Suggesting the NCT should be scrapped because of a high failure rate has been branded as 'extreme' by a mechanic.
Cavan NCT Centre reported the highest failure rate last year at 59%, with Derrybeg NCT Centre in Donegal following closely behind at 56%.
Operated by Spanish company Applus, the NCT service was introduced in 2000 to prevent road accidents caused by faulty vehicles.
Independent Cavan Councillor Shane O'Reilly has said the test should be reevaluated - and most likely scrapped.
Crofton Motors owner Joey Donnelly told Lunchtime Live such a call to scrap the test should be taken in context.
"I think the Councillor's comments are probably in the context of looking at a 50% fail rate," he said.
"It may be a little extreme to say something is unfit for purpose because of a high fail rate.
"You could [make] the argument that 50% of cars failing... if a certain amount of those were dangerous, and we've kept those cars off the road, is that potentially going to save lives?"
'Engaging with garages'
Mr Donnelly said he believes people shouldn't wait for an NCT to have their car serviced.
"I obviously deal with this every day of the week, so I see the reality of cars coming in and out and the standard of vehicles presented to us by customers who use the NCT as some sort of servicing to tell them what's wrong with their car.
"They really should be doing that and engaging with garages.
"An NCT is only a picture of a car at a window of time... the responsibility is really, really heavily on the owner.
"I think that's something culturally in Ireland that we're probably not as good as in other countries in terms of actually knowing the maintenance of our own car and what's involved.
"In other, colder countries they would be really informed about tyre choices - they have winter, summer tyres, off-season tyres - and they would be actively involved in their own management".
'One size fits all'
Mr Donnelly said relying on a warning light to know what's wrong is like "walking into a doctor and saying, 'Tell me what's wrong with me by looking at my face'.
"You don't know until you do an examination of a vehicle what's wrong with it.
"With any of these things it is a yard stick, it is a barometer".
Mr Donnelly said as the NCT is a 'one size fits all' test "it's never going to be right."
"You are always going to have those nonsense stories of [cars failing the NCT] for CDs being stuck in [players], or 'I had the car with my mechanic and he said it's fine, and it failed the NCT on 10 items'".
According to legislation, a car must get an NCT every two years once it is four years old and every year when the car is 10 years old.
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