A fail at the NCT feels worse than it usually is. About half of cars do not pass at the first attempt, and many of those fails come down to a few items that can be put right in an afternoon. The trick is to read the result properly, fix what is listed, and go back with time to spare.
Read the sheet before you do anything
The test centre gives you a report covering every item it checked, with each failed item listed and a short description. Take a photo of it on your phone so it is always with you, and go through it line by line. Note which side of the car each item refers to, front or rear, and whether it was found on the test equipment (brake rollers, headlamp aim, emissions) or by eye.
Fail Dangerous is a different thing
Most fails mean the car needs work before it can pass. An item marked Fail Dangerous is more serious: the tester judged the car unsafe to drive until that fault is fixed. If you see it on your sheet, do not drive the car across the city to a garage and back. That is exactly when a mechanic who comes to the car is worth calling.
What tends to come up
The NCTS annual report for 2024 lists tyres, front suspension and steering linkage as the most common visual fail items that year. Other things the test checks, and that can fail on the day, include:
- Braking effort, or a difference between the left and right side
- Bulbs, headlamp aim and the number plate light
- Wipers and washers
- Worn suspension bushes and ball joints
- Warning lights still showing on the dashboard
Some of these take five minutes. Others, like suspension parts, take longer and need the parts ordered first. We tell you which is which before we start.
The retest: check the window and the fee
The NCTS decides how long you have to bring the car back and what a retest costs. Both are on your result sheet and on ncts.ie, and they can change, so check them there rather than going by what someone was told a few years ago. Book the retest once the work is done, so a delay with a part does not push you past the window.
Can the work be done at home?
Often, yes. Lights, wipers, many brake jobs at home, some suspension parts and a lot of the smaller items on a fail sheet can be fixed on your driveway or at your workplace. Some need a lift, an alignment rig or a workshop. Send us a photo of the fail sheet and we will go through it with you and say what we can do at the car and what needs a garage.
Keep the paperwork together
Keep the result sheet, the receipts for parts and a short note of what was done. If anyone asks at the retest, you can show what was replaced, and it is useful the next time the car is due.
Before you go back
- Clear a warning light only by fixing its cause; a light that returns on the day can fail the car again
- Walk round with the lights on, using our printable NCT checklist
- Bring the fail sheet with you
- Leave enough time to reach the centre without rushing
A hand with the list
Ring us with the fail sheet in front of you. We go through it with you and agree the price of each item before any work starts. To avoid the fail next time, a pre-NCT check at home covers the same ground before the test.
087 452 4853