MOST CARS DO NOT NEED A STAR SMOG CHECK

MOST CARS DO NOT NEED A STAR SMOG CHECK

(Here’s What the BAR Stats Really Say)

If you’ve ever opened your California DMV renewal notice and felt confused about STAR smog check vs regular smog check, you’re not alone. A lot of drivers in San Marcos, Vista, Carlsbad, Oceanside, and North County San Diego see “smog check” and immediately search for “STAR smog station near me”—even when their car doesn’t actually need a STAR-certified inspection.

This isn’t just a hunch. The California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) publishes monthly statistics on Smog Check inspections, and the numbers from September 2025 back this up in a big way. Bureau of Automotive Repair

Below, we’ll break down:

• What a STAR smog check really is

• How to tell if your car needs STAR

• What the official BAR stats say about directed vs non-directed vehicles

• Why most California cars do not need a STAR smog check

• How a test-only smog check in San Marcos (like Midnight Smog) can save you money and stress

  
  

STAR vs Regular Smog Check: What’s the Difference?

First, some quick definitions from California’s own rules.

Directed vehicles (STAR required)

BAR uses the term “directed vehicle” for cars that are required to be inspected at a STAR-certified station. These vehicles are flagged because they either:

• Have a higher likelihood of failing, or

• Have been randomly selected by the state for extra oversight. Bureau of Automotive Repair+1

BAR sends this signal to you through the DMV registration renewal notice. The BAR Reference Guide explains that a portion of vehicles are “directed” to STAR via a message on the DMV renewal, and that directed vehicles can only receive Smog Check certification from STAR stations (or a Referee). Bureau of Automotive Repair

The DMV spells it out in plain language:

• If your renewal says “Smog Certification Required at a STAR station,” you must go to a STAR station.

• If it just says “Smog Certification Required,” you can go to any licensed Smog Check station. California DMV

Non-directed vehicles (no STAR requirement)

The regulations also define a “non-directed vehicle” as a car that is not required to be inspected at a STAR station—because it doesn’t have an elevated likelihood of failure and hasn’t been randomly selected. Bureau of Automotive Repair

Translation:

If your DMV notice does not say STAR is required, your car is a non-directed vehicle, and you are free to choose any licensed smog shop you want.

What BAR’s September 2025 Stats Actually Show

Now let’s look at what’s happening statewide.

According to BAR’s Smog Check Executive Summary Report for September 2025, California shops performed about 914,000 initial Smog Check tests that month. Bureau of Automotive Repair

From the same report’s breakdown of initial tests at STAR and non-STAR stations, we can see:

• About 306,000 tests were on directed vehicles (vehicles required to use STAR).

• About 603,000 tests were on non-directed vehicles (no STAR requirement). Bureau of Automotive Repair

That means roughly:

• ~34% of the inspections were on directed (STAR-required) cars.

• ~66%—about two-thirds—were on non-directed vehicles that did not have to go to a STAR station. Bureau of Automotive Repair

So the headline is already clear:

Most cars being smogged in California are not required to get a STAR smog check.

But here’s the surprising part

The same September 2025 report shows where non-directed vehicles are actually getting tested:

• Around 456,000 non-directed vehicles were tested at STAR stations.

• Only about 147,000 non-directed vehicles were tested at non-STAR stations. Bureau of Automotive Repair

That means about 76% of non-directed cars were smogged at STAR stations, and only about 24% went to non-STAR shops—even though there was no STAR requirement on their DMV notice.

In other words:

Most California drivers whose cars did not need STAR still ended up at STAR stations anyway.

Why Are So Many Non-Directed Cars Going to STAR?

There are a few reasons this happens:

1. Confusing renewal notices Drivers see “Smog Check Required” and automatically search for the first shop they see with “STAR” in the name, not realizing STAR is only mandatory if the letter specifically says “at a STAR station.” California DMV

2. Marketing & perception STAR sounds like “premium” or “official,” so some people think it’s the only “safe” option, even when a standard test-only smog check station uses the same state-approved equipment and sends results to the DMV just like everyone else. Bureau of Automotive Repair+1

3. Search results & maps Many STAR stations invest heavily in SEO and ads, so when you search “smog check San Marcos,” “smog check near me,” or “DMV smog check,” you often see STAR locations first—even if your vehicle is non-directed.

4. Assumption that STAR = required People hear “STAR” from a friend or see it on a sign, and assume all DMV smog checks must be STAR. But again, the DMV only requires STAR if the notice says so. California DMV

Are STAR Stations Bad? No. They’re Just Not Always Necessary.

To be super clear: STAR stations are not bad. The STAR program is a voluntary certification for stations that want to test higher-risk, directed vehicles and meet stricter performance measures. Bureau of Automotive Repair+1

In fact, BAR emphasizes that STAR-certified stations are monitored more closely for accuracy, especially for directed vehicles and gross polluters. Bureau of Automotive Repair

But BAR also notes that STAR stations are not limited to testing directed vehicles—they can smog any car. Bureau of Automotive Repair

That’s where the mismatch happens:

• Required: only for directed vehicles (and certain gross polluters). Bureau of Automotive Repair+1

• Used in practice: by most non-directed drivers, who could just as easily (and often more affordably) use a non-STAR test-only station.

BAR’s September 2025 report even shows that, for modern OIS inspections (2000+ vehicles), non-STAR test-only stations charged a slightly lower average inspection price than STAR test-only stations statewide. Bureau of Automotive Repair

How to Know If You Need a STAR Smog Check

Here’s the simple rule that works anywhere in California:

1. Look at your DMV renewal notice.

2. Read the exact wording under the smog section: California DMV

   • If it says “Smog Certification Required at a STAR station” →✅ You must choose a STAR station.

   • If it just says “Smog Certification Required” (no STAR mentioned) →✅ You may go to any licensed smog check station: test-only, test-and-repair, STAR, or non-STAR.

   
   

If your notice doesn’t mention STAR, you are driving a non-directed vehicle, and you do NOT need a STAR smog check.

Why a Non-STAR Test-Only Station Can Be the Best Choice

For non-directed vehicles, a licensed test-only station is often the sweet spot:

• Same BAR-approved equipment and electronic reporting to the DMV Bureau of Automotive Repair+1

• No repair-sales pressure (they’re not trying to sell you repairs) midnightsmog.com+1

• Often more competitive pricing than some STAR locations Bureau of Automotive Repair+1

Midnight Smog: Smog Check in San Marcos On Our Way to STAR Certification

We are not yet a STAR-certified station, but we are actively working toward earning our STAR eligibility. As a newer smog check facility, we already have all of the required, BAR-approved equipment and follow the same testing procedures used at STAR stations; we simply haven’t been open long enough to build the operating history and performance data the state requires for STAR qualification. In the meantime, we’re fully licensed to perform regular Smog Check inspections and transmit your results directly to the DMV, and our goal is to add STAR certification as soon as we become eligible so we can serve both directed and non-directed vehicles.

Midnight Smog is a licensed test-only smog check station in San Marcos, CA, serving:

• San Marcos

• Vista

• Carlsbad

• Oceanside

• Escondido

• and the greater North County San Diego area midnightsmog.com+1

We’re located off Hwy 78 at the Las Posas exit:

Midnight Smog

1285 Stone Dr, Suite 101San Marcos, CA 92078

(760) 304-0122 midnightsmog.com+1

Key things drivers like about us:

• Test-only – we focus on accurate inspections, not upselling repairs midnightsmog.com+1

• Open 7 days a week, with late hours on Wednesday (open until midnight) midnightsmog.com+1

• We smog cars, trucks, SUVs, diesels, hybrids, RVs/motorhomes, and work vehicles midnightsmog.com+1

• Free retest if you originally tested and failed here (within the offer window) midnightsmog.com+1

• We transmit results directly to the DMV so your registration renewal is fast and easy midnightsmog.com+1

If your DMV notice doesn’t say “STAR,” you’re welcome to come straight to us for a non-STAR smog check in San Marcos.