Missouri House approves plan to end vehicle safety inspections

Kurt Erickson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Feb 17, 2026

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A plan to eliminate safety inspections for most passenger cars and trucks advanced to the Missouri Senate Monday.

On a 104-43 vote, the House approved legislation to end a program in which vehicles more than 10 years old or those with more than 150,000 miles on the odometer are required to pass a state safety inspection every two years.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Ann Kelley, R-Lamar, said the inspections are a burden on Missourians at a time when vehicle safety has improved because of technological advances.

“Today’s automobiles are built with sophisticated safety features,” Kelley said.

The inspections, which affect about 1.8 million of the state's more than 6 million passenger vehicles, are required every two years and cost $12 each.

If a vehicle fails to pass inspection, repairs must be made before it can be registered and licensed.

Safety advocates say elimination of the inspections could boost highway fatalities if motorists attempt to operate vehicles that have worn or broken parts, such as tires, headlights and brakes.

The passage of House Bill 1838 comes as the Senate is considering a bill that would raise the top interstate speed limit to 75 mph, up from the current 70, despite Missouri Department of Transportation estimates that it will result in an additional three to five deaths on rural freeways every year.

Under current state law, non-commercial vehicles must pass a safety inspection every two years. The law originally exempted vehicles for the first five years after the model year. Lawmakers in 2019 extended the exemption to 10 years for vehicles with fewer than 150,000 miles. The bill would drop the requirement starting Jan. 1, 2027.

Missouri's required inspections include brake performance, steering mechanisms, warning lights, mirrors and windshield wiper operations, headlights and other major components. A separate program for vehicle emissions testing in the state's urban areas would not be affected by the proposed changes.

Opponents said ending inspections could result in more accidents.

“It’s about the safety of all the other people on the road,” said Rep. Michael Burton, D-Lakeshire.

“The time and expense are worth it,” said Rep. Mark Boyko, D-Kirkwood.

During earlier debate in a House committee, representatives of auto repair businesses told lawmakers the program should be kept intact.

"I have to admit that I am not a fan of big government, but I do think that safety of the motorist, especially the unsuspecting motorist that maintains their own cars regularly, is at risk by many individuals that do not care or do not understand the danger in driving a vehicle that they could lose control of at high speeds," said James Copeland, of Midwest Autoworx in Columbia.