Calif exempts some cars from smog testing, 1976 model years & older are exempt. The age of the car limit changes each year in other words. In 2016 2006 it was all cars 30 years old and older were exempt. Now it is cars 48 years and older. Would it make more sense to base this exemption only on the age of the car, i.e. a rolling date? What do you think?
Check your math. Should be 40 years, right?
Typo corrected above. I mention 2006 b/c I think that’s when they changed the law from a rolling date to a fixed date.
It should be a rolling year limit. I’d suggest 25 years. I’d also exempt 15 year old cars from the Cali catalytic convertor requirement.
But that makes FAR too much sense for California to ever adopt.
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Preserving classic cars seems like a good thing. Aids those w/the older-car hobby, a hobby which needs a lot of younger-folk to continue robustly. But a rolling year limit would allow more cars to bypass emissions testing, which would presumably increase air pollution somewhat. It’s a compromise.
What do other states do? I think the rolling year limit is the standard method in the UK and presumably most of Europe. Those countries seem like they value older cars more than in the USA though.
California arguably does NOT want to preserve older cars. Those older cars pollute more than the newer one so they want them OFF the roads.
Proof of that is the requirement of Cali spec cats to even get tested. This will result in older cars being scrapped because they can no longer find cats for a 30 year old car even IF they pass their original emission standard with an aftermarket 49 state cat or even a universal cat. Several other sates have gone that path as well. NY and PA for example. But rust gets those cars before exhaust availability becomes and issue.
The UK has love for cars with no emission controls but NO love for those that have them. Same for the EU.
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I disagree. NM exempts 35-year-old cars, which includes mine. I think I should get tested. It’s not a classic, just a working car. I’ve always passed the emissions test to the standard for new model regular cars (There are looser regs for pickups and old cars.) I didn’t know about the exemption, prepared for my last test. The tester waved me off.
In California, especially SoCal, cars can last for decades longer than north and east of Cali where significantly more precipitation and much colder temperatures rust out cars. Older cars are not necessarily just hobby cars there, but can be daily drivers. I don’t see many cars over 50 years old in Central Maryland. If someone wants cars that old or older they buy them in the Southwest and ship them here.
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Washington State got rid of smog testing at the start of 2020 but I believe it was a rolling 25yr exemption. Only current requirement is for California emissions on a 2009 or newer vehicle unless it has at least 7500mi. Only certain counties required testing mainly Pierce county (Tacoma) to north of Seattle. 2008 or older only needed to meet federal emissions. Here in Thurston County the test was never required.
Other posters here have said the same for their state. The motiviation is that the local politico’s get a lot of grief from their voting constituents about being subject to emissions testing annoyances probably. Like the common advice when when the car doesn’t pass the readiness monitor requirement: “Just drive the car some more and come back!” Folks are busy these days and don’t have the time available in their schedule to keep returning for another test on a hope, so they contact their local politico. Enough of these complaints they worry they’ll lose the next election so they pass laws banning or limiting emissions testing. Washington appears to be one, but I wonder how many other states have moved in that direction?
Personally I value cleaner air to the extent it can be achieved practically. For example I could live w/a required visual inspection test requirement for cars older than 30 years old to make sure all the original emissions testing equipment remained installed and appeared to be functional. I could even live with a quick tailpipe idle-rpm exhaust gasses test.
My truck is currently exempt, but that’s the type of test it originally had to pass when I first brought it to Calif. It passed every time except one, when they found the EGR valve was stuck closed. I was perfectly happy to fix that problem and bring it back the next week so they could verify the EGR was working properly again. A little more common sense needs to be injected into the emissions testing policies.
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From the State Department of Ecology who oversaw testing until the end of 2019, My dad worked for them as a Hazardous Waste specialist until retiring in 2001.
Why did Washington end the emission check program?
In 2005, the Legislature phased out emission testing based on our calculation that the program wouldn’t be needed by 2020.
The air is much cleaner now than when the program began in 1982. All areas of Washington, except a small area in Whatcom County, currently meet air quality standards. The combination of the vehicle emission testing program and advances in vehicle technology have led to less air pollution from transportation. We think air quality will continue to improve as newer, cleaner vehicles replace older, less-efficient models.
We and local clean air agencies continue to monitor, protect, and improve air quality.
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