What does this cost in your state?
California is the costliest state and Arkansas the cheapest; each square shows that state's midpoint of the estimate.
Lower-cost states ($60)MiddleHigher-cost states ($76)
What it shows: CA is the highest at $76 and AR the lowest at $60, across 51 states.
Is this repair covered by an emissions warranty?
Federal rules require carmakers to cover the catalytic converter, the emissions computer and the onboard diagnostic system for 8 years or 80,000 miles, and any part whose failure fails an emissions test for 2 years or 24,000 miles; California requires 3 years or 50,000 miles on every emission part.
| Warranty | Covers | Length |
|---|---|---|
| California, all emission parts | All emissions-related parts | 3 years or 50,000 miles |
| California, high-cost parts | Specific high-cost emission parts listed in the owner manual | 7 years or 70,000 miles |
| Federal, basic | Any part that causes an emissions failure | 2 years or 24,000 miles |
| Federal, extended | Catalytic converters, electronic emissions control unit (ECU), onboard emissions diagnostic device or computer (OBD) | 8 years or 80,000 miles |
What do emissions repairs cost?
Among 46,033 California vehicles repaired to pass a Smog Check in 2025, 39.1% cost over $650 to fix and the average bill was $757.
What it shows: Over $650 is the largest at 39.1%, followed by $1 to $100 at 13.1%; the smallest shown is $501 to $650 at 8.4%.
If my car fails smog, how much of this repair must I pay, and does California help?
California caps required Smog Check repair spending at $650 through a repair cost waiver and its Consumer Assistance Program pays up to $1,450 of repairs for qualifying owners of 1996 and newer cars, so on a typical $69 emissions test the program would pay $55 and the owner $14.
| Rule | Amount | What it means at $69 |
|---|---|---|
| CAP repair assistance, model year 1976 to 1995 | up to $1,100 | you pay 20% up to $1,375 of repairs, then everything above $1,100 |
| CAP repair assistance, model year 1996 or newer | up to $1,450 | On a emissions test at $69 the program pays $55 and you pay $14 |
| CAP vehicle retirement | up to $2,000 | paid instead of repair when you retire the car |
| Repair cost waiver line (every Smog Check failure) | $650 | A emissions test at $69 is under the line, so no waiver |
| Roadside re-failure within a year, model years 2000 to 2006 | 17% after passing, 35% after failing first | 7,886 cars checked in CY 2017-2018 |
After a failed emissions test, who can repair it, and what do repairs cost?
Maryland lists 135 certified emissions repair facilities and New Jersey 332, while Texas inspectors logged about 21,000 emissions repairs costing $3.7 million across its two inspection areas in 2024 and 2025, with a median repair cost of $25 to $299 by category after dropping zero and over-$2,000 entries.
| Program | What the public record shows | Count or figure |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland certified emissions repair facilities | 13 counties; most in Baltimore 31, Montgomery 24, Anne Arundel 17 | 135 facilities |
| New Jersey emission repair facilities | 218 also run private inspections | 332 facilities |
| Texas program evaluation, repair records | repairs logged by inspectors, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas, 2024 and 2025 | about 21,000 repairs, $3.7 million |
| Texas repair cost per repair (median and mean ranges) | by repair category, after dropping zero entries and costs above $2,000 | median $25 to $299, mean $82 to $415 |
| Texas repair records logged at zero cost | inspectors enter the cost by hand; the report warns of entry errors | 68.1% of records |
Has this part been recalled abroad on cars that may share it?
Manufacturers filed 1 foreign recall campaigns that name emissions test with NHTSA since 2015 (matched by the filing text); the latest, from Isuzu Motors Limited in 2023-08.
| Filed | Manufacturer | Foreign recall no. | What the filing says |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08 | Isuzu Motors Limited | 143 | DET-23-098 August 2, 2023 Page 2 of 3 Detailed description: Modern day vehicles are equipped with readiness monitors that self-test the vehicle's emission control systems during each drive cycle. |
Does my county fall under federal smog rules or breathe unhealthy air?
Among 203 counties EPA currently lists as nonattainment for ozone or fine particles, the largest are Los Angeles County, CA (10,013,976 residents), Cook County, IL and Harris County, TX.
What it shows: Los Angeles County, CA is the largest at 10,013,976, followed by Cook County, IL at 5,275,555; the smallest shown is Queens County, NY at 2,405,425.
Which emission standard was my car certified to?
EPA's certification records show 100.0% of model year 2014 light-duty carlines certified to the older Tier 2 exhaust standard and 79.1% of model year 2026 carlines certified to Tier 3 Bin 50 or cleaner, so the catalytic converter and sensors a car needs depend on its model year (one count per carline, not per car sold).
| Model year | Tier 2 (older standard) | Tier 3 Bin 70 to 160 | Tier 3 Bin 20 to 50 (cleaner) | Tier 3 Bin 0 (zero emission) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 95.6% | 3.1% | 1.2% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | 82.4% | 12.8% | 1.8% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | 69.8% | 24.7% | 3.1% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | 53.2% | 38.3% | 8.3% |
| 2024 | 0.3% | 34.5% | 43.5% | 21.7% |
| 2026 | 0.1% | 20.7% | 48.1% | 31.0% |
How often does this part fail a real inspection, by car age?
In 2,102,125 New Jersey initial inspections in 2025, 14.3% of cars aged 16+ years failed the emissions test against 2.8% of cars under 3 years, about 5 times as often (record counts, not a sample).
What it shows: 16+ is the largest at 14.3%, followed by <3 at 2.8%; the smallest shown is 3-4 at 2.6%.
An emissions test runs $39 to $99 at a typical shop. Your state sets most of the price: $17 to $55 in low-cost OBD II states and $83 to $165 in California and other strict states.
A failed test costs far more. The typical car was 6 years old (median age at failure, 172 complaints) when it failed.
Ford F-150, Expedition and Explorer emissions test failures can be a communication problem, not a broken car
Ford issued several bulletins for trucks and SUVs that can't complete a state emissions test because the testing equipment can't identify the vehicle or talk to it. TSB 24-2164 and SSM 50602 cover some 2021 F-150s, and SSM 51411 covers some 2021-2022 F-150s. The F-150 has more emissions-test bulletins than any other model in this data.
Newer models have the same issue. SSM 52916 covers some 2025 Explorer 2.3L vehicles, and SSM 53639 covers some 2025 Expedition and Navigator vehicles. For both, Ford says the cause is state testing equipment that has not been updated for these vehicles.
Owners reported F-150 emissions test complaints most often on 2016, 2018 and 2021 models. If one of these vehicles is rejected at the station without a trouble code, ask the dealer to check the VIN against these bulletins before paying for parts.
In California and other strict states, the smog check is named in 18% (32) of the 173 emissions test complaints, and you can see what a smog check costs where you live.
Kia hybrid and plug-in emissions tests: bulletin PS686 says a smoke machine must not be used
A 2019 Kia Niro owner told NHTSA the car "only has 61,000 miles on it, and it is serviced regularly and has to pass a state emissions test each year." (NHTSA complaint #11745988) If a shop is diagnosing an evap code on one of these Kias, ask whether it followed the method in these bulletins.
Infiniti QX70, QX80 and Q70 need a calibration step after ECM reprogramming before the emissions test
Infiniti bulletin ITB15024 says the Calibration Verification Number (CVN) must be calculated automatically after the engine computer (ECM) is reprogrammed and before a state emissions test. It covers the QX70 (2015-2016), QX80 (2015) and Q70 (2015). If one of these just had software work and then failed, the missing CVN step is the first thing to check.
$2,700 median owner bill vs. an $83–$165 emissions test: the repair is the real cost
In the calculator, the test is $17–$55 in low-cost OBD II states and $83–$165 in CA and other strict states. Those amounts are the repairs needed to pass: the complaints mention catalytic converters, EGR valves and engine control modules. The fee itself never comes close.
Owners mentioned a dealer far more often than an independent shop, 95 times compared with 11.
If the failed test points to the exhaust, the catalytic converter is named in 9% (15) of the 173 emissions test complaints, so price a catalytic converter replacement before you agree to the repair.
Chevrolet Volt, Ford Escape and Kia Soul lead owner emissions test complaints on 2015-2017 models
The Chevrolet Volt has the most complaints, clustered on 2016-2017 models. A 2016 Volt owner told NHTSA: "The car only shows 47000 miles without parts I will not be able to use the vehicle after it fails the emissions test for Maryland." (NHTSA complaint #11560251) Kia Soul complaints peak on 2015-2017 models, and Ford Escape complaints on 2017, 2020 and 2021.
Nearly half of reports come from cars under 50,000 miles, so a failed test is not just a high-mileage problem. The model years with the most complaints are 2017, 2016 and 2015.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- CalcScrape calculator model scaled by BEA Regional Price Parities data from 2024
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR 85.2103, and the California Air Resources Board warranty fact sheet file downloaded 2026-10-05
- California Bureau of Automotive Repair, Smog Check Executive Summary Report 2025 data from 2025
- California Bureau of Automotive Repair: Smog Check Reference Guide, Consumer Assistance Program repair assistance page, and 2019 Smog Check Performance Report data from 2025
- Maryland Department of the Environment (opendata.maryland.gov 7gas-4kz4), State of New Jersey open data (9qpt-bnm4), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Evaluation of the Texas Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Program (2026) data from 2026
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, Foreign Campaigns (filings under 49 CFR 579.11, public API) file downloaded 2026-10-05
- EPA Green Book, Currently and previously designated nonattainment areas by county; county population from the 2020 Census file downloaded 2026-09 (EPA export 2026-09-30)
- U.S. EPA, Annual Certification Data for Vehicles, light-duty vehicle models 2014-present (exhaust standard of every certified carline) file downloaded 2026-10
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Vehicle Inspection Data file downloaded 2026-10
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Modeled: our estimate, not a quote. Rule: a published legal rule, not a measurement; whether it covers a given repair depends on the car and the facts. Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates.
Owner complaints quoted
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Checked against RepairPal's range ($61–$90) on 2026-10-05: our default's midpoint is 9% below the middle of that range. Methodology