Number of dangerously defective cars on Irish roads at record levels

Latest NCTS figures also show the pass rate for the full test has fallen to its lowest level in five years at 50.6% — down from 52.9% in 2023 and the recent high rate of 54.3% in 2022.

The number of dangerously defective cars being driven on Irish roads has reached a record level, with more than 128,000 vehicles being classified as “fail dangerous” when submitted for a NCT last year.

Figures published by the National Car Testing Service show a total of 128,548 cars were found to be unroadworthy to a dangerous level while being checked at a NCT test centre during 2024.

The number of dangerously defective cars represented 7.42% of all vehicles checked by the NCTS in 2024.

It is the highest level of unroadworthy cars detected in recent years, with the proportion of “fail dangerous” vehicles having grown annually from a low of 4.9% in 2020.

The latest figures also reveal 3,965 unroadworthy vehicles were again classified as “fail dangerous” when they were submitted for a re-test in 2024.

A vehicle categorised as “fail dangerous” is considered a direct or immediate risk to road safety such that it should not be used on the public road under any circumstances.

A sticker stating “Failed Dangerous” will be affixed to the vehicle by a NCTS vehicle inspector, who will also inform the motorist why and how their car is dangerous and unroadworthy.

According to Applus+ which operates the NCT on behalf of the Road Safety Authority, NCTS vehicle inspectors will also advise the owners of dangerously defective cars to have them towed away from the centre.

The company said customers are also read a statement that if they drive the vehicle off the premises, the NCTS will inform An Garda Síochána.

Applus+’s communications manager Sinéad McKeon said the reaction of motorists with a “fail dangerous” vehicle is mixed, with some ignoring the warnings and driving off.

She said the high level of “fail dangerous” vehicles is probably linked to people not servicing their car on a regular basis.

“People don’t check on their car in advance of going in for a test and they are using the NCT as a diagnostic tool instead of getting their vehicle serviced first,” she added.

Some of the main reasons for a vehicle receiving a “fail dangerous result” include badly corroded bodywork; bald, bulging or damaged tyres; brake fluid leaks; car doors that do not close properly and brake lights not working.

At a county level, the highest share of “fail dangerous” vehicles last year was recorded in Cavan, where 11.9% of cars tested were dangerously defective — a total of 1,831 vehicles — followed by Leitrim (10.3%), Clare (9.7%) and Monaghan (9.4%).

The lowest proportion was found in Offaly (6.1%); Kildare (6.3%); Louth and Waterford (both 6.7%); Dublin and Wicklow (both 6.8%) and Kilkenny (7.0%).

Pass rate at lowest level

The latest NCTS figures also show the pass rate for the full test has fallen to its lowest level in five years at 50.6% — down from 52.9% in 2023 and the recent high rate of 54.3% in 2022.

A record number of 1,732,095 vehicles were tested last year — an annual increase of more than 144,000 full tests.

A majority of vehicles submitted for a NCT in 11 of 26 counties passed the test.

However, the lowest pass rate was recorded in Cavan, where fewer than two in every five vehicles passed the NCT with just 39.4%.

The highest pass rate was recorded in Offaly at 57.3%.

The NCT, which was introduced in 2000, is designed to reduce the number of road deaths by identifying defects in vehicles as well as enhance environmental protection by reducing harmful vehicle emissions.

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The most common fault detected during checks on more than 1.7 million vehicles last year related to steering and suspension, which affected 15% of all vehicles, followed by lighting and electrical (14.2%) and the side slip test (12.3%) which checks on wheel alignment.

About 10% of all vehicles submitted for a NCT in 2024 recorded a problem with their wheels and tyres with a similar proportion also having some type of fault with their brakes.

Private vehicles must undergo a NCT test when they are four years old and every two years thereafter until their 10th anniversary, after which they need to be tested annually.

The RSA stresses the NCT does not replace or remove responsibility from the owners of vehicles to ensure their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition at all times.

It also points out that the test should not be used as a substitute for the regular maintenance that needs to be carried out on a vehicle.