Council hit out at NCT backlog

Cavan County Council is to write to Darragh O’Brien, the Minister for Transport, and the Road Safety Authority seeking a review of operations at National Car Test centres amid concerns over long waiting times and high failure rates.

The issue was raised at the council’s March meeting by Carmel Brady of Fine Gael, who said she had received numerous complaints from motorists facing delays of four to five months for tests.

“Most NCT centres are open seven days a week and up to 10pm so why the long waiting lists?” she wondered.

Driving without a valid NCT can result in fines and penalty points, which can “significantly affect your insurance” said Cllr Brady.

Recent 2025–2026 figures indicate a failure rate of around 58.4%, leaving the centre among the worst-performing in the country.

“It’s higher in Cavan than Monaghan and Kells,” she said.

Cllr Brady said the reputation of the Cavan centre has led some motorists to travel to other locations in the hope of passing their test. She also described cases where motorists bring their vehicle to the centre, identify issues, carry out repairs only to fail again at the retest. “This is causing frustration and annoyance to customers who are trying to follow the rules and regulations,” stated Cllr Brady.

Some garage men, she concluded, believe there is an alleged “financial racket” attached to the NCT centres and that they need to be monitored to a “much stricter standard than they already are”.

Her motion calling for the council to seek a review was seconded by fellow Fine Gael councillor Winston Bennett.

Support also came from Patricia Walsh of Fianna Fáil, who said repeated test failures are placing significant financial pressure on motorists, particularly younger drivers.