Longest NCT wait - 14 weeks

THE MAXIMUM waiting time for a National Car Test (NCT) is now 14 weeks, according to SGS, the company running the tests. It was commenting after complaints from motorists that they had been given waiting periods as long as 18 weeks.

Motorists are potentially liable to receive five penalty points on their licences and fines of up to €1,500 if caught driving a car without a valid NCT certificate.

Waiting times began to grow rapidly after an announcement by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey that penalty points would be introduced for failure to have a valid NCT certificate in May of this year.

SGS said it had expanded the service and employed 22 more staff to handle the backlog.

But there have been ongoing complaints about the length of NCT waiting times. Neil Ogilvy of Wolf Tone Square in Bray, Co Wicklow, attempted to book a test on the NCT website in August and was given a date of November 8th, a 10-week wait.

Another motorist who wished to remain anonymous booked in Arklow, Co Wicklow, in early July and was given a test date in mid-November – a waiting time of 18 weeks.

A spokeswoman for SGS said average waiting times had increased dramatically after the May deadline for the introduction of penalty points but had been coming down since then.

SGS also advised motorists to call frequently seeking cancellations.