over $650 11533 $1,430.08
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $1-100 1166 $55.23 7,591 $703.74
$101-250 1924 $177.95
$251-500 1549 $363.51
$501-650 579 $575.72
Over $650 2373 $1,702.01
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 11 $58.91 5,190 $1,417.77
$101-250 236 $217.51
$251-500 491 $373.30
$501-650 369 $580.19
Over $650 4083 $1,692.11
Total Repairs $1-100 6023 $53.95 46,033 $756.68
$101-250 9633 $177.61
$251-500 8531 $367.99
$501-650 3857 $574.63
Over $650 17989 $1,525.42

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 109 32 1,573 79 1,793
STAR Test-Only 19 4 1,741 40 1,804
STAR Sub-Total 128 36 3,314 119 3,597
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 467 55 1,982 202 2,706
Non-STAR Test-Only 47 11 429 43 530
Non-STAR Sub-Total 514 66 2,411 245 3,236
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 50 0 0 0 50
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 1 0 12 1 14
Referee 5 0 29 1 35
Government Fleet 44 5 303 13 365
Repair Only 1 0 27 1 29
Other Station Sub-Total 101 5 374 16 496
All Stations 743 107 6,099 380 7,329

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 151 1,715
STAR Test-Only 0 74 1,738
STAR Sub-Total 1 225 3,453
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,734 334
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 226 212
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,960 546
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 9 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 0 42 6
Government Fleet 1 185 44
Referee 0 0 34
Other Station Sub-Total 1 238 84
All Stations 2 2,423 4,083

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
BAR Referrals 5,714
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 5,475
Law Enforcement Citations 4,685
Clean Gas 2,052
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 1,658
Engine Change/Replacement 970
CAT BAR Label 722
OBD Monitor Issues 262
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 253
Grey Market 137
All Inspections 21,928

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 2,500 1,341
Repair Cost Waiver 491 59
Limited Parts Exemption 92 7
Exempt Vehicle 29 115
Exempted by Directive 136 5
Hardship Extensions 1 1
Non-Compliance 1 0
All Certificates Issued 3,250 1,528

Technicians

Technician License Type Technicians Conducting Tests Total Licensed Technicians
EO (Inspect Only) 5,686 8,150
EO+EI (Inspect and Repair) 4,296 4,964
All License Types 9,982 13,114

FPR Score Distribution

License Type FPR Score < 0.10 FPR Score ≥ 0.10 and < 0.40 FPR Score ≥ 0.40 No Score Total
Stations 271 1,173 3,778 1,611 6,833
Inspectors 314 1,696 5,652 5,452 13,114

Station FPR Score Distribution

Inspector FPR Score Distribution

Smog Check Requirements by Vehicle Type

Fuel Type Model-Year GVWR1 OBD II Equipped? Smog Check Required
All2 (except Diesel) Four model-years and newer3 All ‐ None
Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth model-years4 All ‐ None
1975 and earlier All ‐ None
Gasoline and Flex Fuel
(Methanol or Ethanol)
1976-1999 All ‐ BAR-97
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes5 BAR-OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 ‐ BAR-97
Hybrid 2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes BAR-OIS
Dedicated Propane and Natural Gas
(CNG, LNG, or LPG)
1976-1999 14,000 and less ‐ BAR-97
Over 14,000 ‐ None
2000 and newer 14,000 and less Yes BAR-OIS
No BAR-97
Over 14,000 ‐ None
Diesel 1976-1997 All ‐ None
1998 and newer 14,000 and less Yes BAR-OIS
Over 14,000 ‐ None6
Full Electric Powered All All ‐ None
Motorcycle All All ‐ None
Other Vehicles: Two Cylinder Engine,
Two-stroke Engine,
Off-highway Registered
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 2020 model-year vehicle will be first subject to a change-of-ownership Smog Check in 2024 (2020+4=2024).
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 2020 model-year vehicle will be first subject to a biennial Smog Check in 2028 (2020+8=2028).
5 BAR has identified 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 CARB’s Clean Truck Check Program replaces the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP) effective October 1, 2024. Vehicles with 2012 and older model year engines are required to undergo an opacity test and a vehicle emissions control equipment inspection. Vehicles with 2013 and newer model year engines are required to undergo OBD testing. See CARB’s Clean Truck Check webpage for details.

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