California Smog Check: Which Vehicles Are Exempt

California does not require a smog inspection for every vehicle at every renewal. The exemptions are specific, and knowing which one applies to you is the difference between a required test and a fee you can simply pay.

The exemptions

According to the California DMV, a vehicle is exempt from smog inspection if it is:

• Gasoline-powered and a 1975 model year or older. Older cars are exempt, not more heavily tested — this one is widely misremembered the wrong way round.
• Gasoline-powered and less than eight model years old. Owners of these vehicles either pay a smog abatement fee instead or provide a valid inspection.
• Diesel-powered and a 1997 or older model year, or with a gross vehicle weight over 14,000 pounds.
• Powered by natural gas and weighing more than 14,000 pounds.
• Electric. An electric vehicle is completely exempt.

Working out your first test year

The eight-year rule has a simple arithmetic. Add eight to the model year for the first biennial smog check, and four for the first change-of-ownership check. A 2020 model year vehicle is first subject to a biennial check in 2028.

It also depends on where you live

These exemptions only matter in counties that require inspections in the first place. The DMV lists 33 California counties where inspections are mandatory; in the others, the requirement may not apply regardless of the vehicle. Moving between counties can change your obligation without anything about the car changing.

Who runs the programme

The Bureau of Automotive Repair, part of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, administers Smog Check and licenses the independently owned stations that perform the tests.

Newly purchased vehicles

A change of ownership can trigger a test on a schedule different from the biennial one — hence the separate four-year arithmetic above. Buying a used car close to that threshold is worth checking before the sale rather than after.

Requirements, county lists and fees change. Confirm with the DMV and the Bureau of Automotive Repair for your vehicle and county.