What vehicle year should be entered in the Emission Inspection System if the DMV lists it as 1996 but the under-hood decal lists 1995?

• A. 1995
• B. 1996
• C. Unknown until resolved
• D. 1997

Answer: (B)

The year entered into the Emission Inspection System should be the DMV-listed year. In California, the EIS uses the vehicle year as recorded by the DMV to determine the appropriate test standards and categorization. The under-hood emission decal shows the label for the engine/emission system but is not used to set the year in the inspection system. When there’s a mismatch, the DMV record takes precedence, so enter 1996. Using the decal’s 1995 would be incorrect because it doesn’t reflect the official DMV data used for smog testing; “unknown until resolved” isn’t appropriate here since the DMV year is definitive.