California smog check by the numbers, 2019 to 2026

California smog check statistics at a glance

California ran 11,275,981 first smog checks in 2025 and 8.5% of them failed. That is the newest full year from the Bureau of Automotive Repair, or BAR. This page puts every useful table from the BAR Smog Check Executive Summary in one place. It covers 2019 to 2025, plus January to September 2026 where BAR has published monthly reports.

• First smog checks rose 9% from 2019 to 2025, from 10,334,486 to 11,275,981.
• The share that failed fell from 10.1% to 8.5%.
• Licensed smog stations fell 17%, from 8,831 to 7,329.
• The average price BAR reports rose from $62.70 to $67.20.
• The average reported repair rose from $422.93 to $756.68.

You may copy any number here. BAR is the source, and each table says which report it came from. Use the sections below to jump to what you need.

How to read these tables. A first test, which BAR calls an initial test, is the first smog check a car gets in a cycle. A retest after a repair is not a first test. The yearly reports cover January to December. The 2026 reports are monthly, so we added the months from January to September to make one 2026 line. Rates for 2026 are the added up failures divided by the added up tests.

How many smog checks does California run each year

The number of first tests held near 10.3 million from 2019 to 2022 and then climbed. The 2025 count was the highest in the series. The 2026 line in the table covers January to September only.

Total tests, which include retests, were 12,200,718 in 2025. That means about 8% of all tests were retests. In the first nine months of 2026 there were 9,321,288 tests in all.

Failures fell even as the number of tests rose. There were 1,045,448 failed first tests in 2019 and 959,667 in 2025, so about 85,781 fewer failures from 9% more tests.

What share of cars fail a smog check

About 8.5% of first tests failed in 2025. The rate has dropped every year since 2019 except for a flat 2020. Since 2019, cars under eight years old skip the renewal test, so the test lanes see an older mix of cars. For the history, see the smog check history guide.

Not every test without a certificate is a failure. In 2025, 1,033,014 first tests ended without a certificate, while 959,667 are counted as failed. BAR does not say what makes up the difference.

Newer cars and older cars

Cars from model year 2000 and newer get an onboard computer test. Cars from 1999 and older get a tailpipe test. The older group is shrinking fast. It made up 16% of first tests in 2019 and 7% in 2025. But it fails far more often. In 2025 the older group failed at 17.9% compared with 7.8% for newer cars.

Why cars fail, by reason

For newer cars, nearly all failures are about the onboard computer. In 2025, 6.8% of first tests on a 2000 or newer car failed on an OBD problem. Cars with monitors that were not ready made up 4.1% of tests. That is more than half of all newer car failures. Monitors that are not ready often come from a recent battery change or a recent code clearing. The failed smog check guide explains what to do next.

For older cars the tailpipe reading is the main cause. About 10% of older cars failed on emissions in 2025. These columns overlap, because one car can fail for several reasons.

Fail rates by model year

Age is the biggest driver of failure. Among cars from model year 2000 and newer, the fail rate was 16.9% for 2000 models and 4.2% for 2017 models.

You will notice that the test counts jump around. In 2025 there were 1,393,463 first tests on model year 2017 cars but only 250,093 on 2018 models. The reason is the two year cycle. Most cars are tested every other year, so in 2025 the odd model years carry the load. Model year 2017 cars hit their first renewal test at eight years old. The 2018 cars come due in 2026.

Every model year from 1976 to 1998 failed between 19% and 22% of the time, which is about one test in five. Model year 1999 cars did better at 15.8%. The 1999 group is also the biggest, with 159,506 first tests.

Fail rates by program area and station type

California has three smog check areas, enhanced, basic and change of ownership. BAR also reports a partial enhanced area. 86% of all first tests in 2025 happened in enhanced areas. See the county station lists to find your area.

Station type matters more than the area. The next table shows that STAR stations fail more cars than regular stations. That is mostly because high risk cars are sent to STAR on purpose. Referee stations fail the most, as they see the hardest cases.

STAR stations and directed cars

A car is directed when the DMV renewal notice says it must be tested at a STAR station. The state picks cars by a risk profile and a random sample.

In 2025, 3,772,751 first tests at STAR stations were directed cars. That was 40% of all STAR tests. STAR stations did 84% of all first tests in the state. Only a few thousand directed tests happened at other stations.

How many smog check stations are there

California had 7,329 licensed smog stations in the 2025 annual summary, down 17% from 8,831 in 2019. STAR stations fell from 4,219 to 3,597, a drop of 15%. Non STAR stations fell from 4,025 to 3,236, a drop of 20%.

Non STAR test and repair shops lost the most stations, falling from 3,387 to 2,706. STAR test and repair shops fell from 2,256 to 1,793. STAR test only stations fell the least, from 1,963 to 1,804.

The September 2026 count is 6,811. That month count and the yearly counts are not measured the same way, so do not read the gap as a drop in one year. Fewer stations also means busier stations. Each station handled about 1,170 first tests in 2019 and about 1,539 in 2025.

Most stations are in enhanced areas. Equipment is changing too. Stations that have both kinds of equipment, which lets them test old and new cars, fell from 4,845 in 2019 to 4,083 in 2025. Stations with only the newer car equipment held near 2,423.

How many smog technicians are there

BAR counts licensed inspectors and repair technicians. The way it counts changed in 2024, so do not chart a trend across that line. The first table uses the old method.

From 2024 BAR reports two numbers. One is all licenses. The other is licensees who ran at least one test.

In 2025 there were 13,110 licenses and 9,982 people actually ran a test. That is about 76%. The rest hold a license and did not run a smog check that year.

STAR stations and inspectors are scored on a follow up pass rate. A score of 0.40 or higher is the minimum to apply and to add an inspector. Scores update each January and July.

Average smog check price

BAR does not set prices. Inspectors report what they charge once a month. Prices on this page are what BAR reports as the statewide average. They may or may not include discounts.

The average reached $67.41 in 2022, fell to $62.55 in 2023 and was $67.20 in 2025. Monthly reports for 2026 show a climb, from $68.24 in January to $69.66 in September. The state certificate fee is $8.25 and is charged separately on a passing test. Read the smog check cost guide for how to pay less.

What repairs cost after a failed test

Stations log emissions repairs in the BAR system. These numbers are a minimum, because repairs done outside the system are not counted.

The average reported repair rose from $422.93 to $756.68. In 2025 stations reported 46,033 repairs. The next table shows how they split by cost.

Cars repaired with state Consumer Assistance Program money averaged $1,417.77, since these jobs tend to be the big ones. If you may need help paying, read about the vehicle retirement program and the repair cost waiver.

Smog Check Referee numbers

The Referee network handles disputes, waivers, engine swaps, kit cars and other special cases.

Enforcement and fraud cases

BAR builds some cases straight from smog test data, looking for clean piping and other tricks. It files cases with the California Attorney General. BAR says a drop in filings does not mean less fraud. It reflects fewer stations and the time it takes to build a case.

From 2016 to 2025 BAR filed 1,534 of these cases. They led to 1,356 revocations, 139 suspensions and 258 probations. Outcomes can take more than a year, so a year may show more revocations than filings.

Smog check versus the real world

BAR and the California Air Resources Board also check cars at the roadside. In 2024 and 2025 about 14% of cars from model year 2000 and newer failed a roadside check within a year of their smog check. In 2018 the adjusted figure was 19%. The smog check fail rate climbs from about 4% for 8 year old cars to about 15% for 25 year old cars. The roadside rate climbs from about 5% to about 34% over the same ages. BAR and CARB estimated that program improvements could have cut another 44 tons a day of reactive gases and nitrogen oxides in 2025.

The cars behind the numbers

DMV data for the end of 2024 shows 31,141,961 registered vehicles in California. Most run on gasoline. About 1,264,257 are diesel, and 1,460,100 are battery electric. Electric cars do not need a smog check.

Diesel cars and trucks of model year 1998 and newer that weigh 14,000 pounds or less need a smog check. See the diesel smog check guide.

Where this data comes from

Every table above comes from BAR reports that anyone can download. The yearly files are the BAR Smog Check Executive Summary for 2019 to 2025. The 2026 files are the monthly versions through September. BAR changes some labels from year to year, so we matched them by hand. Enforcement and roadside numbers come from the BAR and CARB Smog Check Performance Report of July 2026. The vehicle counts are from DMV.