Irish motorists are facing lengthy backlogs trying to book an NCT appointment with some of the earliest dates months away.
Many car owners who have tried using the online system have been given a test date in the summer - with some NCT centres even offering August as the earliest available date.
Yesterday, the Irish Mirror tried to book an NCT appointment online and the earliest date we could get was six months away, in June.
READ MORE: 'I tried booking my NCT at five different centres and the earliest date I could get was JUNE’
However, there are two a little-known tricks to get your car booked in for an NCT appointment at a much earlier date.
While most customers use the online booking system, there is another way to book the test.
If you pick up the phone and call the NCT centre, you can get a much earlier appointment as not all test slots are released online.
The second way to speed up the process is to go online and place your car on the priority list. The company which runs the NCT service claims you should get an appointment within four weeks.
On the official NCT Ireland Twitter page, they are advising customers to do exactly this, writing: "Should you require an earlier appointment than online, please contact NCT on 014135992 or go online and place your vehicle on our priority list, we will endeavour to get you an appointment within the next 28 days."
On their booking website, the NCT service advised that some customers may only see appointments for mid-2023 as they only post around one-third of the appointments online.
The website states that the remaining two-thirds of appointments would open up two weeks ahead when they finalise staff schedules for the week.
A spokesperson for Applus+, the company which runs the NCT service, said: "NCTS are experiencing high demand at present, however, test appointment slots for the next number of weeks are being released continually across all NCT centres, and many slots become available through cancellations or rescheduling of appointments.
"Some customers who go online may only see appointments for mid-2023, however, if they require an earlier appointment than those available online, we are asking them to go online and place themselves on the priority list. The option to add your vehicle to the Priority list can be found during the booking process. The vast majority of customers who use the priority list receive an appointment within 4 weeks.
"You can find a full breakdown of the booking lead time for each test centre on the following link.
"Every effort is being made to manage the demand at this busy time, including the recruitment of additional vehicle inspectors and the provision of overtime to provide cover for leave and additional shifts for staff."
READ NEXT:
'We lost an angel' - Ashling Murphy remembered ahead of anniversary of death
HPSC confirm Kraken variant of Covid-19 has been identified in Ireland
Rory Cowan says Tommy Tiernan should apologise over controversial joke
Drag star Panti Bliss will dance as Rory O'Neill on Dancing With The Stars
Ireland battling medicine shortage with 'not a cough bottle left in country'
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
