ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality) officials announced that they will be lowering Vehicle Emissions Inspection fees from $27.75 to $20 for Phoenix metropolitan area residents, who have 1981 and newer cars and light duty trucks. More than one million vehicles are tested in the Maricopa County area each year.
Drivers in the Tucson area already pay less.
In addition to reducing fees on July 1, 2014, ADEQ will be instituting a Gas Cap Distribution Program in Maricopa and Pima counties through its contractor, Gordon-Darby Arizona Testing, Inc. More than 75,000 vehicles fail each year because of a faulty gas cap. When the gas cap fails, the owner currently must leave the testing facility to purchase a replacement gas cap and then return for a free retest once the cap has been replaced.
ADEQ’s Gas Cap Distribution Program will provide the vehicle owner with a new gas cap at the time of a failed inspection – eliminating the need to leave and return. If the particular gas cap size is unavailable at the testing station, a $5 prepaid card will be offered to motorists to help cover the cost of a new cap.
The Department says that given the fact that motorists sometimes wait several days before replacing their gas cap, this program could immediately provide an environmental benefit by reducing emissions from gasoline evaporation from faulty caps. This program will also increase the number of vehicles that pass inspection during a single testing procedure and reduce the frustration of waiting in line for a second emissions test.