Derrybeg NCT car testing centre has the nation’s lowest success rate

The NCT car testing centre in Derrybeg recorded the lowest success rate in the country last year, according to independent.ie. The centre in Derrybeg had an NCT pass rate more than 20pc lower than the country’s busiest inspection site last year. There are 49 NCT centres located in areas across the country.  

The centre was also found to have recorded the second highest “fail dangerous” rate in the country, at 10pc. A serious NCT failure can deem the car to be too dangerous for use in its current state and illegal to drive. Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim had the highest “fail dangerous” rate in the country, at 10.2pc followed closely by the Derrybeg-based centre. 

Seventeen test centres recorded a fall in NCT pass rates, with Derrybeg having had the sixth lowest pass rate in 2021, dropping a further 4.51pc, in 2022. Pass rates also dipped in the test centre in Letterkenny by 2.61pc last year in comparison to the 2021 figures.

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Across the country 1,396,024 cars were tested in 2022 compared to 1,418,852 inspections in 2021. A total of 14 testing centres had pass rates of below 50pc, while the national average was 54.29pc, in 2022 – up more than 1.5pc on the previous year.

The analysis of the figures by independent.ie shows that nine of the ten centres with the lowest pass rates are all located in Connacht or Ulster. 

A spokeswoman for NCT service operator Applus said that overall pass rates have “remained consistent over the years.” She told independent.ie that the test “is not a diagnostic of the condition of the vehicle and the responsibility rests with the owner to ensure a vehicle is maintained in a roadworthy condition, at all times, when in use in a public place.”

Among the reasons Applus cited for NCT failures was the age of the vehicle, with four-year-old cars having a pass rate of more than 80pc compared to a 40pc rate for cars 10 years and older. Mileage and the use of the car in different environments factor as well in the NCT success rate. A car with a high mileage used mostly in rural areas is particularly prone to failing the test.

“It has been found previously that an estimated one-third of customers do not service their cars before testing and the failure rate of these is on average 11pc higher than those that have been serviced ahead of the test,” the spokeswoman added.

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Figures for 2021 showed that lighting and electrical issues was the most common fault and was found in 35pc of all failed vehicles. This was followed by steering and suspension problems, found in almost one third of failed cars. More than one in four failed cars didn’t pass the “side slip” test, which measures how much a car deviates to the left or right by simulating driving on a straight, flat road without touching the steering wheel.

Anna Cullen of AA Ireland advised motorists to prepare before they bring their car to the NCT centre: “Clean the vehicle thoroughly, ensure tyres are at the correct pressure and the right tread depth, check the lights are working properly and make sure the engine is in a fit state to be tested,” she said.