Maryland Emissions Inspection Exemption

I've never received an inspection notification for my Prius. I would suspect that their database has your car entered as something other than a Prius. If I were you, I'd take the notice to one of the inspection stations and go into the office. That's what you are supposed to do if you spend money to get a car tuned up and it still fails the inspection. If they can issue exemptions for those cars, maybe they can also straighten out their database for you. At the very least they should be able to stamp your inspection notice, or whatever they do when they issue an exception.

BTW: The Prius and the Insight are the only two hybrids that are exempt from the Maryland Emissions Test.

 

As 8AA said, it's my understanding that you're simply not supposed to receive inspection notices for current Prius models. (I'm not 100% sure about the older Gen 1's - but your 2004 should absolutely be exempt).

I will tell you however, that the local emissions folks are extremely disorganized, and a pain to deal with. But you can get them on the phone - and they can fix things over the phone. There's another phone number other than the main one (which I had the same results as you when I called it), and I'm truly sorry - but I no longer have that number, that gets you to a person. It's not the main number that listed on the inspection notice, it's listed somewhere under 'what to do if your tag renewal is rejected due to a missed inspection/inspection failure/or other error on our part'.

Not that it helps you any - but the answer to the above question is - Call them up, and they will resend you an inspection notice, which resets your inspection due date to three months in the future. With your inspection date reset, you're no longer overdue, and you can renew your tags. Also, with your inspection date reset - as you're no longer overdue, and no late charge applies when (if) you do get an inspection.

Good Luck,

-Ken

 

Well Hillary, did you have any luck with the VEIP Station? I'm curious to see how you made out, partially out of concern, but mainly because I just received my inspection notice! Here's another oddity, I bought my car in September, but my inspection date is March. It really seems like someone corrupted the database of vehicles and they are trying to patch it back together.

I'll let the rest of you know how I make out next week at the VEIP Station.

 

I went to an inspection station and told the guy in the office that I understood that my car was exempt from the inspections. He said "is it a Prius?" I said that it was, he then filled out an exemption form and told me to keep it in the car. He kept my inspection notice, so I would assume that he is going to take care of turning it in. We'll see what happens in two years.

 

I can't speak for what occurs with a Prius since I just bought mine earlier this month (sweet!), but I previously had a VW Jetta. Through some error in inputting the car data when I registered the car (after an initial inspection), they believed I had a Jetta TDI and was told that I was exempt from emissions inspections. So, in 4+ years of living in MD with a VW Jetta, I only had one inspection.