Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
404. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if his Department has examined the financial burden placed on motorists, particularly lower-income households and owners of older vehicles, arising from NCT retest fees and associated repair costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35006/26]
View answerUnder the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the operation of the National Car Testing (NCT) service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
In 2024, my Department commissioned Indecon Economic Consultants to carry out an independent, external review of the RSA. This review was presented to Government and the report was published in November 2024.
In total, the review made 34 recommendations, including that fees for RSA services should be set to ensure customer-focused activities are self-sustainable and cost-reflective. The review noted that this was likely to require an increase in fees in 2025 and modest increases in subsequent years.
The RSA has been largely self-funded since 2014 and the vast majority of the Authority’s funding comes directly from income for customer services such as driver testing, driver licencing and the NCT service.
Arising from the recommendation of the Indecon review, the fees for certain RSA services increased on 1 January 2025 to raise additional revenue and improve the RSA’s financial position. This included the fees for an NCT full test and re-test and were the first fee increases since 2012.
