More cars fail NCT than pass for fourth year in row

The fear of getting penalty points by drivers last year resulted in the busiest year on record for the National Car Test with almost 1.5m inspections carried out.

New figures show 1,492,176 tests were carried out at NCT centres nationwide last year — a rise of almost 148,000 on the previous year.

The statistics, released yesterday by NCT operator Applus along with a new-look website, also show that more cars failed than passed the test for a fourth year running.