FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2025
Contact:
Lyz Bantilan, Public Information Officer, (805) 979-8283
Old Car Buy Back Program Now Offering $2,200 for Cars 2002 or Older
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District’s (APCD) popular Old Car Buy Back Program has undergone a major upgrade, and is now accepting vehicles model year 2002 or older and is now paying participants $2,200 per vehicle. Previously, only cars model year 1997 or older were accepted, and participants were paid $1,000.
Since 1993, APCD’s program has purchased vehicles from Santa Barbara County residents looking to retire their older cars, which produce more pollution than newer versions. The program has cut nearly 1,000 tons of smog-forming pollution by removing more than 8,100 older cars off the road.
“With the increased cost of used cars, these program changes are critical to entice people to retire their old, polluting vehicles and replace them with cars that use cleaner technology,” said APCD Executive Director, Aeron Arlin Genet. “Cleaner cars mean better air quality in Santa Barbara County and throughout California. Under this program, people can put that $2,200 toward the purchase of a newer, cleaner car or they can pocket it and take advantage of alternative transportation options like riding the bus or a bicycle.”
Funding for this program comes from vehicle registration fees designated for local air districts. APCD will pay $2,200 for 2002-or-older gasoline or diesel cars, light-duty trucks, vans, or SUVs, if certain conditions are met. Those conditions include, but aren’t limited to:
- Vehicles must be registered in Santa Barbara County for the past two consecutive years;
- Vehicles must be in working condition; and
- Vehicles must be smog-certified.
The old cars are crushed by a licensed auto dismantler, permanently removing them from the road. APCD works with five dismantlers in Goleta, Lompoc, and Santa Maria.
For more information, including a full list of requirements, call (805) 979-8271
or visit APCD’s website: www.ourair.org/old-car-buy-back-program.