Every single driver who waited months for an NCT slot in 2022 was legally entitled to a free test. Not one of them got it.
That’s not a conspiracy theory. The RSA admitted it on RTÉ’s This Week programme in January 2023. Zero free tests issued during all of 2022. Meanwhile, Applus+ collected the full €60 fee from every single one of those drivers — drivers who, under the NCTS Customer Charter, should have paid nothing.
The reason? The rule was “relaxed” — their word — during Covid-19 staff shortages. No press release. No text message. No email. Nothing. You just paid up and kept your mouth shut, because what choice did you have?
What the Customer Charter Actually Says
The NCTS Customer Charter is fairly clear. Citizens Information spells it out: “if you request an NCT appointment within 4 weeks and it cannot be provided, you are entitled to have the test carried out for free.”
That’s a €60 saving. The kind of money that fills a tank of petrol. The kind of money that matters when you’re already worried about your insurance being void if she fails and you can’t legally drive her home.
The rule was quietly reintroduced in October 2022. But here’s the catch — it didn’t come back quietly enough for most drivers to notice, and it never applied automatically anyway.
The Part Nobody Tells You
Simply waiting 28+ days in the standard queue does not trigger the free test. That’s the bit that catches people out.
You have to be on the official Priority List at the time you make your request. If you booked normally and then waited three months — and loads of people did — you get nothing back. The system is set up so that most people don’t qualify, even when they should.
Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson James O’Connor called Applus+ out on it, demanding they honour the charter. Fierce amount of good it did, but at least it’s on the record.
If you’re stuck on a long wait right now, the NCT cancellation slot scanner is worth using — it monitors for freed-up slots and alerts you the moment one appears near you, which beats refreshing ncts.ie at 2am.
NCT Fee Schedule 2026
| Situation | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard full NCT test | €60 |
| Re-test (requires lane equipment) | €40 |
| Re-test (visual-only defects) | Free (within 21 days) |
| No-show / late cancellation (periodic test) | €24 extra on next booking |
| No-show / late cancellation (re-test) | €16 extra on next booking |
| Wait over 28 days (on Priority List) | Free test |
How to Actually Claim Your Free Test
This only works going forward. You can’t go back and reclaim the €60 from 2022 — that ship has well and truly sailed. But if your cert is due soon and the wait is pushing past four weeks, here’s exactly what to do.
- Go to ncts.ie and add your vehicle to the Priority List when booking. Don’t just book a standard slot — you have to opt into the Priority List specifically, or you won’t qualify.
- Keep a record of the exact date you first requested an appointment. Screenshot it. Write it down. You’ll need this if you have to follow up.
- If 28 days pass and you still haven’t got a slot, contact NCTS directly and reference the Customer Charter by name. Don’t be vague about it.
- The free test is applied by Applus+ automatically at the point of booking — but again, only if you were on the Priority List from the start. There’s no claiming it after the fact.
Check the NCT backlog update to see current average wait times by county — it’ll give you a better sense of whether you’re likely to breach the 28-day threshold in your area.
Which Test Centres Are Under Pressure?
Urban centres are still the worst. Dublin, Cork, Galway — all of them regularly push past the 28-day mark, especially from February through to June. If you’re in the west, the Limerick test centre is one of the busier ones in Munster, and waits there have hit 10–12 weeks at peak periods.
The NCT locations page has up-to-date information on all 47 test centres around the country, including which ones tend to have the shortest queues. Worth checking before you commit to your nearest centre — sometimes driving an extra 30 minutes saves you six weeks of waiting.
Look — if you’re sitting there thinking the whole thing is banjaxed, you’re not wrong. The charter exists. The entitlement is real. But the system is built around the assumption that most people won’t know to ask, won’t be on the Priority List, and won’t push back. Don’t be that person.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the NCT re-test fee in 2026?
The NCT re-test fee is €40 if the re-test requires lane equipment. If the defects are visual-only — things like a missing reflector or a cracked lens — the re-test is carried out free of charge, provided you return within 21 days of the original test.
Am I entitled to a free NCT if I wait more than 28 days?
Only if you’re on the official Priority List when you make your appointment request. Simply being in the standard queue for 28+ days doesn’t qualify you automatically — that’s the part the NCTS doesn’t exactly shout about. You have to have proactively joined the Priority List first.
How do I request a free NCT under the customer charter?
Join the Priority List during your booking on ncts.ie — not after, during. If 28 days go by without a slot offer, contact NCTS directly and cite the Customer Charter by name. Keep a screenshot or written record of your original request date. Without that, you’ve no leg to stand on if there’s a dispute.
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