Find out if the car has a valid NCT and is taxed

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Why you should check if a vehicle is taxed and NCT'ed?

Motor tax is an annual duty payable on all road vehicles and is a legal requirement in Ireland. If you own a car you are legally required to display evidence of your road tax

Once someone has paid their tax on a vehicle, they are issued with a motor tax disc. This will be a tax disc displayed beside the NCT disc and insurance disk in the front of the window of your car. Not paying the tax and displaying the tax disc may result in a fine or further prosecution.

The new motor tax system for private cars based on carbon dioxide emissions was introduced on July 1, 2008, and is used to care for uptake and upgrading of the roads of Ireland.

How to check if the vehicle you own is taxed?

Steps to renewing motortax online

  • Access Motortax.ie

  • Vehicle Registration Number

  • Personal Identification Number (PIN)

  • Vehicle Insurance Details

  • Credit / Debit Card Details

 

1. Click on the highlighted MOTOR TAX module displayed in the top left and you will be brought to the login page as seen below.

2. Enter the vehicles registration number and a pin to retrieve your tax information. 

3. Once you enter your registration number you will be provided with the tax band and cost of annual Taxation, semi-annual Taxation, quarterly Taxation and arrears per month. 

This page will also highlight the Licencing Status Details of the vehicle and indicate if tax is required and if a tax disk has already been requested and if it has been posted to the applicant. 

Motortax.ie will post your tax disc within four working days of the transaction being done online. If you have any queries about this transaction, please use one of the following options:

  • Click Login and enter your vehicle registration number and PIN to check its progress

  • Email motortax@dttas.ie with your vehicle registration num

Check if the vehicle you want to buy is taxed

To reveal the annual cost of taxing the vehicle you can get a free car history check from MyVehicle.ie. If a consumer proceeds with purchasing the report, we will disclose the expiry date of its existing disc and previous tax disc expiry dates. The report will also detail tax gaps, highlighting when it may have been off the road, and many other details (see following example).

Check if your own vehicle is taxed

However, if you are in the market for a car but don’t know the registration you can also check the cost of the taxation at the MotorTax website. Simply select what type of vehicle it is - i.e. Standard Private - and then you will be provided with a list of costs. 

Cost of annual motor tax

If you want to find out the cost of motor tax, you can simply head to the motor tax website and enter the vehicle's registration number and a pin to retrieve your tax information. Once you enter your registration number you will be provided with the tax band and cost of annual Taxation, semi-annual Taxation, quarterly Taxation and arrears per month. 

Is my car taxed and when is it due? 

Unsure of when your car tax is due to be renewed? Want to check if your car is taxed? Fortunately, you can now check if your car is taxed and when you need to pay the car tax in a matter of seconds through the MyVehicle website.

Remember that all vehicle owners must pay the due car tax to drive their vehicles on Irish roads. The cost of the car tax may vary, based on the model, year, make, and value of the car. Also, keep in mind that the amount you pay could change from year to year. Vehicle owners can choose to pay the car tax as a lump sum payment for the entire year, bi-annually or monthly. 

However, a single annual payment is the most affordable way to pay off your car tax. 

If you need to pay your road tax, all you need to do is visit the MyVehicle website and login with your vehicle registration number and PIN. Make sure you have your vehicle registration number, personal identification number, email address, vehicle insurance details, and debit/credit card with the billing details handy before logging in. 

Will you have to pay a penalty if your vehicle hasn’t been taxed?

To drive your vehicle on Irish roads, you are required, by law, to have paid the motor tax. Further, you must also be able to display the evidence for having paid the tax. Failure to do so is considered a motoring offence and will result in a spot fine. In addition to the fine that you will need to pay, keep in mind that untaxed cars are also at an increased risk of being towed away or clamped - and the resulting clamp removal or release of the car will mean added charges. 

Why you should check if a vehicle is NCT’ed?

The National Car Test (NCT) in Ireland is a compulsory test for your car and it is an offence to drive a car without completing this exam and displaying a National Car Testing Service disc.

Not completing the test may result in a fine or penalty points so it is extremely important that you know how to check if the car you own or a car you want to buy has done the NCT exam.

The due date for your car NCT is determined from the first time you register the car. For cars younger than ten years old it is a legal requirement that tests are done every two years and for vehicles older than ten years it is completed annually.

Check if your own vehicle is NCT'ed

If you own the vehicle and you want to check the NCT status, simply look at the national car testing service disc displayed on the front of your car.

When a car successfully passes the NCT, a valid NCT certificate disc is given to the owner which must be displayed on the front window of the car.

On the national car test website you can check the NCT due date of the car by going to the NCT website and following the 4-step process. Search, Booking, Payment & Complete.

Enter the vehicle registration number into the display box and you will find out the due date of your NCT as well as your expiry date.

After identifying your vehicle as below you can then complete your booking online in no time.

How to check if the vehicle you want to buy is NCT'ed?

If you decide you want to buy a used car you may want to verify if the vehicle you want to buy has its NCT completed. There has been an increase in the amount of fake NCT certificates on cars so it is vital to check that any vehicle you may be thinking of purchasing does have a valid NCT.

Our website provides an NCT status check on reports for customers which will display the annual running cost of the vehicle which includes the estimated cost for your NCT.  The history check report will show if the vehicle is currently NCT'ed and also the expiry date, so you can avoid buying a car with a fake NCT certificate.

 

Cost of National Car Test (NCT)

The NCT uses a prepayment system with pre-authorisation so the test fee will only be taken off your credit/debit card when your vehicle is checked in at the test centre.

The cost of the test is €55 and a re-test costs €28. Re-tests, which do not require the use of test equipment, are free, for example, a visual inspection to check to see if windscreen wipers have been replaced.

In the event that you cancel your confirmed appointment with less than five working days notice (Mon. - Fri., not including the day of the test) or fail to show up for the NCT test, you will be charged €22.00 and this will be automatically applied to your card or when you next bring your car in for testing. A similar surcharge of €11.50 will be applied in the case of a re-test.


How To Check If a Vehicle Is Taxed?

One way is to purchase a car reg check which will show you the tax status of the vehicle. The MyVehicle.ie history check will tell you if the vehicle is currently taxed, the next tax expiry date, the tax category, annual road tax cost and tax expiry history. This is very important as it will flag up if the vehicle has had tax gaps. 

How To Check If My Car Is Taxed?

Go to MotorTax.ie and enter the vehicles registration number and a pin to retrieve your tax information. You will then be provided with the tax band and cost taxation.  It’s important that you perform an Ireland car tax check and pay the due amount, to avoid paying a fine.

What Motor Tax Information is Provided In A MyVehicle.ie Car History Check?

MyVehicle.ie provides the following NCT and Road Tax information on Car History Checks. These include current tax status, next tax expirey date, tax category of the vehicle in question, annual road tax cost breakdown and the tax expirey history. 

Tax Information on a Car History Check

How To Find Out The Annual Running Cost of a Vehicle? 

To find out the estimated annual running cost of any vehicle, get a free car history check from from our website

How To Know When a Car Is Due An NCT?

Go to the national car test website and follow the simple 4-step process where you will find the NCT due date. Just type the car's registration into the box and you will get the NCT due date. At nct.ie you can also add in your details to get a reminder when your nect NCT is due.

How Much Does The NCT Cost?

The NCT test costs 55 euro with a re-test costing €28 euro with visual re-test without use of equipment being free. If you cancel your test with less than 5 working days notice you will be charged €22 and subsequently an €11.50 surcharge for if you cancel or fail to show up for the re-test.

How To Check If The Vehicle You Want to Buy Has a Valid NCT?

Go to MyVehicle.ie, purchase a full vehicle history check and this will tell you if the vehicle currently has a valid NCT and also the expiry date of the certificate.

What Happens If I Don't Pay My Motor Tax?

What happens if you drive without paying the road tax and are caught by the authorities? By law you are required to display a Motor Tax Disk. If you are not exempt from paying the road tax, you are required to have paid the due tax amount. Failure to display the tax disc on your vehicle is considered a motoring offence and will result in a €60 Fixed-Penalty which can be administered by the Gardaí as well as Traffic Wardens. Failure to pay the fine and the road tax will result in an increased fine, and the authorities may clamp your car, which will only be released after you pay the due tax and fine. You can do a car tax check and pay the due amount on the MyVehicle website. 

How is the car tax amount that I am required to pay calculated?

If your motor vehicle was registered prior to 1 March 2001, the road tax you need to pay will be calculated as per the engine size of your vehicle. For a motor vehicle that was registered anytime after this date, the road tax will be calculated as per the fuel type and CO2 emissions. You can do a car tax check and pay the entire due amount through the MyVehicle website. 

I am selling my car. Will I be recieveing a tax refund?

If you happen to cancel your car at any time during the year, you will receive a refund, which will correspond to the number of full months remaining. 

How Can I Tell When The Road Tax I Paid Will Expire?

By law, you are required to renew your road tax every year. However, you can choose to make the payments on an annual or bi-annual basis. You can check if the car tax is nearing expiry and pay the due amount on the MyVehicle website. 

What does the car check on the MyVehicle website include?

You can perform a free car check or a comprehensive car check on the MyVehicle website. The free car check will tell you the actual registration number of the vehicle (so you can check for discrepancies), a brief description of the vehicle, the body type and colour of the vehicle, the year that the car was registered, the various records we hold on the vehicle, and the estimated running costs. The free report will also indicate the previous mileage readings. 

The comprehensive car check will include a full vehicle identity check, Irish finance check, insurance write-off check, road tax check, NCT/CVRT status check, imported vehicle checks, damage alert, stolen car check, hackney/taxi check, number of owners and owner types check, recorded model modification, previous inquiries and more. For the complete list of what our comprehensive car check covers, click here

Author

Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader in automotive intelligence and vehicle data supply to the entire motor industry. He has almost 20 years experience in building systems from the ground up. As the Managing Director of Vehicle Management System, he understands the need and importance of trustworthy and reliable vehicle history and advice to both the trade and the public.
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