The number of NCT’s failed dangerously in Clare has increased by 25% in the last twelve months.
New data shows the next available date for a national car test in this county is now over 3 months away.
The national car test is a compulsory assessment that applies to private motor cars to ensure vehicles are roadworthy and meet environmental standards.
A vehicle is not required to undergo an NCT until it’s four-years old, after this a test takes place on a bi-annual basis, while vehicles ten years or older must be tested every year and vehicles 40 years and older are exempt.
Since January, approximately 26,523 full tests have been carried out at Clare’s only NCT centre in Ennis.
Of these, just 12,237 passed at the first time of asking, while over 11,697 vehicles recorded a major fail and 2,589 vehicles failed dangerously, representing a 25% increase on the 2,069 dangerous fails recorded last year.
There are 50 NCT centres nationwide and currently Ennis has the tenth-highest dangerous fail rate in the country, while the closest centres to Clare by distance at Limerick and Galway come in at 6th and 8th on the list respectively.
Overall, the current pass rate at the Ennis NCT Centre is just 46%.
In the case of a dangerous fail , a vehicle is considered to pose a direct or immediate risk to road safety and must be repaired and re-inspected within 30 days – It’s illegal to drive a vehicle with a dangerous defect.
At present, exactly 300 motorists in Clare have penalty points on their licence for the offence of driving without a valid NCT certificate.
Dangerous fails generally involve issues which greatly impair breaking and steering or affect handling and grip such as low tyre tread depth.
Over 14,400 re-tests have also been conducted in the Clare centre this year, 26% were free of charge visual inspections that did not require use of a testing lane.
Of the 10,725 full re-tests carried out in this county since January, 86% passed, while 13% returned a major fail.
This means that despite receiving a fail sheet outlining defects that require urgent attention, 88 vehicles have recorded a dangerous fail result in Clare on more than one occasion this year.
Based on a full-test cost of €55 and full re-test charge of €28, motorists have paid up to €1,759,065 for NCTs in Ennis this year.
According to the NCT’S Customer Charter though, if an NCT appointment is requested within 4 weeks and cannot be provided, you are entitled to have the test carried out for free.
The next available date for an NCT in Ennis is currently over 3 months away on January 2nd 2025.
