Increased failures in the National Car Test last year contributed to bumper profits at the Spanish firm operating the test increasing by 11.5% to €4.9m.

When it comes to bagging a second-hand bargain, there’s no time like the present.

Motorists are facing a 10% hike in the NCT charge from next month.

AT a time when banks are struggling to find funds for legitimate business projects and house purchase it seems ludicrous for the Government to allow the advancement of finance for the procurement of new cars.

AN 11th-hour moratorium should be placed on a rule that all taxis must be less than nine years old, according to the Labour Party.

MOTORISTS importing cars into the Republic will face stricter registration rules from next month as part of a crackdown by the Revenue Commissioners on Vehicle Registration Tax fraud.

WITH five incriminating penalty points and fines of up to €1,500 hanging over drivers without a valid National Car Test (NCT) certificate, it is not surprising that motorists are worried over ongoing delays in getting appointments for the test.

MOTORISTS will only get penalty points for failing to have a valid NCT disc if they are stopped and charged by a garda, prosecuted in the courts and convicted, the AA has said.

The Road Safety Authority is proposing to introduce new elements to the National Car Test next year.

A LOOPHOLE is already threatening to drive the Government’s new parking space levy off the road after it emerged staff who pay their employers for the privilege of parking at their workplace will be exempt from the new tax.

TWENTY new cars registered in Ireland last year were worth more than €250,000.

DRIVING standards among Irish motorists appear to be worsening according to a report which reveals driving test pass rates have been continuously falling over the past few years.

AS hundreds of motorists daily continue to fail their driving tests, road safety chiefs are pledging to more than double test numbers this year.

GARDAÍ are catching drunk drivers at a rate of one every half hour in the run-up to Christmas.

The National Car Test is reportedly set to become mandatory for all imported second-hand cars.

PRIVATELY contracted driving testers began work yesterday hoping to knock more than 3,200 drivers off the test backlog over the next month.

A MAJOR road safety blitz aimed at Cork’s growing Polish community will be launched this week.

GARDAÍ have called on the Government to impose restrictions on the use of tinted windows on vehicles amid growing concern that they may assist both criminals and traffic offenders in avoiding detection.

New regulations covering the National Car Test are taking effect from today.

EX-JUNIOR Transport Minister Ivor Callely’s last campaign to take “boy racers” off the roads has been kicked to touch in an overhaul of the National Car Test system.

ALMOST one-in-four foreign-registered cars in Ireland does not comply with vehicle registration requirements, according to the Revenue.

The Government is reportedly planning to outlaw car modifications that are much-loved by so-called "boy racers".

IRISH motorists spent €30 million sitting the National Car Test last year, with half of all drivers failing at the first attempt.

ALMOST half of all learner drivers failed their driving test last year, according to the Department of the Environment.

MOTORISTS staged a city centre protest this weekend against the National Car Test (NCT) and “the absurd nature of car failures on trivial points”.

THE National Car Test system will be thrown into disarray in 10 days as workers begin strike action in a dispute over the company’s use of hidden cameras and private detectives.

CAN’T offer you a lift today. Sorry. My car is out of commission. It has to go through its National Car Test later in the week.

THOUSANDS of cars on our roads have potentially lethal defects, figures show.

The Government has announced plans to introduce changes to the National Car Test from next Monday.

Fine Gael is calling on the Government to establish a dedicated accident investigation unit to tackle Ireland's road fatality trends.

NATIONAL Car Test (NCT) mechanics are clamping down on old bangers with more than 60,000 pre-1992 registered cars failing the test this year.

UNSCRUPULOUS motor dealers are fixing up and selling imported cars branded write-offs in Britain in a scam described by industry insiders as “absolutely disgraceful”.

The Government has announced the first changes to the National Car Test.

National Car Test mechanics are returning to work this morning after a ten-week-old dispute.