Over 71,000 cars classified as 'dangerously defective' by NCT during tests this year
Seán McCárthaigh
New figures show that almost 8% of all vehicles submitted for a NCT in the first half of 2026 were classified as dangerously defective – a total of 71,308 vehicles.
The proportion of cars deemed unsafe to be on public roads after being tested at the network of 50 NCT centres around the country between January and June is now at its highest-ever rate of 7.7% – up from 7.6% over the corresponding period last year and 7.3% in 2024.
The percentage of “fail dangerous” cars has grown annually from a low of 4.9% in 2020.
The figures show that approximately 1 in every 13 vehicles assessed by NCT testers during 2026 received a “fail dangerous” grade.
The NCT, which is a compulsory vehicle inspection programme for all cars over four years old, checks over 50 different items, including brakes, lights, steering, tyres, emissions and bodywork as well as windscreen wipers and seat belts.
The “fail dangerous” classification is applied to vehicles regarded as having a dangerous defect that “constitutes a direct or immediate risk to road safety such that the vehicle should not be used on the road under any circumstances".
Cars deemed “fail dangerous” will have a sticker stating their condition affixed to them by an NCT vehicle inspector, with motorists being advised they should have their vehicle towed away.
Research published by the Road Safety Authority last year revealed that 21% of vehicles involved in driver fatalities between 2016 and 2020 had at least one defect recorded by a forensic collision investigator, of which 13% had defective tyres.
On a county basis, the highest “fail dangerous” rate was in Clare with 9.6% – almost 1 in 10 vehicles – followed by Meath, which averaged 9.2%, although the NCT centre in Navan had the highest of any location, with 9.8% of cars tested classified as dangerously defective.
Only two counties recorded a “fail dangerous” rate of below 7% – Wicklow (6.7%) and Tipperary (6.9%).
The NCT centre in Deansgrange, Co Dublin, had the lowest “fail dangerous” level of any location with just 5.8% of cars deemed unroadworthy.
The figures show that more than 2,200 vehicles remained dangerously defective even after they were resubmitted for further checks at NCT centres in the first half of 2025.
On a positive note, the latest figures show a narrow majority of 931,000 vehicles checked in the first six months of the year passed the NCT – with the pass rate increasing from 49.5% in the same period in 2025 to 50.1% this year.
Figures collated by Applus+, which operates the National Car Testing Service on behalf of the RSA, show the 50% pass rate was only exceeded in ten out of 26 counties.
The highest pass rates were recorded in Limerick and Tipperary with 53.6%, followed by Wicklow (52.5%).
The average pass rate across the five NCT centres in Dublin was 52.4%, although the test centre in Deansgrange had the highest overall pass rate of any location in the Republic with 58.1%.
The lowest pass rates were recorded in Cavan and Clare with just 42.9% ahead of Carlow (44.7%) and Mayo (44.9%).
An RSA spokesperson said it was an offence to drive a vehicle with dangerous defects on public roads.
“Vehicle owners need to embrace year-round responsibility for maintaining their cars, rather than relying on the NCT to identify faults,” the spokesperson said.
He claimed surveys had continuously highlighted “the disappointing culture of vehicle owners using the NCT as a diagnostic tool.”
The spokesperson said such a trend contributed to inefficiencies in the system as well as increasing risks to road safety.
The RSA pointed out that details of a vehicle's NCT results are shared with the National Vehicle and Driver file and gardaí, which can use the information for enforcement purposes.
