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Emissions tests in Bexar County will cost $18.50, according to DPS. Credit: Shutterstock / Khairil Azhar Junos

Gov. Greg Abbott may have liberated San Antonio drivers from car safety inspections, but Bexar County drivers later this year will face a new obstacle to getting their vehicles to be approved for the road: emissions tests.

Starting on Nov. 1, Bexar County will join other major Texas counties in mandating that vehicles pass an emissions test before being registered, according to new details shared by the Texas Department of Public Safety.​

The change is part of House Bill 3297, passed in 2023, which eliminated vehicle safety inspections but requires drivers in some Texas counties to abide by federal emission standards.

Emissions testing in Bexar County will cost $18.50, in addition to other fees associated with vehicle registration. Meanwhile, electric vehicles are exempt from the requirement for, well, obvious reasons.

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Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando...