The waiting times facing motorists in Clare for an NCT appointment are now among the highest in the country.
The latest figures from the National Car Test Ireland database also show that one in twelve cars inspected in this county since January recorded a dangerous fail result.
The average wait time for an NCT appointment in Ennis was 21 days at the end of July.
Motorists here faced the same fate if they opted to try their luck beyond the county beyond with wait times in Limerick City, Galway City and Nenagh all standing at three weeks.
Vehicle owners in Wexford faced the greatest backlog, with waiting times of over 30 days at Enniscorthy.
Of the 49 testing centres across the country, 58% had a lesser waiting time that Clare’s sole testing site.
However there was a significant disparity when attempting to book a test on NCT Ireland’s online portal, with the next available slot in the county town almost five months down the line on February 21st 2024.
In the year so far 23,103 vehicles have been tested in Ennis, with just over 50% passing on the first attempt.
A total of 9,942 motorists received a major fail while a further 1,888 were issued with a dangerous fail notice.
That means one in twelve vehicles which underwent an NCT in Clare since January could not be driven away from the test centre and had to pass a re-test within 30 days before being legally permitted to return to the roads.
