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State Inspection in MA
- Thread starter bostonkid
- Start date
bjrosen
Member
Make sure you have a set of lift pucks to bring with you, most inspection stations won't have them. You can get them on Amazon.
jlv1
Twice as much fun
Just go anywhere I agree with.
However, your "all they do" is certainly not my experience getting either of my cars inspected in MA.
Do you folks trust the random dealerships not to fable the lift point with their jack?
I used to go tot he local Honda of Plymouth dealership for my cars. (not Honda). no issues but they did not have a battery on the floor. Anyone around Plymouth can recommend someone? I would offer them the lift pucks but they are coming on Friday March 3rd
I used to go tot he local Honda of Plymouth dealership for my cars. (not Honda). no issues but they did not have a battery on the floor. Anyone around Plymouth can recommend someone? I would offer them the lift pucks but they are coming on Friday March 3rd
I just had my car inspected at Tracy Chevrolet in Plymouth MA. No issues super nice guys about 20 mins. Also it was Saturday. Seem to have the inspections up to 1pm on Saturdays.
Just saw your post. I got mine done at Sullivan Tire in Marshfield. Asked them if they needed their pucks, they said they had their own. Chain seems to be advertising some services for EVs.
Many people have used the Dedham Exxon station on Washington St. in Dedham Square, right across from the central fire station. He has been carefully inspecting Teslas since at least 2015 (when I got mine). He is a big fan of Tesla.
I got a sticker when I got my mY, but digging a bit reveals the following -
Source:
Going down the rabbit hole to the relevant sections on Ma official sites verifies this statement. As dose this pdf on the epa site:
The relevant bit is on page 7, section 3(b)5 of the doc.
Am I missing something, or are we getting inspection stickers without actually needing one?
Electric Vehicle Emissions Inspection Exemption
Vehicles powered exclusively by electricity are exempt from state motor vehicle emissions inspections.Source:
Going down the rabbit hole to the relevant sections on Ma official sites verifies this statement. As dose this pdf on the epa site:
The relevant bit is on page 7, section 3(b)5 of the doc.
Am I missing something, or are we getting inspection stickers without actually needing one?
You are exempt from emission check but not Safety check. So you still need Safety inspection. The state wants to make sure that your headlights, wipers, tires, lights, etc. are working properly because they are considered safety issues. Unfortunately, the cost is the same $35 whether they do one or both inspections.
BTW many gas cars which are older than I believe 15 years, don't need emission inspection either. They just do safety inspections on them.
BTW many gas cars which are older than I believe 15 years, don't need emission inspection either. They just do safety inspections on them.
Right. And as far as I can recall, the inspection stations were not equipped to test Diesel cars, at least not a few years ago when I last had one. I always felt I was getting over-charged for my inspection because of that. On the other hand, I tended to drive old cars, so I was glad for an independent eye on the front end...
no real emissions for our car. Sticker is for safety part. Still I think they can stop it for at least new cars up to like 4-5 years old. When I lived in CT they did that. Also they dropped using renewal stickers in plates. so it was much cleaner. No idea why MA will not catch up with the times. (well I have an idea but whatever 
)
)
I think Teslas don’t need EITHER inspection.
Tesla is EV so yes it already doesn’t require the emissions inspection.
But it also has the OBD and is less than 15 years.
The mass.gov website says:
www.mass.gov
Have you guys found any messaging from the state that explicitly calls out the need for safety inspections for new EVs?
Tesla is EV so yes it already doesn’t require the emissions inspection.
But it also has the OBD and is less than 15 years.
The mass.gov website says:
Vehicle inspections
All vehicles registered in Massachusetts must pass a yearly vehicle inspection.
- Vehicles with onboard diagnostic systems that are less than 15 years old must pass an annual emissions test.
Have you guys found any messaging from the state that explicitly calls out the need for safety inspections for new EVs?
Farmer
Member
See Section 4.03.
(1) General Provisions. Every owner or person in control of a Massachusetts registered motorvehicle shall submit the vehicle for inspection under 540 CMR 4.03(1)(a) through (i)a) Inspection Upon Registration. Every owner or person in control of a motor vehiclewhich is newly acquired in the Commonwealth shall submit such motor vehicle for arequired inspection within seven days of the date on which the motor vehicle is registeredto said owner in the Commonwealth.
(1) General Provisions. Every owner or person in control of a Massachusetts registered motorvehicle shall submit the vehicle for inspection under 540 CMR 4.03(1)(a) through (i)
a) Inspection Upon Registration. Every owner or person in control of a motor vehiclewhich is newly acquired in the Commonwealth shall submit such motor vehicle for arequired inspection within seven days of the date on which the motor vehicle is registeredto said owner in the Commonwealth.No idea what you are talking about. A safety inspection is a must. What if you have bald tires (which will impact your breaking distance) or broken headlights or blinkers and you cause an accident because of that? Clearly your car should *NOT* be on the road in that condition and the State of MA wants to make sure via inspection that such cars are *NOT* on that road. So yes, you and everyone else needs an annual safety inspection. Please don't argue that that you could break your headlight right after inspection and drive. The police will give you a ticket (safety violation) and the judge won't listen to any of your arguments if you challenge your ticket because your car is a safety hazard for *others*. All of what I have stated has nothing to do with Tesla or the age of the car. Its true on even a 1 day old car. That is why it needs to be performed on all new cars within 7 days.I think Teslas don’t need EITHER inspection.
Tesla is EV so yes it already doesn’t require the emissions inspection.
But it also has the OBD and is less than 15 years.
The mass.gov website says:
Vehicle inspections
All vehicles registered in Massachusetts must pass a yearly vehicle inspection.
Deductive logic implies neither emissions nor safety inspection is required.
- Vehicles with onboard diagnostic systems that are less than 15 years old must pass an annual emissions test.
Have you guys found any messaging from the state that explicitly calls out the need for safety inspections for new EVs?
bjrosen
Member
Just to elaborate. That's the reasoning behind the law but no matter what it is, the law is the law. MA requires inspections on new cars which is silly, Rhode Island gives you a two year or 24,000 mile grace period which makes more sense but the fact remains that in MA you have to drive your car from the new car dealer to an inspection station. There is no emissions check on EVs and they aren't required to have OBDII's because that's how the emission check is done but they will stick a jack under the car to test the suspension. BTW make sure you have a set of lift pucks before you go for the inspection because the inspection place might not have them.
Farmer
Member
Warning: This is an anti-Massachusetts rant not having a lot to do with Teslas or EVs so proceed at your own risk:
You've been warned.
MA does require a safety inspection of all cars, including new ones, which is indeed stupid.
Many states don't have safety inspections at all and yet even in those states, faulty car equipment causes few, if any crashes. If it were otherwise, the insurance industry would push for universal safety inspections and they haven't, so that pretty much sums up the situation. Among states that do require inspections, many of those exempt new cars for a grace period.
Broken lights, etc. in other states, as here in MA, are a stoppable offense and police can and will cite you. Even in MA, if you pass inspection, then a headlight fails on you a week later, if you think you can go, say, another 11 months until inspection time, ummm... no, you can't and most likely you won't because you'll get stopped. Bald tires and other items harder for an officer to see could be an issue, but for the most part, people fix those things before they cause trouble. If they are the cause of an accident, then the operator is still responsible.
Vehicle inspections started in MA in the spring and fall in order to make sure people weren't running studded snow tires on the roads in warm weather, causing damage. Only later did that morph into a safety inspection. When emission testing came along, inspecting all cars 2x per year was too burdensome and it got switched to a single, annual inspection, which really isn't often enough if you want to catch bad tires, brakes, etc. with any kind of urgency if that is all you are relying on to screen out such defects.
MA is a bit money-hungry in the extreme on vehicle inspections, as MA is extreme on most govt. regulation, (such as also collecting sales tax on vehicles to be registered in another state), but it is what it is.
You've been warned.
MA does require a safety inspection of all cars, including new ones, which is indeed stupid.
Many states don't have safety inspections at all and yet even in those states, faulty car equipment causes few, if any crashes. If it were otherwise, the insurance industry would push for universal safety inspections and they haven't, so that pretty much sums up the situation. Among states that do require inspections, many of those exempt new cars for a grace period.
Broken lights, etc. in other states, as here in MA, are a stoppable offense and police can and will cite you. Even in MA, if you pass inspection, then a headlight fails on you a week later, if you think you can go, say, another 11 months until inspection time, ummm... no, you can't and most likely you won't because you'll get stopped. Bald tires and other items harder for an officer to see could be an issue, but for the most part, people fix those things before they cause trouble. If they are the cause of an accident, then the operator is still responsible.
Vehicle inspections started in MA in the spring and fall in order to make sure people weren't running studded snow tires on the roads in warm weather, causing damage. Only later did that morph into a safety inspection. When emission testing came along, inspecting all cars 2x per year was too burdensome and it got switched to a single, annual inspection, which really isn't often enough if you want to catch bad tires, brakes, etc. with any kind of urgency if that is all you are relying on to screen out such defects.
MA is a bit money-hungry in the extreme on vehicle inspections, as MA is extreme on most govt. regulation, (such as also collecting sales tax on vehicles to be registered in another state), but it is what it is.
Last edited:
Chewy13
https://ts.la/nick670348
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