Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 May 2023
77. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport if a person (details supplied) should have to take another NCT on the same vehicle three months after passing the previous test as a result of lengthy waiting times for a test, and where the certificate will have expired three months later in the same year; and the rationale as to why a car would be required to be tested twice within the same 12 months. [20279/23]
View answerIn respect of the duration of validity of National Car Test (NCT) certificates generally, under European Directive 2014/45/EU on periodic roadworthiness testing, Ireland, like all Member States, must comply with the minimum specified intervals for carrying out such inspections. This is given effect in Irish law by the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (SI 415/2017), as amended.
Regulation 3(2) of the 2017 Regulations provides that the initial test due date for a vehicle is determined by its registration date and subsequent test due dates fall on anniversaries of the registration date. Any certificate issued for that vehicle will be valid up to the test due date after the certificate is issued, not 12 months, or 24 months as relevant, from the date of testing.
Member States cannot unilaterally postpone test due dates without a derogation from the EU Commission. The only time a derogation has been granted to EU States was under Regulation (EU) 2020/698, in direct response to the Covid crisis in 2020, when test centres were closed to prevent the spread of the virus.
Permitting NCT certificates to be extended without inspections would place the State in breach of our obligations under EU law and may affect road safety, should the vehicle in question be unsafe to drive.
