i had to do a smog test for my 1 year anniversary of owning a new car. it is a 2015 model from a different manufacturer, acura, in my case, and it was visual inspection only. i asked the guy, because i'm used to having actual measurements performed each time. if a car is new enough then they only do a visual inspection. i don't know the details of how "new enough" is determined, though.
i've seen this also when having fire extinguishers inspected; ones that are only a year or so old are also only visually inspected only.
In NY the first year is safety only; but year 2 and on are emissions + safety (depending on the county you register your car in, some never need emissions). The safety inspection only costs $10; IIRC the emissions + safety is $37.
i've seen this also when having fire extinguishers inspected; ones that are only a year or so old are also only visually inspected only.