DUBLIN, Ireland: New data shows that nearly eight percent of all vehicles tested under Ireland's National Car Test (NCT) in the first half of 2026 were found to be dangerously defective. This equals a total of 71,308 vehicles.

Between January and June, 7.7 percent of cars tested at 50 NCT centers across Ireland were judged unsafe to drive on public roads. This is the highest level ever recorded, slightly up from 7.6 percent during the same period last year and 7.3 percent in 2024.

The share of vehicles given a "fail dangerous" result has increased every year, rising from 4.9 percent in 2020. The figures show that about one in every 13 vehicles tested in 2026 received this rating.

The NCT is a required inspection for all cars older than four years. It checks more than 50 parts of a vehicle, including brakes, lights, steering, tires, emissions, bodywork, windscreen wipers, and seat belts.

A "fail dangerous" result is given to vehicles with serious defects that create an immediate risk to road safety. This means the vehicle should not be driven under any circumstances.

Cars that receive this rating are given a warning sticker by an inspector. Drivers are advised to have the vehicle towed instead of driving it.

Research from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) last year found that 21 percent of vehicles involved in fatal crashes between 2016 and 2020 had at least one defect. Of those, 13 percent had faulty tires.

By region, County Clare had the highest rate of dangerous failures at 9.6 percent, nearly one in 10 vehicles. County Meath followed with 9.2 percent, while the test center in Navan recorded the highest rate of any single location at 9.8 percent.

Only two counties had rates below seven percent: County Wicklow at 6.7 percent and County Tipperary at 6.9 percent.

The NCT center in Deansgrange, in Dublin, had the lowest rate of dangerous failures, with just 5.8 percent of cars judged unsafe.

The data also shows that more than 2,200 vehicles were still dangerously defective even after being retested in the first half of 2025.

On a more positive note, just over half of the 931,000 vehicles tested in the first six months of 2026 passed the NCT. The pass rate rose slightly from 49.5 percent in the same period in 2025 to 50.1 percent this year.

Figures collected by Applus+, which runs the NCT system for the RSA, show that only 10 out of 26 counties had pass rates above 50 percent.

The highest pass rates were in Limerick and Tipperary at 53.6 percent, followed by Wicklow at 52.5 percent.

Across five NCT centers in Dublin, the average pass rate was 52.4 percent. The Deansgrange center had the highest overall pass rate in the country at 58.1 percent.

The lowest pass rates were recorded in County Cavan and Clare at 42.9 percent, followed by County Carlow at 44.7 percent and County Mayo at 44.9 percent.

A spokesperson for the Road Safety Authority said that it is illegal to drive a vehicle with dangerous defects on public roads.

The spokesperson said that vehicle owners should take responsibility for maintaining their cars throughout the year, instead of depending on the NCT to find problems. He added that surveys had repeatedly shown a disappointing habit among drivers of using the NCT as a way to diagnose issues.

He explained that this behavior makes the system less efficient and increases risks to road safety.

The RSA also noted that NCT test results are shared with the National Vehicle and Driver File and with the police, known as gardaí, who can use the information to enforce the law.