Low and no emission vehicles help the Commonwealth reach its emission reduction goals outlined in the Global Warming Solutions Act and also help improve air quality for residents. Electric and hybrid vehicles currently make up a low proportion of personal vehicles on the roadway. However, their adoption has been increasing year over year.
In FY23, the percent of active personal vehicle registration that are hybrid/electric and electric accounted for 4.9% of all active vehicle registrations. This is an increase from 3.2% in FY22.
For passenger vehicles, fourteen key components of a vehicle are evaluated during the safety inspection. One of those components is a vehicle emissions test. All passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs with model years 2009 and newer are subject to an emissions test. This emission test checks a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics (OBD). An inefficient engine or emissions control system adds pollutants to the air in our region and reduces a vehicle’s fuel economy.
This test is run through the OPUS system. Vehicle emissions information is then sent to both the RMV and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The most common causes of emissions test failures include: malfunctioning components that regulate fuel/air ratio, such as oxygen sensors; exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves; engine misfire; catalytic converters; and evaporative controls, including poor-fitting gas caps.
In FY23, 4.2% of vehicles that were inspected in Massachusetts failed the vehicle inspection due to emissions, which is consistent with previous years’ rates.
