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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
November 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 766,931 63,723 8.31%
All Tests 828,540 73,152 8.83%

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 73,599 189,833 65,351 169,263
Non-Directed 127,747 250,632 115,492 231,948
Total 201,346 440,465 180,843 401,211

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 0 0 0 0
Non-Directed 92,966 28,111 86,455 26,148
Total 92,966 28,111 86,455 26,148

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 220 49 22.27% 16.82% 6.36% 10.91% 5.45% NA
1977 349 71 20.34% 13.18% 4.87% 8.31% 5.16% NA
1978 333 62 18.62% 13.21% 4.20% 9.01% 3.90% NA
1979 382 68 17.80% 10.47% 4.97% 8.90% 3.40% NA
1980 232 41 17.67% 15.09% 8.62% 6.03% 4.74% NA
1981 213 50 23.47% 17.84% 10.33% 9.39% 3.76% NA
1982 251 55 21.91% 14.74% 3.19% 7.97% 7.17% NA
1983 293 58 19.80% 13.31% 4.44% 8.19% 6.48% NA
1984 517 99 19.15% 14.70% 5.22% 7.35% 4.45% NA
1985 671 129 19.23% 14.31% 6.41% 7.90% 3.58% NA
1986 971 176 18.13% 13.59% 4.02% 7.52% 3.40% NA
1987 1,087 230 21.16% 16.01% 6.16% 8.65% 3.96% NA
1988 1,117 228 20.41% 13.61% 4.48% 8.42% 3.49% NA
1989 1,591 322 20.24% 13.14% 4.15% 9.99% 2.89% NA
1990 1,645 288 17.51% 11.91% 3.28% 7.23% 3.22% NA
1991 2,032 386 19.00% 12.20% 3.35% 8.86% 2.56% NA
1992 1,797 357 19.87% 13.36% 3.34% 8.35% 3.39% NA
1993 2,389 504 21.10% 15.19% 4.31% 8.71% 3.22% NA
1994 2,756 538 19.52% 13.72% 3.01% 7.51% 3.19% NA
1995 3,781 760 20.10% 13.59% 2.78% 8.20% 3.62% NA
1996 3,428 652 19.02% 9.63% 1.58% 9.80% 3.06% 9.77%
1997 5,779 1,007 17.43% 7.82% 1.18% 10.30% 2.80% 10.28%
1998 6,559 1,163 17.73% 7.20% 1.36% 10.98% 3.32% 10.98%
1999 9,594 1,488 15.51% 5.42% 0.84% 10.08% 2.91% 10.05%
2000 176 23 13.07% 9.09% 3.41% 2.84% 1.70% 2.84%
2001 198 15 7.58% 5.05% 1.52% 1.01% 3.54% 1.01%
2002 159 13 8.18% 5.03% 1.26% 2.52% 0.63% 2.52%
2003 176 10 5.68% 1.70% 1.70% 2.84% 2.27% 2.84%
2004 176 8 4.55% 3.98% 1.70% 0.57% 0.57% 0.57%
2005 196 10 5.10% 3.06% 0.51% 0.51% 1.53% 0.51%
2006 244 21 8.61% 6.97% 2.87% 0.41% 2.87% 0.41%
2007 217 11 5.07% 3.23% 1.84% 1.38% 1.38% 1.38%
2008 162 9 5.56% 4.94% 1.23% 0.00% 0.62% 0.00%
2009 86 5 5.81% 5.81% 2.33% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2010 52 1 1.92% 0.00% 0.00% 1.92% 0.00% 1.92%
2011 126 1 0.79% 0.00% 0.00% 0.79% 0.00% 0.79%
2012 153 2 1.31% 0.65% 0.00% 0.00% 0.65% 0.00%
2013 185 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2014 178 4 2.25% 1.69% 1.69% 0.00% 0.56% 0.00%
2015 357 3 0.84% 0.56% 0.00% 0.28% 0.00% 0.28%
2016 233 2 0.86% 0.43% 0.00% 0.43% 0.00% 0.43%
2017 528 6 1.14% 0.95% 0.19% 0.57% 0.00% 0.57%
2018 82 2 2.44% 1.22% 0.00% 0.00% 1.22% 0.00%
2019 56 1 1.79% 1.79% 1.79% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 82 1 1.22% 0.00% 0.00% 1.22% 0.00% 1.22%
2021 36 1 2.78% 2.78% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 40 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2023 15 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 45 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2025 71 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2026 20 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 52,036 8,930 17.16% 9.55% 2.35% 8.70% 3.05% 8.99%

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 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 5 1 20.00% 20.00% 0.00% 20.00% 20.00% 0.00%
1998 98 9 9.18% 9.18% 2.04% 9.28% 4.12% 0.94%
1999 457 61 13.35% 12.04% 2.19% 11.70% 8.83% 0.39%
2000 12,027 1,924 16.00% 14.02% 3.44% 13.74% 9.88% 0.52%
2001 17,154 2,671 15.57% 13.80% 3.05% 13.55% 9.92% 0.45%
2002 16,333 2,324 14.23% 12.40% 3.20% 12.13% 8.26% 0.57%
2003 23,466 3,109 13.25% 11.52% 2.79% 11.28% 7.88% 0.44%
2004 21,885 2,708 12.37% 10.75% 2.63% 10.46% 7.16% 0.47%
2005 28,915 3,277 11.33% 9.91% 2.23% 9.76% 6.76% 0.25%
2006 26,982 2,962 10.98% 9.52% 2.26% 9.33% 6.32% 0.34%
2007 36,170 3,186 8.81% 7.51% 1.80% 7.43% 5.07% 0.18%
2008 26,267 2,330 8.87% 7.80% 1.57% 7.64% 5.25% 0.26%
2009 21,137 1,759 8.32% 7.43% 1.37% 7.32% 5.19% 0.17%
2010 22,948 2,037 8.88% 8.01% 1.19% 7.92% 3.86% 0.18%
2011 34,028 2,670 7.85% 7.16% 1.01% 7.09% 3.31% 0.10%
2012 29,235 2,474 8.46% 7.56% 1.29% 7.50% 3.49% 0.12%
2013 55,591 3,966 7.13% 6.28% 1.14% 6.20% 2.82% 0.10%
2014 34,400 2,235 6.50% 5.78% 0.94% 5.73% 2.63% 0.07%
2015 78,426 4,293 5.47% 4.78% 0.85% 4.72% 2.30% 0.07%
2016 37,174 1,880 5.06% 4.57% 0.64% 4.52% 2.30% 0.07%
2017 92,765 4,333 4.67% 4.23% 0.58% 4.20% 2.05% 0.04%
2018 28,766 1,142 3.97% 3.62% 0.47% 3.59% 2.21% 0.03%
2019 13,396 815 6.08% 5.82% 0.37% 5.80% 3.78% 0.04%
2020 10,592 602 5.68% 5.46% 0.25% 5.45% 3.85% 0.01%
2021 11,361 546 4.81% 4.60% 0.30% 4.59% 3.31% 0.02%
2022 10,699 455 4.25% 4.11% 0.16% 4.10% 2.98% 0.01%
2023 9,679 394 4.07% 3.91% 0.19% 3.88% 2.84% 0.02%
2024 9,331 394 4.22% 4.18% 0.04% 4.18% 3.38% 0.00%
2025 5,047 232 4.60% 4.50% 0.10% 4.56% 3.60% 0.00%
2026 552 2 0.36% 0.00% 0.36% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other 7 2 28.57% 14.29% 28.57% 16.67% 16.67% 0.00%
All Model Years 714,895 54,793 7.66% 6.81% 1.26% 6.72% 4.03% 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 4,970 9.55%
All Visual 8,996 1.26% 1,585 3.05%
All Functional 48,656 6.81% 4,528 8.70%
OBDII 48,002 6.72% 2,643 8.99%
Overall 54,793 7.66% 8,930 17.16%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 618,650 47,126 7.62% 43,326 7,555 17.44%
Partial Enhanced 35,329 2,903 8.22% 2,540 503 19.80%
Basic 56,715 4,393 7.75% 5,841 784 13.42%
Change of Ownership 4,201 371 8.83% 329 88 26.75%
All Program Areas 714,895 54,793 7.66% 52,036 8,930 17.16%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test-Only 408,523 32,202 7.88% 31,942 5,416 16.96%
Non-STAR Test-Only 26,670 1,715 6.43% 1,469 139 9.46%
STAR Test-and-Repair 186,757 15,265 8.17% 14,589 2,816 19.30%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 89,531 5,215 5.82% 3,545 427 12.05%
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 1,532 77 5.03% 18 3 16.67%
Business Fleet 142 6 4.23% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 51 2 3.92% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 308 233 75.65% 57 33 57.89%
Government Fleet 1,381 78 5.65% 416 96 23.08%
All Stations 714,895 54,793 7.66% 52,036 8,930 17.16%

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 696,383 90.80% 70,548 9.20%
All Tests 748,077 90.29% 80,463 9.71%

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 180,843 89.82% 20,503 10.18%
STAR Test-Only 401,211 91.09% 39,254 8.91%
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 86,455 92.89% 6,621 7.11%
Non-STAR Test-Only 26,148 92.92% 1,991 7.08%
Total 694,657 91.04% 68,369 8.96%

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 14,589 $77.43 186,757 $63.94 201,346 $70.69
STAR Test-Only 31,942 $66.29 408,523 $56.78 440,465 $61.53
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 3,545 $69.50 89,531 $74.82 93,076 $72.16
Non-STAR Test-Only 1,469 $63.69 26,670 $53.47 28,139 $58.58
Total 51,545 $71.20 711,481 $64.54 763,026 $67.87

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 $0.00 302 $53.23 14,589 $77.43 186,455 $63.99
STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 1,751 $47.98 31,942 $66.29 406,772 $56.85
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 $0.00 36,876 $79.27 3,545 $69.25 52,655 $70.75
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 $0.00 11,137 $53.38 1,469 $62.59 15,533 $53.61
Total 0 $0.00 50,066 $74.50 51,545 $71.17 661,415 $62.31

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) $0-100 335 $55.24 2,433 $676.93
$101-250 564 $171.76
$251-500 444 $362.17
$501-650 208 $573.87
Over $651 882 $1,418.85
Non-STAR Repairs (Test-and-Repair) $0-100 64 $49.22 447 $773.95
$101-250 109 $180.50
$251-500 81 $366.30
$501-650 36 $585.67
Over $651 157 $1,734.88
Repair-Only $0-100 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
$101-250 0 $0.00
$251-500 0 $0.00
$501-650 0 $0.00
Over $651 0 $0.00
CAP Repairs $0-100 1 $71.75 376 $1,377.15
$101-250 24 $219.31
$251-500 43 $355.77
$501-650 25 $577.45
Over $651 283 $1,705.78
Total Repairs $0-100 400 $54.32 3,256 $771.11
$101-250 697 $174.77
$251-500 568 $362.27
$501-650 269 $575.78
Over $651 1322 $1,517.81

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 1,587 79 1,807
STAR Test-Only 20 4 1,680 40 1,744
STAR Sub-Total 129 36 3,267 119 3,551
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 431 46 1,722 183 2,382
Non-STAR Test-Only 42 9 317 40 408
Non-STAR Sub-Total 473 55 2,039 223 2,790
Test-and-Repair/Dealer 48 0 0 0 48
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 22 1 24
Other Station Sub-Total 99 5 369 16 489
All Stations 701 96 5,675 358 6,830

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 317 1,411
STAR Test-Only 2 184 1,497
STAR Sub-Total 3 501 2,908
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 1 1,565 228
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 212 68
Non-STAR Sub-Total 1 1,777 296
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 8 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test and Repair/Dealer 0 41 4
Government Fleet 4 130 26
Referee 0 2 30
Other Station Sub-Total 4 183 60
All Stations 8 2,461 3,264

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
BAR Referrals 371
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 332
Law Enforcement Citations 259
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 108
Clean Gas 82
Engine Change/Replacement 56
CAT BAR Label 30
OBD Monitor Issues 26
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 18
Grey Market 11
All Inspections 1,293

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 158 80
Repair Cost Waiver 33 6
Limited Parts Exemption 10 0
Exempt Vehicle 1 8
Exempted by Directive 11 0
Hardship Extensions 0 0
Non-Compliance 0 0
All Certificates Issued 213 94

Technicians

Technician License Type Technicians Conducting Tests Total Licensed Technicians
EO (Inspect Only) 4,720 7,532
EO+EI (Inspect and Repair) 3,812 4,971
All License Types 8,532 12,503

FPR Score Distribution

License Type FPR Score < 0.10 FPR Score ≥ 0.10 and < 0.40 FPR Score ≥ 0.40 No Score Total
Stations 242 1,093 3,604 1,402 6,341
Inspectors 286 1,639 5,538 5,040 12,503

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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