Over 1.5 million NCT’s were carried out in 2023, (1,588,003 to be precise) and nearly half of those (747,820) failed on the full test.
We’ve looked at the failure hotspots, the pass highlights, and the top reasons for failed tests…
As well as overall NCT failures, your vehicle can fail because of a dangerous defect that poses a direct or immediate risk to road safety. It is illegal to drive a vehicle with a dangerous defect.
The top reason for failures was steering and suspension, which accounted for almost 15% of failures. Lighting and electrical faults were a very close second, with fails for the slip slide test coming in third. (The Side Slip Test simulates driving on a straight, flat road without touching the steering wheel. The test measures how many metres a vehicle would deviate to the left or right over a distance of 1km.)
The most tested vehicle make in 2023 was Ford, with 171129 Ford models being put through their NCT. Of the 50% that failed, the majority did so on lighting and electrical defects.
We’ve looked at the makes that received the most passes or fails on their full NCT tests (looking at all car makes that had over 500 vehicles tested). Of course, the age of the vehicle, usage, mileage and the care the owner has taken will all play a huge part in whether it passed the test.
The National Car Test (NCT) is a compulsory vehicle inspection programme in Ireland. Cars older than 10 years must undergo an annual inspection, while vehicles younger than 10 years must be inspected every 2 years.
The National Car Test helps to reduce the number of road accidents by identifying defects such as faulty brakes, worn tyres and defective headlight aim. The test also helps to improve air quality and protect the environment by reducing exhaust emissions.
The Explanatory Notes for the NCT Vehicle Inspection Report explain each test clearly.
If your car fails its NCT and the cost of repairs are more than the value of the car, scrapping your car may be the best option. You can get an instant quote and arrange free collection of your car.
