Derrybeg NCT Centre ranked second highest for full test failure in '23

The NCT Centre in Derrybeg ranked the second highest spot in the country for NCT failure rates with 56pc of cars not passing the full test in the Gaoth Dobhair-based facility, in 2023. 

A total of 747,820 vehicles did not pass the full test in the Cavan NCT Centre which ranked the highest in the country with 59pc of vehicles failing there, last year.

There are a total of 50 national NCT centres in the country. Navan and Ballina recorded a failure rate of 55pc each, while Clifden in Co Galway recorded the fifth-highest at 54pc, according to the National Car Testing Service.

Introduced in 2000, the NCT aims to reduce the number of road deaths by identifying defects in vehicles. The test is conducted every two years for vehicles under 10 years old and every year for vehicles which are older than 10 years.

The average waiting time for a test is currently 12 days, according to the National Car Testing Service website. 

A spokesperson for Applus, the Spanish company that operates NCT tests in Ireland, told the Irish Independent: "The NCT pass/fail rates have consistently been approximately 50pc since the NCT was introduced in 2000, although we noted a small increase in the pass rate during the Covid period, which we attribute to lower vehicle usage (wear and tear on vehicles) between tests.

“The waiting list for appointments for the NCT was effectively eliminated before Christmas, although we recognise that we are now entering into the busiest period for the NCT, as vehicles are due on the anniversary of their registration and vehicles tend to be purchased early in the year."