Three brands of hybrid-electric vehicles no longer require smog checks every two years or when they change owners, California's Department of Consumer Affairs said Wednesday in a statement. State officials said the affected cars include all model years of the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius. "This exemption eliminates the inconvenience of reporting to a referee for all owners of relatively new, environmentally friendly vehicles," department director Charlene Zettel said in the statement. "We encourage the use of vehicles with lower emissions and better fuel economy." The department said more hybrid-electric vehicles will be added to the list as they receive information from manufacturers.