- Median coupon price
- $39.75
- Lowest coupon price
- $21.75
- BAR average, August 2026
- $69.16
- STAR certified stations
- 52%
How much is a smog check in California?
A smog check in California costs $36.75 to $41.75 with a coupon for the middle half of the 93 stations we track, with a median of $39.75, plus the $8.25 certificate when the car passes. The average stations reported to BAR for August 2026 was $69.16: $65.42 for 2000-and-newer cars and $72.90 for older ones.
| Coupon price | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lowest | $21.75 |
| 25th percentile | $36.75 |
| Median | $39.75 |
| 75th percentile | $41.75 |
| Highest | $59.95 |
| Stations with a coupon price | 93 |
Prices aren’t regulated in California, so each station sets its own (BAR). The $8.25 certificate is a state fee every station adds when the vehicle passes. Trucks, vans, SUVs and older cars often cost more than the coupon price; the coupon’s fine print says by how much.
Where is the cheapest smog check in California?
San Joaquin County has the lowest median smog check coupon price in California, $31.75 across 5 stations, against $40.88 in Riverside County. The single lowest coupon price today is $21.75, at Brandon Auto Smog Repair Center in San Diego. Medians are shown only for counties with at least 5 stations publishing a price.
| County | Median coupon price | Lowest | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Joaquin County | $31.75 | $29.75 | 5 |
| Orange County | $38.25 | $26.75 | 20 |
| San Bernardino County | $38.25 | $26.75 | 10 |
| San Diego County | $39.75 | $21.75 | 15 |
| Los Angeles County | $39.95 | $25.95 | 17 |
| Riverside County | $40.88 | $31.75 | 14 |
| City | Median coupon price | Lowest | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corona | $36.75 | $31.75 | 5 |
8 more counties have coupon prices from fewer than 5 stations and are left out. Every live coupon, by city, is on smog check coupons.
Is a STAR smog check more expensive?
Not by much. In BAR’s August 2026 report a STAR test-only station averaged $63.34, against $58.97 at a non-STAR test-only station, while STAR test-and-repair shops averaged $71.03, less than the $74.36 at non-STAR ones. Among coupons, the STAR median is $39.75 and the non-STAR median $39.99.
| Station | Median coupon price | Stations | BAR average, test-only | BAR average, test-and-repair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STAR certified | $39.75 | 86 | $63.34 | $71.03 |
| Not STAR certified | $39.99 | 7 | $58.97 | $74.36 |
BAR averages are from its August 2026 report. Only a vehicle whose DMV renewal notice asks for a STAR station, or one identified as a gross polluter, needs one (STAR smog check stations).
Is a test-only smog check cheaper?
Usually, yes. BAR’s August 2026 averages were $58.97 at non-STAR test-only stations and $74.36at non-STAR test-and-repair shops. A test-only station can’t repair your car, so if it fails you take it to a repair shop and come back. Coupon medians are $39.75 at test-only and $39.75 at test-and-repair stations.
| Station type | Median coupon price | Stations | BAR average, STAR | BAR average, non-STAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test-only | $39.75 | 61 | $63.34 | $58.97 |
| Test-and-repair | $39.75 | 32 | $71.03 | $74.36 |
How many smog check stations in California are STAR certified?
3,100 of the 5,958 licensed smog check stations in our California directory, 52%, are STAR certified as of October 7, 2026. 1,971 are test-only stations and 3,981are test-and-repair shops. Counts come from BAR’s license register and STAR records.
| County | Stations | STAR certified | Test-only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 1,340 | 871 (65%) | 628 (47%) |
| San Diego County | 532 | 294 (55%) | 164 (31%) |
| Orange County | 455 | 255 (56%) | 144 (32%) |
| San Bernardino County | 378 | 218 (58%) | 177 (47%) |
| Riverside County | 347 | 187 (54%) | 144 (41%) |
| Santa Clara County | 325 | 181 (56%) | 108 (33%) |
| Alameda County | 247 | 136 (55%) | 68 (28%) |
| Sacramento County | 231 | 114 (49%) | 79 (34%) |
| Fresno County | 186 | 78 (42%) | 44 (24%) |
| Contra Costa County | 170 | 96 (56%) | 63 (37%) |
| Kern County | 123 | 64 (52%) | 37 (30%) |
| Ventura County | 123 | 73 (59%) | 30 (24%) |
| San Mateo County | 119 | 70 (59%) | 26 (22%) |
| San Joaquin County | 104 | 56 (54%) | 35 (34%) |
| Stanislaus County | 104 | 53 (51%) | 29 (28%) |
How do coupon prices compare with BAR's average?
The median coupon price, $39.75, is $29.41 lower than the $69.16 statewide average in BAR’s August 2026report. They measure different things: BAR’s figure is what stations self-report and may include discounts, while ours is each station’s lowest advertised coupon price. Stations that discount instead of setting a price take a median $15.00 off, across 63 dollars-off coupons.
A coupon doesn’t change which station your car needs or what the test covers. Show it before the inspection starts and check the written estimate the station must give you.
How we compiled these numbers
- Prices are the coupon prices California smog check stations publish on SmogCheckDeals, read from live coupons on October 7, 2026. A coupon counts when it sets a price for a smog check; dollars-off coupons and truck or heavy-duty programs are left out. Each station counts once, at its lowest price.
- The certificate. 74 of the 93 prices say outright that the $8.25 state certificate is added; none say it is included. Read every price as before the certificate.
- Small samples. A county or city with fewer than 5 stations publishing a price gets no median.
- Stations, STAR and license typecome from BAR’s license register and STAR records, as described on where our data comes from.
- Statewide averages, self-reported by stations, are from BAR’s Smog Check Executive Summary, August 2026, which covers 6,820 stations.
- Freshness.The page is recomputed every hour. The “Updated” date above is the last day a coupon or a station listing changed.
Download the data: summary by county and type (CSV) and one row per station (CSV). Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite as “SmogCheckDeals, California smog check prices, October 2026” with a link to this page.