Almost half of cars inspected at Letterkenny NCT centre passed last year

Over 23,000 cars were tested in the Letterkenny NCT centre with 44pc of them failing due to a major fault with another 48.65pc passing, during 2023. Owners of 1,676 vehicles which were inspected at the Letterkenny NCT centre found a failed dangerous sticker affixed to their vehicle after the test, last year. 

A dangerous fail is classed as where “the vehicle has failed the test because of a dangerous defect that poses a direct or immediate risk to road safety.”

Recent figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) state that 52,315 vehicles were tested across Donegal last year. Of those vehicles, 24,992 passed, 23,320 failed due to a major fault and 3,832 failed due to a dangerous defect. The four test centres in the county are located in Derrybeg, Donegal Town, Letterkenny and Carndonagh. 

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

However, only 551 cars were found to have failed in the dangerous range in Derrybeg while 1,080 were found to be in that category in Donegal Town and 516 in Carndonagh. 

There are a total of 50 national NCT centres in the country. 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. 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.