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Smog Check Executive Summary Report
October 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 874,429 72,413 8.28%
All Tests 945,356 83,031 8.78%

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 82,704 210,412 73,042 187,315
Non-Directed 146,404 288,881 133,320 266,898
Total 229,108 499,293 206,362 454,213

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 105,614 36,078 98,486 33,752
Total 105,614 36,078 98,486 33,752

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 191 38 19.90% 15.71% 6.28% 7.85% 5.76% NA
1977 335 64 19.10% 14.03% 4.48% 7.76% 4.18% NA
1978 373 53 14.21% 10.72% 4.02% 5.36% 3.49% NA
1979 433 90 20.79% 15.01% 6.00% 8.08% 5.31% NA
1980 222 40 18.02% 13.96% 5.41% 7.21% 2.70% NA
1981 268 67 25.00% 20.52% 9.33% 8.58% 5.60% NA
1982 274 53 19.34% 13.14% 5.84% 8.03% 5.11% NA
1983 304 62 20.39% 15.79% 7.24% 9.87% 6.91% NA
1984 583 122 20.93% 17.67% 7.55% 6.86% 3.60% NA
1985 698 157 22.49% 16.76% 7.88% 9.60% 4.87% NA
1986 1,060 229 21.60% 15.28% 6.13% 9.06% 4.43% NA
1987 1,153 233 20.21% 15.52% 4.51% 7.63% 3.64% NA
1988 1,276 258 20.22% 13.95% 4.55% 9.40% 3.84% NA
1989 1,778 341 19.18% 13.33% 4.56% 8.10% 3.15% NA
1990 1,764 281 15.93% 10.54% 3.12% 6.86% 1.98% NA
1991 2,273 417 18.35% 13.51% 3.83% 7.66% 2.16% NA
1992 1,954 365 18.68% 12.69% 4.09% 8.09% 3.02% NA
1993 2,554 542 21.22% 15.27% 3.92% 8.57% 3.09% NA
1994 3,123 626 20.04% 13.64% 2.75% 8.55% 3.52% NA
1995 3,815 726 19.03% 13.24% 2.39% 7.16% 3.25% NA
1996 4,084 743 18.19% 8.84% 1.47% 9.57% 3.43% 9.53%
1997 5,405 1,023 18.93% 8.99% 1.61% 10.60% 3.40% 10.60%
1998 7,977 1,392 17.45% 7.43% 1.20% 10.58% 3.11% 10.58%
1999 8,429 1,342 15.92% 6.13% 1.25% 10.05% 3.39% 10.05%
2000 237 26 10.97% 8.44% 2.11% 2.95% 0.42% 2.95%
2001 139 15 10.79% 7.19% 1.44% 2.88% 2.88% 2.88%
2002 207 23 11.11% 3.86% 2.42% 2.90% 4.83% 2.90%
2003 195 10 5.13% 2.56% 1.03% 1.54% 2.56% 1.55%
2004 218 21 9.63% 6.88% 2.29% 2.75% 0.92% 2.75%
2005 170 14 8.24% 5.88% 4.12% 1.18% 2.94% 1.18%
2006 288 19 6.60% 6.25% 0.35% 0.00% 1.39% 0.00%
2007 186 10 5.38% 2.69% 1.08% 1.61% 3.23% 1.61%
2008 199 14 7.04% 4.52% 2.51% 1.01% 1.51% 1.00%
2009 76 3 3.95% 3.95% 3.95% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2010 70 3 4.29% 1.43% 0.00% 0.00% 2.86% 0.00%
2011 107 7 6.54% 1.87% 0.00% 1.87% 2.80% 1.87%
2012 206 5 2.43% 1.94% 0.97% 0.00% 0.49% 0.00%
2013 157 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2014 217 5 2.30% 0.00% 0.00% 1.84% 0.46% 1.84%
2015 197 2 1.02% 0.00% 0.00% 0.51% 0.51% 0.51%
2016 391 5 1.28% 0.26% 0.00% 0.77% 0.26% 0.77%
2017 221 3 1.36% 0.45% 0.00% 0.90% 0.00% 0.91%
2018 373 2 0.54% 0.00% 0.00% 0.54% 0.27% 0.54%
2019 54 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2020 85 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2021 54 1 1.85% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 1.85% 0.00%
2022 40 1 2.50% 0.00% 0.00% 2.50% 0.00% 2.50%
2023 16 1 6.25% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 0.00% 6.25%
2024 40 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2025 53 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2026 67 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
2027 51 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 54,640 9,454 17.30% 9.99% 2.53% 8.52% 3.17% 8.95%

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 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
1997 3 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.32%
1998 97 9 9.28% 7.22% 3.09% 6.25% 3.12% 0.15%
1999 415 41 9.88% 8.92% 1.69% 8.67% 6.75% 0.13%
2000 15,768 2,444 15.50% 13.84% 3.06% 13.66% 10.10% 0.39%
2001 14,178 2,335 16.47% 14.50% 3.51% 14.25% 10.16% 0.52%
2002 23,187 3,121 13.46% 11.80% 2.72% 11.54% 8.20% 0.42%
2003 18,417 2,606 14.15% 12.29% 3.18% 12.08% 8.37% 0.49%
2004 29,970 3,565 11.90% 10.36% 2.48% 10.17% 7.16% 0.37%
2005 21,782 2,667 12.24% 10.54% 2.74% 10.33% 7.04% 0.46%
2006 38,018 3,962 10.42% 9.05% 2.03% 8.89% 6.04% 0.27%
2007 27,979 2,763 9.88% 8.38% 2.24% 8.24% 5.38% 0.27%
2008 37,481 3,183 8.49% 7.40% 1.56% 7.26% 4.95% 0.23%
2009 17,587 1,638 9.31% 8.08% 1.84% 7.97% 5.51% 0.21%
2010 35,408 2,830 7.99% 7.25% 1.16% 7.15% 3.45% 0.16%
2011 23,652 2,236 9.45% 8.65% 1.29% 8.54% 3.58% 0.18%
2012 52,401 4,148 7.92% 6.93% 1.30% 6.85% 3.23% 0.11%
2013 31,400 2,673 8.51% 7.46% 1.44% 7.37% 3.28% 0.12%
2014 70,831 4,427 6.25% 5.43% 1.07% 5.37% 2.53% 0.08%
2015 34,824 2,556 7.34% 6.55% 1.13% 6.50% 2.92% 0.09%
2016 96,260 4,730 4.91% 4.29% 0.75% 4.26% 2.11% 0.04%
2017 29,578 1,810 6.12% 5.55% 0.76% 5.46% 2.79% 0.11%
2018 107,543 4,844 4.50% 3.96% 0.65% 3.94% 2.19% 0.03%
2019 16,027 989 6.17% 5.95% 0.33% 5.92% 3.49% 0.04%
2020 13,427 796 5.93% 5.67% 0.31% 5.64% 3.78% 0.03%
2021 12,020 581 4.83% 4.63% 0.27% 4.63% 3.17% 0.00%
2022 12,900 612 4.74% 4.60% 0.23% 4.59% 3.25% 0.01%
2023 10,445 469 4.49% 4.41% 0.11% 4.40% 3.27% 0.01%
2024 11,754 519 4.42% 4.29% 0.14% 4.27% 3.30% 0.02%
2025 10,124 397 3.92% 3.80% 0.12% 3.84% 3.06% 0.01%
2026 6,030 6 0.10% 0.02% 0.08% 0.00% 0.00% 0.02%
2027 280 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
All Model Years 819,789 62,959 7.68% 6.79% 1.31% 6.75% 4.00% 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 5,459 9.99%
All Visual 10,710 1.31% 1,731 3.17%
All Functional 55,632 6.79% 4,658 8.52%
OBDII 54,896 6.75% 2,702 8.95%
Overall 62,959 7.68% 9,454 17.30%

Initial Test Failures by Program Area

Program Area OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
Enhanced 707,203 54,158 7.66% 45,120 7,954 17.63%
Partial Enhanced 41,615 3,350 8.05% 2,761 521 18.87%
Basic 65,860 5,063 7.69% 6,387 908 14.22%
Change of Ownership 5,111 388 7.59% 372 71 19.09%
All Program Areas 819,789 62,959 7.68% 54,640 9,454 17.30%

Initial Test Failures by Station Type

Station Type OIS BAR-97
Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate Initial Tests Failed Failure Rate
STAR Test Only 466,490 37,079 7.95% 32,803 5,654 17.24%
Non-STAR Test Only 34,436 2,027 5.89% 1,686 146 8.66%
STAR Test and Repair 213,045 17,703 8.31% 16,063 3,066 19.09%
Non-STAR Test and Repair 102,139 5,814 5.69% 3,610 468 12.96%
Test and Repair/Dealer 1,612 82 5.09% 11 0 0.00%
Business Fleet 221 4 1.81% 0 0 0.00%
Permanent Fleet Registered 17 0 0.00% 0 0 0.00%
Referee 270 166 61.48% 49 27 55.10%
Government Fleet 1,559 84 5.39% 418 93 22.25%
All Stations 819,789 62,959 7.68% 54,640 9,454 17.30%

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 794,675 90.88% 79,754 9.12%
All Tests 854,474 90.39% 90,882 9.61%

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 206,362 90.07% 22,746 9.93%
STAR Test Only 454,213 90.97% 45,080 9.03%
Non-STAR Test and Repair 98,486 93.13% 7,263 6.87%
Non-STAR Test Only 33,752 93.44% 2,370 6.56%
Total 792,813 91.10% 77,459 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 16,063 $79.07 213,045 $64.93 229,108 $72.00
STAR Test Only 32,803 $68.48 466,490 $58.63 499,293 $63.56
Non-STAR Test and Repair 3,610 $72.62 102,139 $76.23 105,749 $74.42
Non-STAR Test Only 1,686 $60.20 34,436 $53.00 36,122 $56.60
Total 54,162 $73.22 816,110 $66.04 870,272 $69.63

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 $0.00 301 $53.97 16,063 $79.07 212,744 $64.96
STAR Test Only 0 $0.00 1,774 $50.59 32,803 $68.48 464,716 $58.68
Non-STAR Test and Repair 0 $0.00 46,027 $80.10 3,610 $72.61 56,112 $72.09
Non-STAR Test Only 0 $0.00 15,372 $53.91 1,686 $60.20 19,064 $51.57
Total 0 $0.00 63,474 $75.79 54,162 $73.22 752,636 $63.61

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) $0-100 535 $56.48 2,993 $667.46
$101-250 628 $179.97
$251-500 518 $366.85
$501-650 237 $573.46
Over $651 1075 $1,421.88
Non-STAR Repairs (Test and Repair) $0-100 71 $56.11 494 $826.36
$101-250 108 $175.26
$251-500 111 $367.75
$501-650 41 $577.85
Over $651 163 $1,968.10
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 0 $0.00 365 $1,390.12
$101-250 15 $223.25
$251-500 47 $340.95
$501-650 25 $578.15
Over $651 278 $1,703.48
Total Repairs $0-100 606 $56.43 3,852 $756.31
$101-250 751 $180.16
$251-500 676 $365.20
$501-650 303 $574.44
Over $651 1516 $1,532.25

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 116 29 1,545 81 1,771
STAR Test Only 19 4 1,670 37 1,730
STAR Subtotal 135 33 3,215 118 3,501
Non-STAR Test and Repair 425 52 1,708 186 2,371
Non-STAR Test Only 41 9 333 49 432
Non-STAR Subtotal 466 61 2,041 235 2,803
Test and Repair/Dealer 47 0 0 0 47
Business Fleet 0 0 3 0 3
Permanent Fleet Registered 1 0 12 1 14
Referee 5 0 34 1 40
Government Fleet 44 5 312 15 376
Repair Only 1 0 21 0 22
Other Station Subtotal 98 5 382 17 502
All Stations 699 99 5,638 370 6,806

Stations Conducting Test by Equipment Type

Station Type Equipment Type
BAR-97 Only OIS Only BAR-97 and OIS
STAR Test and Repair 2 309 1,394
STAR Test Only 3 205 1,471
STAR Subtotal 5 514 2,865
Non-STAR Test and Repair 0 1,598 210
Non-STAR Test Only 1 210 79
Non-STAR Subtotal 1 1,808 289
Permanent Fleet Registered 0 5 0
Business Fleet 0 2 0
Test and Repair/Dealer 0 42 2
Government Fleet 2 148 32
Referee 0 2 31
Other Station Subtotal 2 199 65
All Stations 8 2,521 3,219

Referee Inspections

Inspection Type Total Completed
Smog Inspection/Repair Disputes 433
Law Enforcement Citations 324
BAR Referrals 316
Repair Cost Waiver + Parts Locator Service 186
Engine Change/Replacement 78
Clean Gas 38
Specially Constructed Vehicle/Kit Car 28
OBD Monitor Issues 22
CAT BAR Label 20
Grey Market 11
All Inspections 1,456

Referee Certificates Issued

Certificate Type OIS BAR-97
Certificate of Compliance 203 59
Repair Cost Waiver 55 5
Limited Parts Exemption 3 1
Exempt Vehicle 2 10
Exempted by Directive 16 0
Hardship Extensions 1 0
Non-Compliance 0 0
All Certificates Issued 280 75

Technicians

Technician License Type Technicians Conducting Tests Total Licensed Technicians
EO (Inspect Only) 3,262 5,405
EO+EI (Inspect and Repair) 5,212 7,301
All License Types 8,474 12,706

FPR Score Distribution

License Type FPR Score < 0.10 FPR Score ≥ 0.10 and < 0.40 FPR Score ≥ 0.40 No Score Total
Stations 213 1,105 3,584 1,402 6,304
Inspectors 273 1,720 5,554 5,159 12,706

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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