A motorist complained that their car was refused an NCT after a tester warned that revving the engine might cause it to “explode”.
Other disgruntled car owners claimed their vehicles were damaged during the test, with drivers reporting unexplained warning lights, malfunctioning windscreen wipers, and a squealing noise from a back wheel.
The complaints were among nearly 70 submitted to the Road Safety Authority about the NCT service in the first eleven months of last year.
In one, a furious motorist wrote about how their new car had just successfully passed the roadworthiness test only to find the certificate was valid for only three months.
“I was informed that this was due to the previous owner not testing the vehicle on time. I find this explanation and policy extremely unfair and unreasonable,” they write.
Another person described how they were driving home happily after a successful test only to hear “a squealing noise” from their back wheel.
“I would like to know please what remedies [are] open to me in this situation as I think it’s unfair,” they explained.
One driver said their car had passed the test with “no bother” but while driving home, a flashing light indicated the bonnet was open.
However, when they inspected the car, it was closed correctly and it was clear that there was a fault with the warning system.
“Because the car thinks the bonnet is open, the windscreen wipers are not working properly hence the car is unsafe to drive,” they said.
Another person wrote of a Kafkaesque situation where they were never given an NCT disc and received a message “thanking [them] for choosing digital.”
After multiple phone calls, including one to a “very rude man,” they were told they would have to pay €15 to have a new cert printed.
“I was furious at the way I was treated … I had already paid the €90 and do not see why I should have to pay more money for something I did not get,” they wrote.
One driver quibbled over an indicator light that was not working on the wing mirror on their car.
They said it was their understanding that the law only demanded that two indicators were working at the front and the rear.
“If it is not a legal requirement,” they asked, “Can the NCT legally fail a car if the [wing mirror] indicator is not working.”
One person raised concerns about the history of a car they had been sold by a garage in Northern Ireland.
They took it for an NCT just three months after buying it and the clutch needed to be replaced.
An email said: “We have checked up some information about this car and some of [the] service history is missing, and [the] log book had to be replaced. We are worried that the mileage may be incorrect.”
Another motorist actually queried why the roadworthiness test was not stricter as their car passed without issue despite having worn down brake pads.
“Should the NCT centre not have observed that they were worn? What if I had an accident?” they asked.
One person was unhappy with the manner of their tester after they asked for more information about why their car had failed.
“I found his manner changed to the point where I found him rather aggressive; he went and got a printout of the original test result and basically threw it across the counter at me,” they wrote.
Asked about the records, a spokesman said: “The NCTS is committed to providing the highest standards of customer service, and in the context of 1.75 million full tests completed in 2025, the volume of NCT complaints to the RSA is relatively low”.
“The RSA places strong emphasis on customer experience, and ongoing monitoring shows that satisfaction remains high. The latest survey indicates that 92% of customers were satisfied with the service that they received,” he said.
“While the NCTS strives to ensure a positive experience for every motorist, the RSA acknowledges that there will be occasions where it may not be possible to meet every customer’s expectation,” he added.
Reporting by Ken Foxe
