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Ontario's Drive Clean Program

REVISED OCTOBER 2002

A mandatory, vehicle emissions-testing program

For the air we breathe.

Ontario's Drive Clean is a vehicle emissions testing program to reduce smog and its harmful effects on the air we breathe. Under the program, designated vehicles in areas with serious smog problems must pass a clean air test. Those vehicles failing the test must be repaired and retested. Cars, trucks and buses are the single, largest, local source of smog-causing pollutants in Ontario. They release nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and microscopic dust particles that react together in the presence of sunlight to create smog. There are mandatory testing and repair programs like Drive Clean across North America. They help ensure that vehicles are maintained according to each vehicle's emissions standards. Even though most vehicles being built today have cleaner technologies and tighter emissions standards, they can become heavy polluters if they are not properly maintained.

Which vehicles are required to pass the test?

If you own a passenger car or light-duty1 truck in the Drive Clean program area, it will have to pass a Drive Clean test every two years prior to renewing the sticker on the licence plate. This applies to vehicles that are more than three model years old and less than 20 model years old. You will be notified up to 90 days before the expiry of your vehicle licence plate. As well, the test applies at change of ownership. If your vehicle is older than the current model year and less than 20 model years old, and if the ownership change requires a safety certificate, it must also pass a Drive Clean test.

Motorhomes also require testing every two years. Vehicles 20 model years or older, light-duty commercial farm vehicles and motorcycles are exempt.

Testing at registration will alternate between odd-year models and even-year models. For example, in 2002, odd model-year vehicles will be tested.

In 2003, even model-year vehicles will be tested.

Check the model year of your vehicle (below) to see if it requires a Drive Clean test at registration renewal in 2002 or 2003.

Model years to be tested in 2002
1999 1997 1995 1993 1991 1989 1987 1985 1983

Model years to be tested in 2003
2000 1998 1996 1994 1992 1990 1988 1986 1984

1. Light-duty refers to vehicles with a registered gross weight 4,500 kg or less.

Who is affected and when?

As of July 1, 2002, Drive Clean includes all designated light-duty vehicles in the southern Ontario smog zone. The program has been implemented in phases.

Phase 1: Testing became mandatory on April 1, 1999 in the Greater Toronto Area (the regions of Halton, Peel, Durham and York and the City of Toronto) and the City of Hamilton (the former Hamilton-Wentworth Region).

Phase 2: On January 1, 2001, testing became mandatory in urban centres and their commuting zones, from Peterborough to Windsor, including the Niagara Peninsula.

Phase 3: On July 1, 2002, testing became mandatory in Phase 3, all of the remainder of southern Ontario's smog zone. This includes areas in southwestern Ontario omitted from Phase 2, and eastern Ontario centres such as Ottawa and Kingston.

Heavy-duty vehicles^2: Since September, 1999, annual testing for heavy-duty trucks and buses has been mandatory. This applies to all diesel-powered vehicles registered in Ontario and to all non-diesel-powered vehicles - propane, natural gas or gasoline vehicles - registered in the program area for light-duty vehicles.

² For more information on test requirements for vehicles weighing more than 4,500 kg, please see the brochure "Do You Own a Truck, Bus or Motorhome?"

Where can I get my vehicle tested?

You must take your vehicle to an accredited Drive Clean facility, which may provide tests only or both tests and repairs. The Ministry of the Environment accredits all Drive Clean facilities. Staff at these facilities are trained and approved as qualified to operate the testing equipment and perform emissions diagnostics and repairs. All Drive Clean facilities are strictly monitored to ensure proper testing and repair procedures are being followed.

How is the Drive Clean test done?

At an accredited Drive Clean facility, a certified inspector will drive your car or light-duty truck onto a dynamometer. This machine is like a treadmill that allows the vehicle to be "driven" on one spot. A probe is placed in the tailpipe of your vehicle. The probe is connected to a gas analyzer and computer, which can measure the concentration of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds including hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.

The vehicle is warmed up, and emissions readings are taken while the vehicle is driven on the dynamometer and then while idling. The test results are compared by a Drive Clean computer to emissions standards for the vehicle and its model year. For example, if you drive a 1986 model car, it will be tested against 1986 emissions standards, with an allowance for vehicle deterioration. If your vehicle has a safety problem, a missing catalytic converter, or releases visible smoke from the tailpipe, it will not be tested until it has been repaired. Such problems could lead to injury and/or malfunctioning of the test equipment. If your vehicle can not be tested on a dynamometer, it will be given a two-speed idle test.

What happens after my Drive Clean test?

You will receive a computer-generated report at the Drive Clean facility. It will state if your vehicle "passes or fails" and give you an analysis of the pollutants coming from the tailpipe. If your vehicle does not meet emissions standards, you will receive a fact sheet describing some of the possible causes of failure and information on what to do next.

Test results are automatically recorded in the province's vehicle registration data base. However, vehicle owners should bring a copy of their pass report to a licence issuing office or a self-service kiosk when renewing their registration, in the event there are any questions.

The Drive Clean pass report for your vehicle is valid for registration renewals and ownership transfers for up to 12 months from the date of the test. The licence expiry date or transfer date must fall within that 12-month period.

What will a Drive Clean test cost?

The maximum fee for a light-duty vehicle test or re-test is set by Drive Clean. The most that you can be charged is $35, plus applicable taxes for the test. If your vehicle fails to meet emissions standards, the maximum fee for a re-test after repairs is set at $17.50, plus applicable taxes. You are entitled to two re-tests at the $17.50 rate, if they are performed at the Drive Clean facility where the initial test was conducted.

What if my vehicle does not meet the emissions standards?

Information from Drive Clean, and more than 30 North American jurisdictions with programs similar to Ontario's, shows that an average of about 85 per cent of passenger cars and light-duty trucks pass inspection at their first test. However, if your vehicle fails to meet emissions standards, you will need to either have the vehicle repaired to obtain a full pass or to comply with the requirements of the Repair Cost Limit (RCL) and obtain a conditional pass.

You will receive a report indicating your vehicle's emissions results from the test, as well as information on the most common reasons for failing the test. If you want to take advantage of the Repair Cost Limit (RCL) to obtain a conditional Drive Clean pass, you must use the services of an accredited Drive Clean facility for an emissions system diagnostic, repair cost estimates and repairs. However, you may do repairs yourself or go to any local garage but the RCL will not apply.

The RCL sets a maximum on the amount that you must spend on repairs to qualify for a conditional pass for registration renewal only. Any other repairs that put the total cost above the RCL may be deferred. If your vehicle continues to fail its emissions tests for future registration renewals, you may continue to obtain conditional passes - but you will have to meet the requirements of the RCL each time.

The RCL does not apply to repairs covered by a manufacturer's warranty or repairs that are required before a Drive Clean facility will test a vehicle. The conditional pass may not be used to transfer ownership of a vehicle and plate it for the road, as a protection measure for purchasers of used vehicles.

The RCL varies, depending on where in the Drive Clean program area your vehicle is registered. For full details on the Repair Cost Limit, contact the Drive Clean Call Centre, visit the Drive Clean web site or ask an accredited Drive Clean facility for an RCL information card.

What if I disagree with the test results or repairs?

If you disagree with the results of the test or the repairs performed at a Drive Clean facility, you will be able to contact the Drive Clean Call Centre to get information that may resolve any concerns. If a dispute cannot be settled, you and the other party may be referred to an independent dispute resolution process. This dispute resolution process is only available if you deal with Drive Clean facilities.

Drive Clean for heavy-duty trucks and buses.

The Ontario government requires all Ontario-registered diesel trucks and diesel buses weighing more than 4,500 kilograms to pass a Drive Clean test each year. Heavy-duty non-diesel vehicles are tested in the light-duty program area. Ontario and out-of-province trucks are subject to random, on-road spot checks.

The exhaust from the heavy-duty diesel vehicles is tested for opacity. This is a measurement of the amount of light that is blocked by the exhaust smoke. The "dirtier" the smoke, the higher the opacity rating. Non-diesel vehicles are subject to a two-speed idle test.

The opacity reading is a way to measure the amount of microscopic dust-like particles emitted by the vehicle that contribute to smog. These particles can irritate the lungs and the respiratory system. Recent studies also indicate that they may cause cancer. Heavy-duty trucks and buses are a primary source of these micro-particles.

On-road enforcement with the Smog Patrol.

All vehicles on Ontario's highways - whether registered in Ontario or from out-of-province - are subject to provisions of the Environmental Protection Act regarding excessive exhaust smoke or emissions control equipment that has been altered or is missing. The Smog Patrol of the Ministry of the Environment enforces the act throughout Ontario by conducting roadside inspections and tests of both heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles.

The Smog Patrol is funded by the Drive Clean program. It includes investigators who are the enforcement arm of Drive Clean in investigating possible legal infractions at Drive Clean facilities. Vehicle owners are reminded that a Drive Clean pass or a conditional pass does not exempt a vehicle from the provisions of the act concerning excess smoke or emissions control equipment. It only shows that a vehicle met Drive Clean requirements at the time of the test.

Drive Clean will make a difference.

Ontario's Drive Clean program is resulting in major reductions of smog-causing pollutants from vehicles. Ontario's Drive Clean program is concerned with helping us make smart choices about the way we maintain and drive our vehicles. Driving clean can save you up to 10 per cent in annual fuel consumption and prolong the life of your vehicle. But more importantly, you will be doing the right thing for the air we breathe.

Program Areas

For the air we breathe.

For more information on Ontario's Drive Clean, call 1-888-758-2999 or visit www.driveclean.com

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