Leitrim's NCT centre has the highest “fail dangerous” rate

Carrick-on-Shannon may not have the lowest NCT pass rate in the country, but it did have the country's highest “fail dangerous” rate, at 10.2% according to 2022 figures.

The Leitrim NCT centre is located beside Rosebank Retail park, Attirory, Carrick-on-Shannon. Derrybeg NCT centre in Donegal has the lowest success rate of 49 centres in Ireland, followed by Cavan centre.

Meanwhile, car owners in Deansgrange in Dublin were most likely to see their cars pass the NCT, with a success rate of 62.65%.  Across the country 1,396,024 cars were tested last year, a drop on the 1,418,852 inspections in 2021. A total of 14 testing centres had pass rates of below 50pc, while the national average was 54.29% in 2022 – up more than 1.5pc on the previous year.

The figures show a deep regional divide, with nine of the ten centres with the lowest pass rates all located in Connacht or Ulster.  Nationally,6.23% of all cars tested were deemed unsafe to drive after their initial test, an increase of almost 0.5% on the previous year.

Two-thirds of NCT centres increased their pass rate in 2022 compared to the previous year. Castlerea in Roscommon saw the biggest change, rising from 38.12% in 2021 to 45.81% last year. This was followed by Longford which saw a jump of 6.79%, and Arklow in Wicklow, where pass rates rose 4.71 percentage points.

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 80% compared to a 40% rate for cars 10 years and older.

The mileage of the car is also a factor as well as the use of the vehicle in different environments. A car with a high mileage used mostly in rural areas is particularly prone to failing the test.

Figures for 2021 showed that lighting and electrical issues were the most common fault; found in 35% 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.