About 50% of the cars that came for NCT testing last year failed due to ‘old age’

DUBLIN: About 50% of the vehicles that came for NCT inspection failed. According to the Road Safety Authority, the biggest obstacle to success was the age of the vehicle.

Analysis of the 1.4 million NCT results for 2019 shows that one of the lesser known models of Japanese carmaker Nissan was the most successful vehicle in last year’s NCT tests.

Nissan Pulsar had an overall pass rate of 84.5% for the full test. RSA figures show that only 50% of the vehicles that arrived at the NCT last year passed the full test. The pass percentage for the last two years was 49.2%.

In 2019, a total of 1.39 million cars were tested. 695,000 vehicles failed the entire test. Of those, 92,523 (6.7%) reported dangerous failures. The most common defect found in cars submitted to the NCT last year was a malfunction in the front suspension.

According to the Road Safety Authority, the Mazda CX-5, the Opel Mokka and Skoda Rapid are the other products that scored 80% marks. The most common model, the Ford Focus, had a success rate of 46.9%. 78,000 cars passed the test. Pass rates for under-12s, including Seat Cordoba, the Chevrolet Kalos, Volkswagen Bora and Vauxhall Vectra, were less than 30%.

Among car manufacturers, the Dacia has the best pass rate. This Romanian brand has a combined success rate of 68.9% with its various forms. Lexus (60.0%) and Skoda (56.7%) also performed well. The lowest pass rate was for Chevrolet (31%).

Car’s age matters

Statistics show that the most important indicator of a car’s NCT is its age, not its construction or model. All of the Dacia cars that arrived at NCT last year were from 2015. In the first experiment conducted four years later, 80% of them were successful. The 2014 models were 74% successful and the 2013 registration was 71% successful. Of the 16 pre-1960 vehicles at the NCT, only five were successful.

The 1932 Rolls Royce was the oldest NCT to pass last year. But the oldest car dedicated to the NCT was the 1929 model Plymouth. Made by US car-maker Chrysler, the brand has failed all tests, including safety devices, steering, suspension, lights and tracking.