Texas law has had mandatory vehicle inspection in place for almost 30 years.
Most registered vehicles must pass an annual safety inspection through 2024, with few exceptions.
The inspection laws will be changing effective January 1, 2025. After the first of the year, most vehicles can be registered with—out a safety inspection.
In 2023, Texas legislators voted to end mandatory vehicle inspections, deciding that the costs associated with implementing them outweighed any gains in safety.
While the updated laws will save most vehicle owners travel time to the nearest inspection center and the cost of correcting any defects, not all of the vehicle inspection requirements were eliminated.
The following explains what you need to know about the upcoming changes.
Vehicle Inspection Requirements in Texas Effective January 1, 2025
During the 88th Legislative Session, House Bill 3297 was voted into law, eliminating vehicle inspection requirements for the registration of all non-commercial vehicles.
Commercial vehicles must still comply with vehicle inspection requirements. Going forward, the safety inspection fee becomes the inspection replacement program fee.
Though non-commercial vehicles will no longer need to pay a safety inspection fee because no safety inspection is required, vehicle owners will still need to pay a $7.50 fee at the time of vehicle registration.
New vehicles being registered in Texas will be required to pay an initial 2-year inspection replacement program fee of $16.75. According to the Texas Tribune, the fees will be used to fund the Texas Mobility Fund, the general revenue fund, and the clean air account.
Emissions Tests Are Still Required
With the addition of the vehicle safety inspection program, it’s important to note that you’ll still have to pay for emissions testing in much of the state.
The counties in Texas that currently require emissions tests will continue to require the tests annually.
The following 17 counties require emission tests:
- Brazoria
- Fort Bend
- Galveston
- Harris
- Montgomery
- Collin
- Dallas
- Denton
- Ellis
- Johnson
- Kaufman
- Parker
- Rockwall
- Tarrant
- Travis
- Williamson
- El Paso
Only one other county, Bexar, is now set to join the list and will begin requiring emissions testing as of November 1, 2026.
Do Mandatory Vehicle Inspections Improve Driving Safety?
Texas is one of only 13 states currently requiring safety inspections before vehicles can be registered. Inspections review the fitness of several vehicle components that can affect safety, including brakes, steering, tires, and lighting.
Proponents of abolishing safety inspections argued that the inspections were unnecessary, and inconvenient, and often forced vehicle owners to pay for repairs they didn’t need.
According to the recommendation of a University of Texas at Austin Center for Transportation Research (CTR) study, the vehicle inspection program saves lives and enhances safety. Supporting the CTR’s conclusions were the following findings from statistics on crashes involving vehicles with defective equipment:
- The frequency of all injuries is higher
- Fatalities are twice as likely
- Worn or defective tires are the defect most associated with fatal crashes
Texas drivers were also polled to get their opinions on vehicle inspections. Over 40% strongly agreed that the safety inspection program improves highway safety. Almost 29% somewhat agreed the program was beneficial.
A little over 22% either strongly or somewhat disagreed the inspections should continue.
Other States Claim No Substantial Benefit
Other states that have done away with or failed to adopt vehicle inspection laws claim the safety features built into current vehicles make the need for mandatory vehicle inspections unnecessary and the data does not support vehicle safety inspections having a measurable impact on crash rates or severity.
A 2015 study by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessed the benefits and costs of operating state vehicle safety inspection programs. Although the researchers confirmed the inspections do ensure unsafe vehicles will be repaired or removed from the roadways, an analysis of state crash data showed no clear benefit relating to the causes of accidents.
The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research (ACI) offers some reasons why mandatory vehicle inspections do little to improve safety on the roadway.
- Inspections do not reliably identify defects.
- Vehicle defects account for only a tiny percentage of accidents.
- Human error is the primary cause of motor vehicle accidents (94%).
- Most vehicle owners will keep their vehicles safe voluntarily.
What the Car Inspection Update Likely Means for Motor Vehicle Accidents in Houston
Non-commercial vehicle owners in Texas will no longer get any reminders that their tires are worn, they have a headlight out, or their brakes may need replacing.
However, drivers are still required to maintain their vehicles in compliance with the laws and may be liable if a defective condition of their vehicle contributes to an accident.
In all likelihood, doing away with vehicle safety inspections will not appreciably affect the motor vehicle accident statistics in Houston. Vehicle defect is not even listed as a noted contributing factor in the city’s annual traffic accident report. Human error, in particular, speeding, unsafe driving maneuvers, and failing to obey traffic signs and signals are the primary reasons crashes occur.
The Houston car accident lawyers at Steve Lee have been representing persons injured in motor vehicle accidents around Harris County for more than 50 years. With a practice dedicated to protecting the rights and seeking justice on behalf of those who are wrongfully injured through the careless actions of others, Steve Lee has helped over 100,000 clients obtain fair compensation for their injuries. If you or a loved one has been wrongfully injured, Steve Lee invites you to schedule a free case review and become their latest satisfied client.