The National Car Test (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''An tSeirbhís Náisiúnta Tástála Carranna''; abbreviated NCT) is a roadworthiness test, which all cars in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

must undergo. Following a tender process, the

Road Safety Authority The Road Safety Authority (RSA; ga, Údarás Um Shábháilteacht Ar Bhóithre) is a state agency formed by the Irish Government to promote road safety within the Republic of Ireland. The agency has devolved control of much of the work of the D ...

awarded the National Car Testing Service contract for the operation of the vehicle inspection service in the Republic of Ireland to ''Applus''.

History

The National Car Test (the NCT) was introduced in 2000, since then all cars four years and older must undergo an NCT. Th
NCT due date
is calculated by reference to the date of first registration of the car, with tests due every two years for cars younger than 10 years. Annual Testing was introduced in June 2011 and is now a legal requirement for vehicles that present for their 10th anniversary test and each subsequent test. Vehicles can be inspected up to 90 days in advance of the anniversary of the registration date. The waiting lists have proven to be long, with even the 'priority list' taking in excess of a month.

Procedure

The NCT is available in 47 centres around the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

and it tests various aspects of cars for safety, including tyres, brakes and shock absorbers. It also tests the exhaust fumes for compliance with EU emissions standards. Other safety features, such as the spare tyre, seat belts and lights are also checked. As of 2012, the fee for the NCT is €55 for a full test, and €28 for a re-test that requires testing equipment (e.g. emission levels, aiming of headlights, etc.). Re-tests that do not require the use of test equipment (such as obscured registration plate, faulty windscreen wiper, etc.) are free of charge. However, if a confirmed appointment is cancelled with less than five working days' notice (Mon. - Fri., not including the day of the test or the day you contact NCTS), or failure to show up for the test, a €22.00 surcharge will be applied when the car is next brought in for testing. A similar surcharge of €11.50 will apply in the case of a re-test. Upon successful completion of the test a valid NCT certificate is issued and this must be displayed on the front windscreen of the vehicle. A driver without a valid NCT on their car will incur three penalty points and a fine of €60, if paid within the first 28 days, and €90 if paid within the following 28 days. Thereafter, if the fine is not paid, a court appearance becomes mandatory and if convicted, five penalty points and a fine will be imposed by the court. This system was introduced on December 8, 2014, where previously all offenders were immediately faced with a mandatory court appearance and five penalty points upon conviction, in addition to a fine. Enforcement is the responsibility of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

. Local authorities can (in theory) refuse to issue a tax disc to a vehicle not having an NCT certificate and insurance companies could (in theory) declare cover for an untested (or failed) vehicle invalid. There are exemptions for certain categories of vehicles such as vintage cars (registered before 1980) and vehicles based permanently on some offshore Islands. NCTS centres are run by Applus Car Testing Services, who are independent of the motor industry. If applicants cannot get an NCT appointment within 28 days of applying for it, the test is undertaken free of charge. This is assuming that the applicant: # Has not declined another appointment more than twice at a centre of their choosing. # Has not previously accepted a booking outside of the 4 week period.

Statistics

In August 2017 the Irish ''Sunday Independent'' reported that the best performing car in 2016 tests was the Nissan Juke and the worst the Hyundai Trajet. The same article revealed the existence of a data visualisation of 2016 NCT results.

Similar tests

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, motor vehicles are subject to the

MOT test The MOT test (or simply MOT) is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom for most vehicles over three years old. In Northern Ireland the equivalent requirement applies after ...

, which is the standard in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

.NCTS website
''Homepage''
retrieved on December 21st, 2012

References

External links