72-year-old car among 1.4 million NCTs last year - and it passed first time

Cars that were four years old were the most common to be tested at almost 164,000, with almost 12,000 of those coming back for retesting. File picture: Dan Linehan

A 72-year-old car was among the nearly 1.4 million NCT test and retests carried out last year, netting just under €90m in charges overall.

The oldest car to be tested passed first time, but three 40-year-old cars needed another go, figures released to Kerry TD Brendan Griffin via parliamentary question show. Of almost 1.4 milion NCTs, some €76.7m was raised from motorists, while a further 462,000 retests brought in nearly €13m.

Broken down into years, cars that were four years old were the most common to be tested at almost 164,000, with almost 12,000 of those coming back for retesting. The test costs €55 with a further €28 for retesting. Some 30% of all retests were free because they did not require the use of test equipment.

Cars that were 13 years old were the second-most tested at almost 159,500, with more than 70,000 having to go again for retesting.

There were three 40-year-old cars that were tested and then retested, the figures show. Two 42-year-old cars, along with one 43- and 44-year-old car, passed first time.

Delays in testing have led to complaints from motorists throughout the country that they cannot book online at present before their NCT expires, with some waiting six months or more before an online slot in their county opens up.

The Covid-19 hangover, along with a lack of new car sales and a struggle to recruit staff, has left the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) with a backlog, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

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The NCTS "has found it increasingly difficult to recruit sufficient qualified mechanics to meet the demand”, the RSA said. Gardaí have said if a motorist is driving without a valid NCT but can prove a scheduled test date, a garda "will take this evidence into consideration".

Junior transport minister Hildegarde Naughton told Mr Griffin last month that the Department is "very aware of the serious challenges" currently to meet demand and address delays.

The Department "will continue to monitor the RSA's progress to reduce test delays closely as part of ongoing corporate governance processes", she said.