Sarah Summerlin of Concord still plans to get her car inspected next year, even though it won’t be required by law.
“It gives me peace of mind to know that my car gets the once-over every year,” she said, “and they’ll see things like faulty brakes or something that I might not see coming.”
A month ago, New Hampshire lawmakers voted to do away with mandatory, annual car inspections, which many residents bemoan. More than 200 people submitted written testimony to the State House earlier this year supporting a repeal, calling the practice “a racket” and “government overreach.”
The repeal’s passage — done by slipping the policy language into the state budget at the last minute to entice Libertarian-leaning members of the House — marks the end of a years-long effort in the State House. Republican lawmakers have derided inspections as a “sticker scam” that imposes an undue burden and cost on drivers and lets auto dealers run rampant.
Drivers will no longer need inspections starting Jan. 31, 2026. Federal emissions testing in New Hampshire will also come to an end next September, though a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency could expedite that process.
Dan Weed, who owns Weed Family Automotive on Storrs Street in Concord, understands that inspections can be inconvenient but argued the $50 he charges for the service is a fair price to make sure a car runs properly.
Weed’s shop performs roughly 125 inspections each month, which brings in around $75,000 a year. If a vehicle fails inspection, he’ll either fix the problem, or the customer can do the repairs themselves or go to another mechanic.
People advocating for the repeal said inspections feel subjective and unnecessary, but Weed said his professional opinion is just as valid as any other professional’s.
“I don’t care whether it’s a carpenter or electrician, plumber, auto repair, your doctor. You can see two different people for the same problem and get two very different opinions,” Weed said.
Paul Morin, owner of Concord Car Care, argued that not getting an inspection may actually cost people more on repairs. Rather than finding out when an issue starts and having time to save up to mend it, drivers may have to pay more to fix something once it becomes a severe problem.
He also thinks out-of-state auto dealers will see New Hampshire as a loophole. Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont all have the requirement, and he anticipates that out-of-state auto dealers looking to skirt those laws will sell their subpar cars in New Hampshire instead.
“They can’t sell it there cause inspection. Where are you going to bring it?” Morin said. “They bring it right here and they’re going to sell them here, so now you’re going to have more unreliable users.”
Mechanics aren’t sure how it’ll impact their business model yet — it’ll be a waiting game to see how many people still want their cars checked out and how often.
Weed plans to keep offering what he’ll rename as “annual vehicle evaluations” for customers like Jamie Zipke, who said while standing outside Weed’s Family Automotive that she’ll probably still take her car in regularly.
“I guess I won’t get an inspection anymore, but you know, like you get a physical every year kind of thing, maybe get it checked,” Zipke said.
She’s concerned less about her own car than other drivers, who she fears won’t be as proactive in maintaining their vehicles.
Summerlin, who works as a teacher, said she usually pays anywhere from $45 to $60 for her inspection each year. In her eyes, it’s a fair deal and worth the money to know her car is safe to drive. While she knows some mechanics may try to price-gouge customers, she’s never experienced it.
“The mechanic I see has always been very honest about what I need, what I don’t need,” Summerlin said. “I’ve never experienced any negativity around the whole inspection situation.”
Weed and Morin resented how some lawmakers have disparaged mechanics as dishonest and abusing the “sticker scam.”
“Not everybody steals,” Morin said. “We’re very honest with people. You need it, you need it. You don’t, you don’t. That’s just how it is.”
Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, subscribe to her Capital Beat newsletter and send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.
