Skip to Main Content
CA.govCA.gov Logo image
Home Facebook Twitter YouTube
 Contact Us  Translate  Accessibility
Bureau of Automotive Repair Logo
  • Consumers
    • Consumer Assistance Program
    • Maintenance and repairs
    • Smog Check inspections
    • Safety systems inspections
    • Check inspection history
    • Get a collision repair inspection
    • Find an auto shop
    • Check a license
    • File a complaint
  • Licensing
    • How to get licensed
    • Apply for a license
    • Renew your license
    • Update your license
    • Print your license
    • Military resources
    • Refugee resources
  • Industry
    • Training
    • Signs, license display, advertising
    • Write It Right
    • Repairs and services
    • Safety systems
    • Smog Check
    • STAR
    • Certified training providers
    • Government fleet facilities
    • Cars for Schools program
    • ET Blasts
    • Newsletter
  • Information
    • About BAR
    • BAR Advisory Group
    • Educational Advisory Group
    • Public workshops
    • Laws and regulations
    • Regulatory actions
    • Enforcement actions
    • Enforcement process
    • Publications, reports, forms
    • Public records
    • Join our email list
Custom Google Search
  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
January 2026

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 989,080 82,543 8.35%
All Tests 1,065,033 93,789 8.81%

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 93,979 237,538 82,785 210,541
Non-Directed 166,810 328,969 152,978 306,049
Total 260,789 566,507 235,763 516,590

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 119,602 36,842 111,860 34,500
Total 119,602 36,842 111,860 34,500

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 257 57 22.18% 16.34% 6.61% 8.95% 3.50% NA
1977 385 74 19.22% 14.55% 4.94% 8.31% 3.12% NA
1978 420 87 20.71% 15.00% 5.71% 7.86% 4.52% NA
1979 473 112 23.68% 18.82% 6.55% 10.36% 6.34% NA
1980 231 45 19.48% 13.42% 4.76% 8.66% 6.06% NA
1981 256 50 19.53% 14.45% 5.86% 10.16% 5.86% NA
1982 310 59 19.03% 13.23% 5.16% 9.35% 4.52% NA
1983 341 66 19.35% 14.66% 5.87% 7.62% 4.69% NA
1984 590 130 22.03% 15.08% 4.24% 7.63% 4.58% NA
1985 785 169 21.53% 16.56% 6.62% 9.17% 5.35% NA
1986 1,088 218 20.04% 15.81% 6.07% 8.09% 3.49% NA
1987 1,232 234 18.99% 14.94% 5.03% 6.98% 3.41% NA
1988 1,400 291 20.79% 15.00% 4.50% 8.21% 3.57% NA
1989 1,935 376 19.43% 13.80% 3.98% 8.27% 3.57% NA
1990 2,126 412 19.38% 12.70% 4.09% 9.13% 2.82% NA
1991 2,412 445 18.45% 12.48% 3.52% 7.88% 3.40% NA
1992 2,173 413 19.01% 13.12% 4.00% 8.28% 3.13% NA
1993 2,760 579 20.98% 15.25% 3.26% 8.12% 2.97% NA
1994 3,419 716 20.94% 14.51% 2.90% 8.98% 3.39% NA
1995 4,133 878 21.24% 15.34% 2.83% 8.08% 3.19% NA
1996 4,815 866 17.99% 8.68% 1.16% 9.70% 3.20% 9.70%
1997 6,422 1,268 19.74% 9.72% 1.31% 10.79% 3.72% 10.78%
1998 9,062 1,638 18.08% 7.90% 1.54% 10.67% 2.98% 10.67%
1999 10,698 1,783 16.67% 6.29% 0.97% 10.58% 2.76% 10.56%
2000 230 34 14.78% 10.43% 4.78% 5.65% 1.74% 5.68%
2001 160 15 9.38% 4.37% 2.50% 1.87% 3.75% 1.87%
2002 220 21 9.55% 5.00% 1.36% 0.91% 3.64% 0.91%
2003 218 16 7.34% 5.05% 2.29% 1.38% 2.75% 1.38%
2004 263 17 6.46% 4.56% 1.90% 1.14% 1.52% 1.14%
2005 230 9 3.91% 3.04% 0.87% 0.43% 0.87% 0.43%
2006 305 22 7.21% 5.57% 1.64% 0.33% 1.64% 0.33%
2007 199 12 6.03% 5.03% 0.50% 0.50% 1.01% 0.50%
2008 226 13 5.75% 3.98% 2.21% 1.33% 1.77% 1.33%
2009 87 2 2.30% 2.30% 2.30% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2010 56 5 8.93% 1.79% 0.00% 5.36% 5.36% 5.36%
2011 118 5 4.24% 3.39% 1.69% 2.54% 0.85% 2.54%
2012 199 5 2.51% 0.50% 0.00% 1.01% 1.01% 1.01%
2013 155 7 4.52% 3.23% 0.00% 1.29% 0.65% 1.29%
2014 217 3 1.38% 0.46% 0.46% 0.00% 0.92% 0.00%
2015 188 1 0.53% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.53% 0.00%
2016 389 6 1.54% 0.77% 0.51% 1.03% 0.00% 1.03%
2017 275 3 1.09% 0.73% 0.00% 0.36% 0.36% 0.36%
2018 278 2 0.72% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.72% 0.00%
2019 69 1 1.45% 0.00% 0.00% 1.45% 0.00% 1.45%
2020 86 1 1.16% 1.16% 1.16% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 42 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 38 1 2.63% 2.63% 0.00% 2.63% 2.63% 2.63%
2023 38 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 38 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2025 59 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2026 25 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2027 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% NA
All Model Years 62,132 11,167 17.97% 10.35% 2.41% 8.91% 3.14% 9.33%

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 1 1 100.00% 100.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.30%
1997 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 123 11 8.94% 5.69% 3.25% 4.88% 4.07% 0.23%
1999 574 64 11.15% 10.28% 1.57% 10.21% 7.92% 0.14%
2000 17,984 2,839 15.79% 14.07% 3.05% 13.89% 10.47% 0.41%
2001 17,053 2,838 16.64% 14.93% 3.40% 14.75% 10.75% 0.46%
2002 25,159 3,431 13.64% 12.10% 2.65% 11.88% 8.65% 0.41%
2003 22,408 3,120 13.92% 12.04% 3.14% 11.84% 8.27% 0.41%
2004 34,716 4,149 11.95% 10.51% 2.28% 10.33% 7.37% 0.34%
2005 28,496 3,605 12.65% 11.04% 2.61% 10.85% 7.41% 0.40%
2006 43,999 4,530 10.30% 9.03% 1.88% 8.89% 6.32% 0.25%
2007 34,889 3,609 10.34% 8.95% 2.13% 8.82% 5.91% 0.26%
2008 42,336 3,561 8.41% 7.36% 1.58% 7.26% 5.06% 0.22%
2009 20,356 1,898 9.32% 8.33% 1.50% 8.20% 5.80% 0.21%
2010 38,391 3,136 8.17% 7.40% 1.14% 7.31% 3.49% 0.15%
2011 30,811 2,911 9.45% 8.64% 1.19% 8.57% 3.76% 0.12%
2012 59,517 4,378 7.36% 6.61% 1.00% 6.56% 3.10% 0.09%
2013 41,357 3,482 8.42% 7.50% 1.26% 7.44% 3.32% 0.10%
2014 76,125 4,373 5.74% 5.11% 0.84% 5.05% 2.40% 0.07%
2015 50,043 3,588 7.17% 6.37% 1.09% 6.31% 2.75% 0.08%
2016 98,893 4,258 4.31% 3.76% 0.64% 3.72% 1.91% 0.05%
2017 50,622 3,280 6.48% 5.94% 0.76% 5.90% 2.86% 0.06%
2018 102,509 3,822 3.73% 3.26% 0.55% 3.24% 1.90% 0.03%
2019 15,552 909 5.84% 5.57% 0.36% 5.53% 3.54% 0.06%
2020 12,700 710 5.59% 5.48% 0.20% 5.46% 3.74% 0.02%
2021 13,104 696 5.31% 5.09% 0.30% 5.07% 3.59% 0.03%
2022 17,175 824 4.80% 4.68% 0.15% 4.68% 3.38% 0.01%
2023 11,455 513 4.48% 4.36% 0.16% 4.36% 3.36% 0.02%
2024 11,854 523 4.41% 4.29% 0.13% 4.29% 3.35% 0.01%
2025 7,237 315 4.35% 4.28% 0.07% 4.38% 3.18% 0.01%
2026 1,505 1 0.07% 0.00% 0.07% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2027 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 926,948 71,376 7.70% 6.86% 1.24% 6.80% 4.10% 0.15%

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 6,428 10.35%
All Visual 11,475 1.24% 1,950 3.14%
All Functional 63,632 6.86% 5,539 8.91%
OBDII 62,883 6.80% 3,303 9.33%
Overall 71,376 7.70% 11,167 17.97%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 802,204 61,493 7.67% 51,758 9,474 18.30%
Partial Enhanced 46,378 3,757 8.10% 3,096 609 19.67%
Basic 73,141 5,709 7.81% 6,920 1,012 14.62%
Change of Ownership 5,225 417 7.98% 358 72 20.11%
All Program Areas 926,948 71,376 7.70% 62,132 11,167 17.97%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test Only 529,040 41,921 7.92% 37,467 6,644 17.73%
Non-STAR Test Only 34,901 2,122 6.08% 1,991 163 8.19%
STAR Test and Repair 242,790 20,127 8.29% 17,999 3,634 20.19%
Non-STAR Test and Repair 115,716 6,719 5.81% 4,044 575 14.22%
Test and Repair/Dealer 2,008 103 5.13% 13 1 7.69%
Business Fleet 293 4 1.37% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 14 1 7.14% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 377 285 75.60% 55 32 58.18%
Government Fleet 1,809 94 5.20% 563 118 20.96%
All Stations 926,948 71,376 7.70% 62,132 11,167 17.97%

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 901,042 91.10% 88,038 8.90%
All Tests 965,246 90.63% 99,787 9.37%

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 235,763 90.40% 25,026 9.60%
STAR Test Only 516,590 91.19% 49,917 8.81%
Non-STAR Test and Repair 111,860 93.40% 7,900 6.60%
Non-STAR Test Only 34,500 93.52% 2,392 6.48%
Total 898,713 91.34% 85,235 8.66%

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 17,999 $77.57 242,790 $63.87 260,789 $70.72
STAR Test Only 37,467 $66.09 529,040 $57.07 566,507 $61.58
Non-STAR Test and Repair 4,044 $72.03 115,716 $75.33 119,760 $73.68
Non-STAR Test Only 1,991 $62.69 34,901 $53.72 36,892 $58.20
Total 61,501 $71.44 922,447 $65.03 983,948 $68.24

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 $0.00 442 $60.32 17,999 $77.55 242,348 $63.89
STAR Test Only 0 $0.00 2,725 $53.09 37,467 $66.09 526,315 $57.11
Non-STAR Test and Repair 0 $0.00 49,096 $79.54 4,044 $71.98 66,620 $71.35
Non-STAR Test Only 0 $0.00 13,527 $53.07 1,991 $62.90 21,374 $54.72
Total 0 $0.00 65,790 $75.16 61,501 $71.43 856,657 $62.64

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) $0-100 429 $53.81 2,906 $632.71
$101-250 724 $174.86
$251-500 536 $367.42
$501-650 245 $572.10
Over $651 972 $1,390.81
Non-STAR Repairs (Test and Repair) $0-100 86 $56.80 569 $646.88
$101-250 131 $176.39
$251-500 125 $376.71
$501-650 53 $574.49
Over $651 174 $1,508.87
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 2 $82.37 250 $1,484.08
$101-250 18 $212.18
$251-500 25 $334.97
$501-650 15 $590.83
Over $651 190 $1,841.05
Total Repairs $0-100 517 $54.42 3,725 $692.01
$101-250 873 $175.86
$251-500 686 $367.93
$501-650 313 $573.40
Over $651 1336 $1,470.22

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 110 32 1,574 80 1,796
STAR Test-Only 18 4 1,700 42 1,764
STAR Sub-Total 128 36 3,274 122 3,560
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 431 48 1,727 182 2,388
Non-STAR Test-Only 43 10 302 40 395
Non-STAR Sub-Total 474 58 2,029 222 2,783
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 34 1 40
Government Fleet 44 5 308 15 372
Repair Only 1 0 23 1 25
Other Station Sub-Total 99 5 380 18 502
All Stations 701 99 5,683 362 6,845

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test-and-Repair 1 298 1,426
STAR Test-Only 4 187 1,509
STAR Sub-Total 5 485 2,935
Non-STAR Test-and-Repair 0 1,588 229
Non-STAR Test-Only 0 206 71
Non-STAR Sub-Total 0 1,794 300
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 4 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test and Repair/Dealer 0 41 4
Government Fleet 2 127 25
Referee 0 4 29
Other Station Sub-Total 2 178 58
All Stations 7 2,457 3,293

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
BAR Referrals 474
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 459
Law Enforcement Citations 325
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 109
Clean Gas 75
Engine Change/Replacement 60
CAT BAR Label 40
OBD Monitor Issues 30
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 28
Grey Market 18
All Inspections 1,618

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 197 64
Repair Cost Waiver 34 2
Limited Parts Exemption 9 0
Exempt Vehicle 3 13
Exempted by Directive 5 0
Hardship Extensions 0 0
Non-Compliance 0 0
All Certificates Issued 248 79

Technicians

Technician License Type Technicians Conducting Tests Total Licensed Technicians
EO (Inspect Only) 3,346 5,283
EO+EI (Inspect and Repair) 5,303 7,244
All License Types 8,649 12,527

FPR Score Distribution

License Type FPR Score < 0.10 FPR Score ≥ 0.10 and < 0.40 FPR Score ≥ 0.40 No Score Total
Stations 260 1,153 3,574 1,356 6,343
Inspectors 296 1,704 5,451 5,076 12,527

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.

  • Back to Top
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Web Accessibility Certification
  • Careers
  • Register to Vote
Copyright © State of California