Revealed: 300,000 motorists still waiting for NCT; 40,000 in Cork alone

Nationwide, around 1.5m cars are due to be tested this year but some 300,000 motorists are waiting for an appointment

A check of the NCT website today, Monday, suggests that the next available appointment slot for the Little Island testing centre in Cork is in September. Stock picture: Dan Linehan

More than 300,000 motorists across the country, including 41,000 in Cork, are waiting to have their vehicles tested for roadworthiness, latest figures show,

Some 34,909 people are awaiting their NCT date, with a further 6,303 on a cancellation list in Cork alone, according to figures obtained by Sinn Féin as the National Car Testing Service struggles with the backlog across the country.

As of April 5, 301,895 tests were booked across the country, with a further 41,940 on the waiting list, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in response to a parliamentary question from Cork North-Central Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould.

Around 1.5m cars are due to be tested this year, but “multiple factors have caused a build-up of demand and recruitment issues due to a shortage of mechanics have constrained capacity, as NCTS has been unable to carry out as many tests as planned”, said RSA chief operations officer Brendan Walsh.

About 300,000 motorists across the country, including some 41,000 in Cork, do not yet have a date for the mandatory NCT test. Stock picture

“Customers should carry proof of their test booking confirmation or of being on the priority list to produce to a member of An Garda Síochána if required.”

Mr Gould called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to carry out a review into the NCT system. Mr Gould said:   

The long delays that people are experiencing are causing havoc across the country. 

According to the RSA, the overall average waiting time last week for an NCT was 25.59 days.

A cursory check on the NCT website for Cork as of today, Monday, suggests that the soonest time for the Little Island testing centre is in September, while Blarney has a date for the end of October.

Dublin has nearly 95,000 cars booked in for a test, with a further 19,500 on the waiting list.

Mr Gould said consideration must be given to temporarily allowing an extra year before new cars must have their first NCT.

“That would certainly go some way to reducing the huge wait time faced by people,” he said. 

“The additional staffing at NCT centres and longer operating hours are welcome and will help, but the backlog is being compounded by more older cars falling due faster. An intervention in the system will be required to get it under control.”