NCT during the 2020/21 Covid19 pandemic

Gadgetman496

Autosport wrote: »

Do I just need to bring my driver’s license with me for the test? I haven’t had to do the nct in years

You need the vehicle registration cert too, although they rarely ask for it.

Autosport

Gadgetman496 wrote: »

You need the vehicle registration cert too, although they rarely ask for it.

Thank you

Sam Russell

I tried to book an NCT today - due 29th April - first NCT.

I was offered today, or May 14th or later. Is this the only way they are working?

I assume I will have to ring them, or should I just turn up?

Atlantic Dawn

Sam Russell wrote: »

I tried to book an NCT today - due 29th April - first NCT.

I was offered today, or May 14th or later. Is this the only way they are working?

I assume I will have to ring them, or should I just turn up?

Try checking after 9.30pm tonight, they release the cancelled tests around then each day.

Sam Russell

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Try checking after 9.30pm tonight, they release the cancelled tests around then each day.

The car has not done 500 miles in the last year, so it needs an Italian tune up to get it ready. I wonder if 5 km is enough?

zg3409

Sam Russell wrote: »

I tried to book an NCT today - due 29th April - first NCT.

I was offered today, or May 14th or later. Is this the only way they are working?

I assume I will have to ring them, or should I just turn up?

Its an offence to not have a valid nct so I would ring them, however if they put you on the cancellation list they give you a random day and time by text and it might not suit you.

Sam Russell

zg3409 wrote: »

Its an offence to not have a valid nct so I would ring them, however if they put you on the cancellation list they give you a random day and time by text and it might not suit you.

I'll give a month and retry. A cancellation would suit me as long as it is not too far away. It is more than two months away.

Ten Pin

I'll give a month and retry. A cancellation would suit me as long as it is not too far away. It is more than two months away.

Refresh Step 2 of the booking page every couple of hours and new appointments for earlier dates should appear....probably also depends on location of test centre.

tanko

Is the NCTS.ie website working properly and taking bookings at the moment?
I put in my reg, click on it ad nothing happens.

odyssey06

tanko wrote: »

Is the NCTS.ie website working properly and taking bookings at the moment?
I put in my reg, click on it ad nothing happens.

Yep worked fine for me just there.

Sam Russell

I booked a test, but I am a bit confused.

On the NCT website, it says that all test dates have been extended by four months. Does that still apply? And does it apply to first tests (2017 reg cars)?

Their website gives warnings about the test not being due even when it is due within 90 days. It is a very unfriendly website.

Ten Pin

Enter reg to check due date...
https://www.ncts.ie/1104/

The_Kitty

My nct was extended until may 4th but have an early one booked for saturday as you can do it 90 days before the test. My tax is out at the end of the month. My question is if it fails the test on saturday can I still tax it next week as it won't be officially without an nct cert til may? I want to see if it fails on anything expensive before taxing it for another year but i'd want to tax it for 3 months as i'll probably be a few weeks sourcing another car if i need to get one.

Seve OB

The_Kitty wrote: »

My nct was extended until may 4th but have an early one booked for saturday as you can do it 90 days before the test. My tax is out at the end of the month. My question is if it fails the test on saturday can I still tax it next week as it won't be officially without an nct cert til may? I want to see if it fails on anything expensive before taxing it for another year but i'd want to tax it for 3 months as i'll probably be a few weeks sourcing another car if i need to get one.

I think you can tax it.
That just requires insurance

sporina

Bit confused about my NCT - expires Fab 26th - but got a letter to say that all tests due on for after March 28th have been deferred for 4 months so now its due June 21st.. but my NCT was due before the above date - ???

Kimbot

sporina wrote: »

Bit confused about my NCT - expires Fab 26th - but got a letter to say that all tests due on for after March 28th have been deferred for 4 months so now its due June 21st.. but my NCT was due before the above date - ???

March 28th 2020

Sam Russell

Sam Russell wrote: »

I booked a test, but I am a bit confused.

On the NCT website, it says that all test dates have been extended by four months. Does that still apply? And does it apply to first tests (2017 reg cars)?

Their website gives warnings about the test not being due even when it is due within 90 days. It is a very unfriendly website.

I checked and the 4 month extension does not apply to vehicles first registered after 1st Aug 2016.

Hope that clarifies things for others.

KB22

The_Kitty wrote: »

My nct was extended until may 4th but have an early one booked for saturday as you can do it 90 days before the test. My tax is out at the end of the month. My question is if it fails the test on saturday can I still tax it next week as it won't be officially without an nct cert til may? I want to see if it fails on anything expensive before taxing it for another year but i'd want to tax it for 3 months as i'll probably be a few weeks sourcing another car if i need to get one.

You could tax it now if you like. You do not need an NCT to tax a vehicle, all they ask for is an insurance policy number!

witnessmenow

Sorry if it's been asked already but I'm a bit confused by the new date thing.

So my NCT was due in January but has been delayed, no problem with that

According to the NCT Website, my new date is 13 May, all good

But I receive a warning when I try to book a date for the test:

Warning
Warning! Your vehicle is not due! Please return at a later date to make a booking or select a date near your NCT due date.

But today is within 90 days of 13 of May (It's 80 days), has the 90 day thing been changed? I don't see anything about it on the site

EDIT: Actually never mind, I've no idea why they would show this as a warning, when I proceed, the next available date in my local center is May 5th!

odyssey06

witnessmenow wrote: »

Sorry if it's been asked already but I'm a bit confused by the new date thing.
So my NCT was due in January but has been delayed, no problem with that
According to the NCT Website, my new date is 13 May, all good
But I receive a warning when I try to book a date for the test:

I see the same warning, I assume it's just the website alert isn't clever enough to recognise the extended due date versus the 90 day window.

Sam Russell

odyssey06 wrote: »

I see the same warning, I assume it's just the website alert isn't clever enough to recognise the extended due date versus the 90 day window.

It does that without a delayed date. Just poor website design.

WestWicklow1

odyssey06 wrote: »

I see the same warning, I assume it's just the website alert isn't clever enough to recognise the extended due date versus the 90 day window.

That's exactly it.

spurious

Gik. Got the four month extension in Sept and have been caught out by the no reminder bit.
On the priority list so hoping I get a date soon.

In a vulnerable category - are all centres making people wait outside now?

**edit is it possible to get a relative to take it to the appointment instead?

Gadgetman496

spurious wrote: »

Gik. Got the four month extension in Sept and have been caught out by the no reminder bit.
On the priority list so hoping I get a date soon.

In a vulnerable category - are all centres making people wait outside now?

**edit is it possible to get a relative to take it to the appointment instead?

Yes it was always possible to get a relative or any 3rd party to take it to the appointment instead. Make sure whom ever presents has photo ID and the vehicle registration cert.

Yes most centres are making people wait outside now.

Cee-Jay-Cee

My NCT was due in January but was extended until May. If I test in May is the cert for 12 months or until next January? If it’s next January I’m not going to bother and test it next October and get 15 months rather than 7.

pippip

1yr from May

BlakeS94

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

My NCT was due in January but was extended until May. If I test in May is the cert for 12 months or until next January? If it’s next January I’m not going to bother and test it next October and get 15 months rather than 7.

Whatever date you get your passed certificate will be your new permanent NCT date. It can be anywhere between what was your due date and what is now your due date i.e if you test it in May 2021 you'll get a cert until May 2022/2023

Fogmatic

Can anyone clarify whether or not I'm currently regarded as 'vulnerable' by the NCT system? The only info I have about it (below) is via an email last November giving my deferred due date. I'm finding it a little ambiguous about over-70s, and don't know how up-to-date it is (quoted below). I've put in a Booking Request, and am hoping to find the answer in time for whenever they respond (I'm not sure if they ring or what?).

Long story short; I want to drive there myself. It's important to me to be able to get around, my NCT expires in 2 weeks (and may need a retest), and the earliest slots within a day trip on the NCT website are in June. Finding another driver is problematic (let alone at short notice, and lined up ready for whatever time of booking), but the budget doesn't run to risking being fined. (Though if it's a grey area, I feel logic is on my side, and I'd have no qualms about interpreting the guidelines my way, and not volunteering my age).

I've never been instructed to continue cocooning, but then a comma somewhere might have helped. (I don't know whether to imagine one after '70' or after 'condition'). I'm only vulnerable in the sense of being over 70, and am healthier and fitter than many under-70s (and the household is my husband and me, he's hardly left the house this past year or so, and we had our first Pfizer dose a week or two back). I don't know what the 'additional provisions' would be, but wouldn't like to make their task unnecessarily fiddly, or take up time at the expense of someone else. (And yes, that is the short story!). The FAQ in question;

Q; "I am over 70 or have an underlying condition and am instructed to continue cocooning. My
vehicle is overdue its NCT test, should I present my vehicle for test?"

A; "NCTS asks that vulnerable drivers and those with an underlying illness do not attend and that they organise for someone else to present their vehicle where possible. If they are unable to organise someone to bring the vehicle for testing, please make a member of staff aware of this at the time of booking so that additional provisions can be put in place on the day of the inspection. Whoever presents the vehicle for test must produce their own identification in the form of a driving licence.".

odyssey06

If you don't need to wait in the waiting room, your only indoors contact with anyone would be when you sign in \ present licence.
I didn't need to even show licence, just call out my driver number.

I assume you'll be wearing a mask, so they wouldn't have a clue if you are vulnerable or not.
If you need to use the waiting room, not sure what the process is there.

It sounds to me they just haven't updated their guidance since the initial lockdown \ cocooning.

Leave your windows open in the car for ventilation as per the advice.

Fogmatic

Thanks odyssey06. No, I shouldn't need to wait inside (I dress for the weather, and prefer a walkaround anyway). And I assumed the general Covid precautions would rule out the crowded waiting-room fug of old! Yes, I will be wearing a mask (second nature now when around people).

Think I'll play it by ear and just turn up, if I can get an appointment before expiry. If not, I'll just have to turn to the only other person I know who could take the car there, our mechanic. (He'd probably readily agree; very outdated views re women and cars, and glad of an outing. But I have reason to believe he's a lot more medically vulnerable than me, despite his younger age group).

Just found an old note about another booking I left rather late, saying to try online just before 8am and/or between 12 and 1, so meanwhile might as well try that.

Yes, their guidance does suggest dating from.the first lockdown (with its directive for all over-70s to cocoon).