The list of U.S. states where vehicles driven on public roads must be inspected is shrinking. This past January 1, Texas House Bill HB3297 (originally passed in 2023) officially took effect, repealing mandatory state inspections on non-commercial vehicles. Then, in late June 2025, New Hampshire passed a state budget that includes eliminating its annual inspection requirement starting January 31, 2026, and repealing admissions testing by September 2026.
The questions and controversy of these decisions are in full swing. As a New Hampshire resident, I’m experiencing it firsthand. To show how divisive the issue is, the section of the New Hampshire budget that involved vehicle inspections necessitated a tie-breaking vote from the House speaker.
Is eliminating state inspection requirements becoming a trend? Will this be good or bad for consumers? What should car owners do in states where inspections are mandatory?
What Is a Vehicle Safety Inspection?
Before anything, let’s recap what a safety inspection is. Many states don’t have inspections, so some people may be confused about what we’re discussing. These inspections check the components on a car that affect its ability to drive safely on public roads. Performed by professional mechanics, a safety inspection doesn’t look at aspects like engine performance and fuel efficiency, or convenience features like infotainment and trunk functionality.
Some of the common components checked during a safety inspection include the brakes, suspension, tires, windshield wipers, lights, seat belts, and exhaust system. Many states also do emissions testing, look for rust in the frame and body, and/or mandate that all dashboard warning lights be cleared.
A Quick Summary of State Inspection Requirements
Although the federal government requires safety inspections of commercial vehicles every 12 months, there is no such mandate for passenger vehicles. As such, states are free to set their own rules. Cities and counties can also set their own inspection and emission testing standards. For example, while Texas no longer requires vehicle inspections, 17 counties require regular emissions testing.
According to various sources, the addition of New Hampshire will bring the number of states with no regular safety or emissions inspections to 15. (Since Texas still has emissions testing, they don’t go on this list.)
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Washington
- Wyoming
The number of states requiring annual safety inspections has steadily declined since 1976, when Congress made it harder for the NHTSA to withhold federal highway funds as punishment. At the time, 31 states required annual inspections. As of 2026, by my count, it will be down to 10:
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Vermont
- Virginia
Requirements vary in the remaining states. Some states, like Missouri, Rhode Island, and West Virginia, have inspections every two years. Others are like Texas in that they require emissions testing only in large urban areas. In Delaware, a new car doesn’t have to be inspected for seven years unless it changes owners. Even some states without regular requirements still do an inspection when someone buys a used vehicle or brings one from out of state when they move.
The Pros and Cons of Mandatory Vehicle Inspections
The big question is whether eliminating the requirements is a good thing. Many arguments have been made for and against mandating inspections, but not all of them, good or bad, hold up to scrutiny. Here’s a synopsis of the major points.
Examining Pro-Inspection Arguments
The main argument in favor of compulsory inspections is that they help with road safety, reducing accidents, injuries, and fatalities. However, the non-partisan American Consumer Institute notes that numerous studies have failed to find a connection. In some cases, the total number of crashes has remained steady or even decreased after repealing the inspection mandate.
There are a few possible reasons for this. Shops are often inconsistent in finding defects, sometimes due to different state requirements on what is checked. Another is that even in worst-case scenarios, only about 2% of crashes are due to vehicle defects, whereas 94% are from driver errors. Either way, the argument of inspections reducing accidents may be a case of a good theory that doesn’t apply in practice.
Examining Anti-Inspection Arguments
Some arguments against mandatory inspections have holes, too. One big one is that they create more of a financial burden on drivers, especially those with low incomes. Yet the cost of an inspection varies widely, and some states limit how much mechanics can charge. In Delaware, they’re free, while in Texas, they only cost $7. The most expensive state I could find is Illinois, which charges around $100.
Many of the costs related to an inspection are related to the issues they might find. If someone has a faulty suspension, lights, or tires, those eventually need to be fixed. The inspection simply alerts them to the problem, and if the shop has a good reputation, it’s hard to blame them for the repair costs.
Another major argument against requiring inspections is that dishonest shops abuse them. While data is hard to find, a quick internet search will turn up plenty of stories about inspection fraud and deception. This can include claiming the vehicle needs repairs when it doesn’t, overcharging for work the shop claims is needed, or approving a vehicle that is clearly dangerous to drive. Of course, crooked shops will likely be crooked whether inspections are mandatory or not, but inspections give them one more avenue through which to potentially exploit consumers.
Are Drivers Responsible Enough?
Finally, there’s the question of whether vehicle safety checks should be up to the driver or a mechanic. Anti-inspection advocates often claim that people are responsible enough to do their own checks. A 2022 survey by Gulf, though, indicates otherwise.
In this survey, Gulf asked drivers a series of questions about vehicle maintenance and care. They found that each generation since the Baby Boomers has gotten progressively less knowledgeable about cars. Among Gen Z, nearly 38% of respondents didn’t know what a squeaking or grinding sound might mean, and over 41% didn’t know how to check engine oil. The only generation with less collective vehicle knowledge was the Silent Generation.
Granted, modern vehicles have gotten much better at self-diagnosing. But if nothing else, having a mechanic check the vehicle can help find small problems before they balloon.
Are Any Other States Considering Eliminating Inspections?
Texas and New Hampshire are far from the only states to have modified or repealed inspection requirements in recent years. In 2024, West Virginia switched from requiring inspections every year to every other year. Previously, New Jersey exempted vehicles less than five years old from smog testing, and North Carolina did the same for vehicles less than three years old.
Two other states currently considering relaxing the requirements are Pennsylvania and Virginia. Pennsylvania state Senator Marty Flynn sent a memorandum in August 2023 that said he planned to introduce a bill ending the annual requirement. As I write this, said bill has not seen the light of day. As for Virginia, a bill has been introduced to exempt new vehicles from inspections for two years.
What Should You Do?
The true question of whether inspections are a net positive may never have a definitive answer. Regardless, safety issues with a vehicle do not magically go away when inspection requirements do. I had a family member who went several years without having their car looked at, and the suspension got so worn out that it chewed through a new set of tires in a month.
If you live in a state that has recently abolished mandatory state inspections or never had them in the first place, there are two options for this. One is to inspect the vehicle yourself. The other is to find a shop you trust and periodically bring your car there for an inspection anyway. Just because they aren’t mandated doesn’t mean they aren’t offered, and professional safety inspections can still be a useful way to help keep a vehicle in good operating condition.