California CAP: Help Paying for Smog Repairs or Retiring Your Car

Two options: repair or retire

BAR's Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) has two parts. Repair assistance helps pay to fix a car that failed its biennial smog check. Vehicle retirement pays you to permanently take a car off the road.

Repair assistance

CAP pays up to $1,450 in emissions-related repairs for 1996 and newer vehicles, or up to $1,100 for 1976 to 1995 vehicles. You pay a 20 percent copay, and more if total repair costs run past the program cap, plus an $8.25 certificate fee.

• Household income at or below 225 percent of the federal poverty level.
• The vehicle failed its biennial smog check (not a change-of-ownership check).
• Not available for vehicles registered to a business.

Vehicle retirement

Retirement payments depend on income and on the smog result:

• $1,350 for any income level, if the car failed its most recent smog check.
• $2,000 for eligible low-income owners whose car failed its most recent smog check.
• $1,500 for eligible low-income owners with any smog check result in the last 180 days (zero-emission vehicles excluded).

Retirement requirements

The vehicle has to be drivable, weigh 10,000 lb GVWR or less, and have continuous California registration without a lapse of more than 120 days in the prior two years (the $1,500 option has its own alternative rule).

The step people skip

Apply first, then wait for your eligibility letter before doing any repairs. CAP won't reimburse work done before you're approved. Funding also runs on the state fiscal year (July 1 to June 30), so money can run short late in the year.

Keep reading

• Smog Check in San Diego: Who Needs One and When
• Clean Cars 4 All in San Diego: Up to $12,000 to Replace an Old Car