Have your Registration Number Plates Compliant for the NCT Test and some other tips.

Don’t cancel less than 5 working days before the scheduled NCT Test date

If you cancel a confirmed appointment less than 5 working days beforehand or if you don’t show up for the test, a €22.00 surcharge will be added the next time you bring the car for the test and €11.50 will apply to a re-test.

Don’t leave it more than 30 days to get the NCT re-test

If your car failed the NCT test and requires a re-test, you must bring the car back for the re-test within 30 days, otherwise the full test has to be repeated and you will be charged the full test charge of €55.00 again.

Check your number plate

Check that your number plates comply with current regulations. You may fail your NCT if your number plate is missing, not secure or the registration is not clearly visible. If the numbers are the wrong size or the numbers, letters or background are an incorrect colour, this may also cause you to fail your NCT test.

Top up fluids

Check that the oil, engine coolant, steering fluid, brake fluid and windscreen wash are topped up. These are usually clearly labelled under the bonnet and should be easy to top up. Make sure to fill to the recommended levels.

Clean your car

Clean your car inside and out. Make sure that the lights, windows, mirrors and registration plates are clean. You should also clean under the body of the car with a brush.

Make sure the boot is empty and remove any unnecessary belongings from inside the car that may get in the way of the tester. If child seats are left in the car, the tester will check that it is fitted correctly and you may fail the test if it's not.

Check Seat Belts

Ensure that seat belts are fully visible and in good condition. If the seatbelt is frayed or cut it may result in failure.

Check your lights

Arriving with blown bulbs is an instant failure so it’s a good plan to check all bulbs prior to the test. With the car on, check your indicators, parking lights at the front and back, the light over the number plate, fog lights, brake lights and the dipped and dimmed headlights.

Check that all light covers are fitted and not damaged or contain moisture inside.

Your number plate light and front light should be white in colour, indicator light should be amber and stop light should be red. The stop lights should also be brighter than tail lights.

Next, you should check the headlamp alignment; this was the 3rd main reason for failures in 2014, so it's very important to remember to have this correct when doing your NCT.

Check your tyres

Remove the wheel hubcaps, this is only for wheels where the wheel nuts are not visible.

For general road safety, it’s important to ensure your tyres are in good condition. Tyre condition is one of the biggest NCT failure reasons so inspect them carefully. Visually check that the threads are not worn or damaged, there are no bulges and the thread depth is not less than 1.6mm at the middle of the tyre. Also, you should find out the correct pressure that your specific tyres should be inflated to. If there are any issues with your tyres you should get them replaced.

Check your suspension

In 2014, the biggest reason for failure was issues with the front suspension. If you are not comfortable checking the suspension, bring it to a mechanic.