What are California emission standards?
Auto repair

What are California emission standards?

09.11.2022 /

California is one of the most populous states in the country. There are more cars on the roads than almost anywhere else in the country (by state). Because of this, the state has had to adopt very stringent emission standards that are actually much more comprehensive than those set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Automakers have begun designing their vehicles to these standards, even if they will be sold somewhere else in the US. What are California emission standards?

A look at the notation

California emission standards are divided into three levels. They represent the state's emission standards as they have changed over the years. Note: LEV stands for Low Emission Vehicle.

  • Level 1/LEV: This designation indicates that the vehicle complies with pre-2003 California emission regulations (applies to older vehicles).

  • Level 2/LEV II: This designation indicates that the vehicle complies with California State Emissions Regulations from 2004 to 2010.

  • Level 3/LEVEL III: This designation means the vehicle meets state emissions requirements from 2015 to 2025.

Other notations

You will find many emission standard designations in use (located on a label under the hood of your vehicle). This includes:

  • 1 Level: The oldest designation, found mainly on vehicles manufactured and sold in or before 2003.

  • TLEV: This means the car is a transitional low emission car.

  • A LION: Low Emission Vehicle Stands

  • DOWNLOAD: Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Stands

  • CLOSURE: Ultra High Emission Vehicle Stands

  • Zev: It stands for Zero Emissions Vehicle and only applies to electric vehicles or other vehicles that produce no emissions at all.

You will likely see these designations on vehicle labels throughout the US because automakers were required to produce a certain percentage of cars that met California emission standards (regardless of whether those cars were ultimately sold in California or not). Please note that Tier 1 and TLEV designations are no longer used and will only be found on older vehicles.

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