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  1. Home

Smog Check Executive Summary Report
February 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 882,417 75,213 8.52%
All Tests 954,930 86,367 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 82,000 207,599 71,935 183,646
Non-Directed 149,972 294,955 137,071 273,453
Total 231,972 502,554 209,006 457,099

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 110,100 32,333 102,945 30,301
Total 110,100 32,333 102,945 30,301

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 238 49 20.59% 15.13% 6.72% 8.40% 4.62% NA
1977 318 62 19.50% 13.21% 4.72% 10.38% 4.72% NA
1978 386 79 20.47% 14.25% 5.44% 6.22% 6.48% NA
1979 470 86 18.30% 13.83% 4.68% 7.45% 4.04% NA
1980 228 49 21.49% 16.23% 9.65% 7.89% 3.95% NA
1981 242 45 18.60% 13.64% 4.13% 8.68% 4.55% NA
1982 307 57 18.57% 14.98% 5.54% 7.49% 3.91% NA
1983 325 56 17.23% 13.85% 3.69% 5.23% 2.77% NA
1984 572 115 20.10% 15.21% 6.47% 7.87% 3.85% NA
1985 778 166 21.34% 16.32% 5.66% 8.23% 3.34% NA
1986 963 175 18.17% 12.77% 4.47% 7.89% 2.49% NA
1987 1,232 234 18.99% 13.88% 4.95% 8.85% 3.65% NA
1988 1,259 254 20.17% 14.77% 4.53% 7.39% 3.49% NA
1989 1,738 338 19.45% 14.21% 3.62% 7.42% 3.62% NA
1990 1,961 376 19.17% 13.51% 4.18% 8.11% 3.31% NA
1991 2,304 424 18.40% 12.37% 3.78% 8.46% 2.78% NA
1992 2,129 362 17.00% 11.37% 3.29% 7.05% 2.82% NA
1993 2,552 547 21.43% 15.60% 3.61% 8.03% 3.25% NA
1994 3,198 679 21.23% 14.32% 3.10% 9.63% 3.72% NA
1995 3,745 769 20.53% 14.66% 2.67% 7.88% 3.42% NA
1996 4,552 850 18.67% 8.96% 1.41% 9.49% 3.80% 9.49%
1997 5,816 1,147 19.72% 9.47% 1.29% 10.59% 3.82% 10.59%
1998 8,148 1,522 18.68% 7.97% 1.40% 10.44% 3.42% 10.44%
1999 9,608 1,655 17.23% 6.60% 1.18% 10.67% 3.36% 10.67%
2000 204 24 11.76% 8.33% 3.43% 1.96% 2.94% 1.96%
2001 156 14 8.97% 5.13% 2.56% 2.56% 1.28% 2.58%
2002 192 12 6.25% 3.12% 1.56% 1.56% 3.12% 1.56%
2003 193 18 9.33% 4.66% 1.04% 1.55% 3.11% 1.56%
2004 273 15 5.49% 3.66% 2.20% 1.10% 1.10% 1.10%
2005 181 7 3.87% 2.21% 1.10% 0.55% 1.10% 0.55%
2006 328 24 7.32% 5.49% 1.52% 0.91% 1.22% 0.92%
2007 209 10 4.78% 2.87% 1.44% 0.48% 2.39% 0.48%
2008 220 16 7.27% 4.09% 1.36% 1.82% 1.82% 1.82%
2009 82 9 10.98% 8.54% 4.88% 1.22% 2.44% 1.22%
2010 66 1 1.52% 1.52% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2011 97 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2012 161 2 1.24% 0.00% 0.00% 0.62% 1.24% 0.62%
2013 123 2 1.63% 0.81% 0.81% 0.00% 0.81% 0.00%
2014 249 1 0.40% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.40% 0.00%
2015 167 2 1.20% 1.20% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2016 352 4 1.14% 0.28% 0.00% 0.85% 0.00% 0.85%
2017 212 1 0.47% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.47% 0.00%
2018 306 6 1.96% 0.33% 0.33% 1.63% 0.33% 1.63%
2019 68 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 44 2 4.55% 2.27% 0.00% 2.27% 0.00% 2.27%
2021 27 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2022 37 1 2.70% 0.00% 0.00% 2.70% 0.00% 2.70%
2023 41 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2024 54 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2025 55 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2026 19 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% 0.00%
All Model Years 57,185 10,267 17.95% 10.21% 2.41% 8.71% 3.32% 9.19%

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 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.15%
1997 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1998 111 6 5.41% 4.50% 1.80% 3.60% 1.80% 0.22%
1999 501 54 10.78% 8.98% 2.40% 8.84% 6.63% 0.14%
2000 16,537 2,627 15.89% 14.23% 3.05% 14.02% 10.76% 0.41%
2001 14,909 2,499 16.76% 15.13% 3.11% 14.93% 10.83% 0.42%
2002 22,598 3,090 13.67% 11.98% 2.77% 11.73% 8.42% 0.46%
2003 19,959 2,884 14.45% 12.56% 3.12% 12.35% 8.44% 0.41%
2004 31,155 3,660 11.75% 10.27% 2.46% 10.11% 7.19% 0.33%
2005 25,031 3,081 12.31% 10.76% 2.57% 10.54% 7.24% 0.38%
2006 38,600 4,125 10.69% 9.26% 2.12% 9.13% 6.29% 0.25%
2007 30,770 3,224 10.48% 9.02% 2.29% 8.89% 6.02% 0.25%
2008 37,482 3,372 9.00% 7.88% 1.64% 7.76% 5.37% 0.22%
2009 17,580 1,719 9.78% 8.70% 1.70% 8.56% 6.07% 0.24%
2010 33,776 2,904 8.60% 7.88% 1.12% 7.79% 3.79% 0.15%
2011 26,133 2,586 9.90% 9.02% 1.40% 8.94% 3.81% 0.15%
2012 54,689 4,189 7.66% 6.84% 1.16% 6.78% 3.18% 0.10%
2013 34,013 3,009 8.85% 7.89% 1.34% 7.82% 3.53% 0.11%
2014 71,573 4,230 5.91% 5.18% 0.94% 5.13% 2.40% 0.07%
2015 38,886 2,970 7.64% 6.86% 1.11% 6.81% 3.07% 0.10%
2016 92,142 4,279 4.64% 4.05% 0.73% 4.00% 2.02% 0.06%
2017 36,737 2,475 6.74% 6.18% 0.79% 6.13% 3.03% 0.06%
2018 97,474 3,924 4.03% 3.53% 0.60% 3.50% 1.89% 0.03%
2019 14,252 839 5.89% 5.56% 0.51% 5.52% 3.58% 0.05%
2020 11,645 676 5.81% 5.60% 0.30% 5.57% 3.75% 0.02%
2021 12,067 578 4.79% 4.57% 0.24% 4.56% 3.20% 0.02%
2022 14,724 686 4.66% 4.47% 0.28% 4.46% 3.10% 0.01%
2023 10,359 470 4.54% 4.42% 0.15% 4.37% 3.44% 0.05%
2024 10,917 454 4.16% 4.02% 0.16% 4.00% 3.02% 0.03%
2025 8,850 330 3.73% 3.65% 0.08% 3.72% 2.67% 0.00%
2026 1,758 3 0.17% 0.00% 0.17% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2027 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 825,232 64,946 7.87% 7.00% 1.31% 6.93% 4.14% 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 5,840 10.21%
All Visual 10,791 1.31% 1,897 3.32%
All Functional 57,726 7.00% 4,981 8.71%
OBDII 57,021 6.93% 2,962 9.19%
Overall 64,946 7.87% 10,267 17.95%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 710,526 55,744 7.85% 47,844 8,695 18.17%
Partial Enhanced 43,647 3,639 8.34% 2,873 555 19.32%
Basic 66,027 5,164 7.82% 6,123 942 15.38%
Change of Ownership 5,032 399 7.93% 345 75 21.74%
All Program Areas 825,232 64,946 7.87% 57,185 10,267 17.95%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test Only 468,127 38,013 8.12% 34,427 6,061 17.61%
Non-STAR Test Only 30,601 1,833 5.99% 1,768 142 8.03%
STAR Test and Repair 215,414 18,359 8.52% 16,558 3,392 20.49%
Non-STAR Test and Repair 106,550 6,294 5.91% 3,651 507 13.89%
Test and Repair/Dealer 1,728 84 4.86% 15 1 6.67%
Business Fleet 216 4 1.85% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 8 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 335 243 72.54% 49 22 44.90%
Government Fleet 2,253 116 5.15% 717 142 19.80%
All Stations 825,232 64,946 7.87% 57,185 10,267 17.95%

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 801,333 90.81% 81,084 9.19%
All Tests 862,224 90.29% 92,706 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 209,006 90.10% 22,966 9.90%
STAR Test Only 457,099 90.96% 45,455 9.04%
Non-STAR Test and Repair 102,945 93.42% 7,256 6.58%
Non-STAR Test Only 30,301 93.61% 2,068 6.39%
Total 799,351 91.14% 77,745 8.86%

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 16,558 $77.66 215,414 $63.12 231,972 $70.39
STAR Test Only 34,427 $66.82 468,127 $56.97 502,554 $61.90
Non-STAR Test and Repair 3,651 $70.57 106,550 $76.28 110,201 $73.43
Non-STAR Test Only 1,768 $56.92 30,601 $52.06 32,369 $54.49
Total 56,404 $71.56 820,692 $64.96 877,096 $68.26

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 $0.00 374 $55.19 16,558 $77.66 215,040 $63.15
STAR Test Only 0 $0.00 1,610 $51.42 34,427 $66.80 466,517 $57.00
Non-STAR Test and Repair 0 $0.00 46,026 $80.45 3,651 $70.68 60,524 $72.28
Non-STAR Test Only 0 $0.00 12,667 $53.51 1,768 $56.92 17,934 $49.87
Total 0 $0.00 60,677 $76.03 56,404 $71.56 760,015 $62.35

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) $0-100 434 $55.70 2,763 $677.90
$101-250 635 $178.18
$251-500 520 $371.71
$501-650 215 $580.98
Over $651 959 $1,478.12
Non-STAR Repairs (Test and Repair) $0-100 70 $57.64 543 $676.51
$101-250 122 $180.75
$251-500 124 $348.91
$501-650 51 $570.31
Over $651 176 $1,527.90
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 $64.75 467 $1,570.53
$101-250 22 $220.47
$251-500 38 $362.59
$501-650 19 $576.52
Over $651 387 $1,818.58
Total Repairs $0-100 505 $55.99 3,773 $788.18
$101-250 779 $179.77
$251-500 682 $367.05
$501-650 285 $578.78
Over $651 1522 $1,570.45

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 1,566 80 1,788
STAR Test Only 17 4 1,692 41 1,754
STAR Subtotal 127 36 3,258 121 3,542
Non-STAR Test and Repair 434 49 1,718 182 2,383
Non-STAR Test Only 42 10 308 44 404
Non-STAR Subtotal 476 59 2,026 226 2,787
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 21 1 23
Other Station Subtotal 99 5 378 18 500
All Stations 702 100 5,662 365 6,829

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test and Repair 1 305 1,418
STAR Test Only 3 171 1,519
STAR Subtotal 4 476 2,937
Non-STAR Test and Repair 2 1,592 219
Non-STAR Test Only 1 205 58
Non-STAR Subtotal 3 1,797 277
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 4 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test and Repair/Dealer 0 40 4
Government Fleet 3 140 24
Referee 0 3 29
Other Station Subtotal 3 189 57
All Stations 10 2,462 3,271

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
BAR Referrals 459
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 424
Law Enforcement Citations 272
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 127
Engine Change/Replacement 75
Clean Gas 64
CAT BAR Label 31
OBD Monitor Issues 26
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 23
Grey Market 9
All Inspections 1,510

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 199 57
Repair Cost Waiver 33 4
Limited Parts Exemption 7 1
Exempt Vehicle 4 11
Exempted by Directive 19 0
Hardship Extensions 1 0
Non-Compliance 0 0
All Certificates Issued 263 73

Technicians

Technician License Type Technicians Conducting Tests Total Licensed Technicians
EO (Inspect Only) 3,295 5,209
EO+EI (Inspect and Repair) 5,347 7,350
All License Types 8,642 12,559

FPR Score Distribution

License Type FPR Score < 0.10 FPR Score ≥ 0.10 and < 0.40 FPR Score ≥ 0.40 No Score Total
Stations 256 1,145 3,560 1,368 6,329
Inspectors 295 1,700 5,438 5,126 12,559

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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