Pass

If your car passes the Drive Clean test:

• you will get a Vehicle Inspection Report with ‘pass’ clearly printed on it
• use the pass report to renew your licence plate sticker or transfer a vehicle’s ownership
• keep the pass report with your vehicle’s maintenance information

A Drive Clean pass is good for 1 year from the date it was issued.

Renew a licence plate sticker

Conditional pass

Owners whose vehicles require extensive emissions-related repairs can obtain a Conditional Pass.

The Conditional Pass is only available for a light-duty vehicle that:

• fails an initial Drive Clean test
• has had up to $450 in repairs at a Drive Clean facility to repair emissions-related problems, and
• fails a re-test

A Conditional Pass can only be used to renew your licence plates. It cannot be used to transfer ownership. It is valid for 1 year.

A “not ready” result

Most vehicles with a model year of 1998 or newer have an on-board computer, which records information about emissions related parts and systems as you drive.

Under normal conditions a vehicle should be ‘ready’ and able to communicate whether or not its emissions systems are functioning properly. Only if a vehicle’s on-board computer cannot complete this self-check will it report ‘not ready.’ If the on-board computer is ‘not ready’ it cannot communicate important emissions information.

A vehicle is ‘not ready’ when its on-board computer cannot read the information from the vehicle’s emissions system.

This occurs if your vehicle’s on-board computer has been erased because:

• the battery has recently been disconnected or replaced
• the battery was recently drained (e.g., if the headlights were left on for an extended time)
• the computer codes were cleared or reset to turn off the “Check Engine” light (e.g., if the vehicle has been recently repaired)

If any of the above has recently occurred, you’ll need to get your vehicle “ready” to prepare the vehicle for an emissions test.

Once it’s ”ready”:

• the vehicle can be re-tested

How do I get my vehicle’s computer ready for testing?

‘Readiness’ conditional pass

A vehicle receives a ‘readiness’ conditional pass (deemed still not ready) when it:

• receives 2 ‘not ready’ resultsand
• no emissions problems have been identified

You get a readiness conditional ‘pass’ to allow you to renew your licence plate sticker.

To qualify:

• at least 24 hours has to pass between each test
• your vehicle must have been driven – at least 30 kms between the tests
• the battery hasn’t been disconnected in the last 30 km of driving
• the on-board diagnostic codes haven’t been cleared (in the last 30 km of driving)
• the number of “not ready” monitors has not increased

Fail

Vehicles usually fail the Drive Clean test because:

• the vehicle has an emission system problem

The Inspector can explain the emissions results on the Drive Clean Vehicle Inspection Report

You’ll need to have your vehicle’s emissions problem repaired before you can:

• take a Drive Clean retest
• renew your licence plate sticker
• transfer the vehicle ownership to another person

Do not leave the Drive Clean facility without the test report.

Repairs

Before you go for a Drive Clean re-test, you should visit a Drive Clean facility that can perform Drive Clean repairs to:

• get a diagnostic test – to determine why your vehicle didn’t meet emissions standards
• get a written repair estimate – based on the results of the diagnostic test

Where to get repairs

For a Conditional Pass, your vehicle must be repaired at an accredited Drive Clean repair facility. Otherwise, you may get your vehicle repaired wherever you choose – or do it yourself.

Repair costs and estimates

All emissions-related repairs – parts and labour, including diagnostics – should be listed separately from any non-emissions repair estimates.

After you give the auto shop permission to repair your vehicle, the final repair bill can’t be more than 10% greater than the estimate, without your consent.

Once repaired, you must have your vehicle re-tested at a Drive Clean facility.

What if I can’t afford to make the repairs needed to pass the Drive Clean test?

Re-testing

Your vehicle must be re-tested at a Drive Clean facility and must receive a Pass or Conditional Pass before you can renew your licence plate sticker.

Biennial testing (heavy-duty vehicles)

A heavy-duty diesel vehicle may qualify to skip a year of emissions testing if it had an opacity result of 20% or less in the most recent Drive Clean test.

• even model year vehicles may qualify to skip a test for renewal in even calendar years
• odd model year vehicles may qualify to skip a test for renewal in odd calendar years

That Drive Clean pass must be issued within 24 months before the permit expires or, if the application for renewal is made after the expiry of the permit, within 24 months before the application for renewal.