Vehicle Buy Back Program

Program Information

To reduce air pollution, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's (Air District) Vehicle Buy Back Program (VBB) will pay $1,000 for an operating and registered 1989 and older vehicle. Vehicle dismantlers contracted by the Air District will scrap the vehicles. The VBB Program is a voluntary program that takes older vehicles off the road. For your vehicle to be eligible for the VBB Program, it must meet the Vehicle Status Requirements and the Vehicle Functional and Equipment Eligibility Inspection described below. If you think that your vehicle qualifies, call an Air District vehicle dismantler to schedule an appointment to sell your vehicle to the Program. The dismantler will verify your vehicle’s eligibility and provide you with the specific locations of their sites.

If your vehicle has failed its Smog Check inspection, or even if it has not, you may qualify for financial assistance under a separate State program, the California Bureau of Automotive Repair Consumer Assistance Program. That program provides financial assistance for qualified consumers for either repair assistance or vehicle retirement. Participation is limited to available funds.

VBB Dismantlers

Vehicle Status Requirements

Your vehicle must meet the following requirements when it is driven to the vehicle dismantler:

1. The vehicle must be a 1989 model year or older passenger car or a light duty pickup truck that includes, but is not limited to, a pick-up truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV), or van up to 8,500 pounds gross vehicular weight rating.
2. The vehicle owner is responsible for going to a DMV office and obtaining the registration history printout (see a sample) from the DMV and presenting it at their appointment with the dismantler.  The cost is currently $5.  Alternatively, you may provide your current registration card and the two previous registration cards.

   The vehicle must be currently registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as an operable vehicle and shall have been so registered for at least twenty-four (24) months prior to the final date of sale to the VBB Program, to an address or addresses within the Air District. The Air District includes all of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, and the southern portions of Solano and Sonoma counties. Smog Checks must be performed as required by the DMV in order for the vehicle to be considered registered.

   A vehicle may also be eligible if the owner of the vehicle placed the vehicle in planned non-operational status per Vehicle Code Section 4604, et seq., for a total of two (2) or fewer months during the continuous twenty-four (24) months registration period and occurring at least three (3) months prior to the date of sale to the VBB Program.

   A vehicle may also be eligible if the registration has lapsed for less than 181 days during the previous twenty-four (24) months, and all appropriate registration fees and late penalties have been paid to the DMV, provided that the vehicle is registered for at least ninety (90) days immediately prior to its date of sale to the VBB Program.

   Determination of a vehicle's registration history shall be based on 1) registration data obtained from DMV records and 2) if those records provide inconclusive results, then copies of the registration certificates may be used.

3. If a vehicle owner has sold a vehicle to the VBB Program within the previous twelve (12) months, any subsequent vehicles offered to the vehicle dismantler must have been registered continuously to that owner for the previous twenty-four (24) month period, in addition to meeting all other requirements of the VBB Program.
4. The vehicle must be driven to the vehicle dismantler site under its own power.
5. The vehicle cannot be operating under a Smog Check repair cost waiver or economic hardship extension.
6. A vehicle must pass the most recent biennial Smog Checks required by the DMV in order to be considered eligible for participation in the VBB Program.
7. If a vehicle is within sixty-one to ninety (61-90) days of its next required Smog Check Inspection, the vehicle is not required to have a Smog Check Inspection. But, if the Smog Check Inspection is performed in this sixty-one to ninety (61-90) day time frame, the vehicle must pass the inspection.
8. If a vehicle is within sixty (60) days of its next required Smog Check Inspection, the vehicle must take and pass the Smog Check Inspection without receiving a repair cost waiver or economic hardship extension. Owners of vehicles requiring Smog Check Inspections will be required to submit documentation issued by a licensed Smog Check station demonstrating compliance with this requirement. The documentation must be submitted to the vehicle dismantler performing the functional and equipment eligibility inspection.

Vehicle Functional and Equipment Eligibility Inspection

The vehicle dismantler will only purchase your vehicle for the Vehicle Buy Back Program if it meets the following requirements:

1. The vehicle must have been driven to the dismantler site under its own power.
2. The vehicle dismantler will inspect the vehicle to ensure it meets the following requirements and must reject the vehicle if the vehicle fails any one of these requirements:
3. All doors must be present and in place.
4. The hood shall be present and in place.
5. The dashboard shall be in place.
6. Windshield shall be present and in place.
7. The driver's seat must be present and in place.
8. Interior pedals shall be operational.
9. The vehicle must have one bumper and all side and/or quarter panels shall be present and in place. Vehicle drivability must not be affected by any body, steering or suspension damage. Exhaust system shall be present.
10. One headlight, one taillight and one brake light shall be present and in place.
11. One side window glass shall be present and in place.
12. The vehicle dismantler will complete the following functional inspection, and shall reject the vehicle if the vehicle fails to complete the following test:

    Insert key, vehicle engine must start using keyed ignition system. In addition to the keyed ignition switch, ignition or fuel kill switch may be activated if required to start engine. The vehicle must start readily through ordinary means without the use of starting fluids or external booster batteries. The vehicle shall be driven forward for a minimum of 25 feet under its own power. The vehicle shall be driven in reverse for a minimum of 25 feet under its own power.

Upon satisfactory completion of the inspection, the vehicle dismantler will issue a certificate of functional and equipment eligibility.

Additional Information:

See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Vehicle Inventory: The Air District maintains a Vehicle Inventory for classic car collectors or others interested in purchasing 1989 and older vehicles or their parts that are intended for scrapping under this program.

Rebates for Zero-Emission Vehicle Purchases: The State Zero-Emission Vehicle and Plug-In Light-Duty Vehicle Rebate Project (Clean Vehicle Rebate Project) is intended to encourage and accelerate zero-emission vehicle deployment and technology innovation.  Rebates for clean vehicles are now available through the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) funded by the Air Resources Board (ARB) and administered statewide by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE).  The rebates offer up to $5,000 for the purchase of zero-emission and plug-in hybrid light-duty vehicles and up to $20,000 for the purchase of ARB-certified or approved zero-emission commercial vehicles on a first-come, first-served basis.  The rebates are available to individuals, business owners and government entities in California that purchase or lease new eligible vehicles on or after March 15, 2010.  Eligible vehicles are cars, trucks, commercial medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, motorcycles or neighborhood electric vehicles.  To apply for a rebate or to get more information, please visit www.cvrp.energycenter.org.