New Mexico Emissions Test
Through Air Care, New Mexico checks gas and hybrid cars in 1 counties. Model years 1992 to 2022 are the ones covered in 2026. Every 2 years the test comes due, and again if you sell the car.
Which cars have to be tested?
Model years New Mexico tests in 2026 appear in the green band. With the first owner, a new car is exempt for 4 years. Testing doesn't apply to cars more than 35 years old.
Use your own car's model year and fuel to check it.
New Mexico emissions test at a glance
| Program | Air Care |
|---|---|
| Where | 1 counties: Bernalillo County |
| Fuels tested | Gas, hybrid |
| Model years tested in 2026 | 1992 to 2022 |
| How often | Due every 2 years, and again when you sell the car |
| The test | The car's age sets the check: an OBD test, a gas cap test or a tailpipe check |
| Fee | Usually about $30 plus tax, with the station setting the price |
| Retest | The city's air quality office offers one free retest within 90 days |
| New cars | If you're the first owner, your new car is exempt for 4 years |
| Older cars | No test for cars more than 35 years old |
How the test works, and what if the car fails?
For an OBD plug-in test, the inspector connects a reader to the port under the dashboard to read what the car's computer has stored. Your car's self-checks (readiness monitors) need to be done, and the check engine light must stay off.
Older cars usually get the tailpipe test: a probe reads the exhaust as it comes out.
If the cap is loose, fuel vapor can escape, so the check tests whether the gas cap seals.
The report lists what failed if the car doesn't pass. Fix the failed item first, then return for one retest at no charge inside 90 days at the air quality office run by the city.