Driving with no NCT

You'll be fine. Technically illegal, but there are issues getting NCTs for years now, so unless you are giving the powers that be a reason to find fault with you, it's fine.

You'll be grand, have the booking printout with you but it's very unlikely you'll need it. Just don't act the arse.

My understanding is that as long as your NCT is in date it doesn’t matter if you have failed a subsequent test, the original NCT is still valid.

But there is no law that says you can drive to and from an NCT centre or mechanics without a valid NCT regardless of you having repairs to carry out. You need to NCT your car before the test expires so that you still have a valid NCT while driving to the NCT and for repairs etc.

But there is definitely a law that says you can drive a car thats been declared off the road. So you can drive without tax for NCT purposes as long as its been declared off the road.

Don’t get me wrong tho I don’t follow this advice as I will probably never be caught or prosecuted and its not really enforced anyway.

You can’t. Brexit

I did in 2019. They did a like for like swap. Didn’t have to NCT ‘til the following year. This was pre brexit though I’ve just realised. It’s probably changed alright.

The only people who had issues with the NCT where ones who didn't call or go on the waiting lists and that was only during COVID, there where no appointments online but I don't know anyone who didn't get an NCT test before theirs expired when they called or went on the waiting list. Looking recently and there where tests slots available the next day in several test centres around Dublin.

The OP needs to check their insurance policy to see if they can drive semi legally.

Just for completeness, re-posting my response to the OP which was in the Helpdesk forum

legally, no. There's only one instance where you can legally drive
without a valid NCT - if you've failed a test, you can drive the car up
to midnight (this is to allow you to get the car to a garage for
repairs). Open to correction, but that's my understanding

That said, if stopped on the way to a test a Garda would likely let you carry on if you show proof.

BTW this is the wrong forum for your query, better to move it to Motors

it's in the legislation, section 3

https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/si/415/made/en/print

I think I’ve read section 3 a few times now and still can’t see it. Can you copy & paste the sentence? Would be interesting to see

(9) Subject to paragraphs (4) and (7), section 18 and these Regulations do not apply to a vehicle—

.

.

.

(d) on the day on which a test certificate in respect of the vehicle had been refused,

Seems pretty clear cut to me

I put it to you the law does matter….

The law doesn't require an NCT for the first 4 years of a cars life - does that mean it's not covered if the insurance policy specifies it needs a valid NCT?

Strange, because paragraphs 4 and 7 seems to only be referring to taxis and limousines

Subpara 9 is subject to (4) and (7) meaning that for vehicles in those categories, the rest of sub para 9 only applies to the extent not contradicted in (4) or (7), otherwise it applies to all vehicles.

I took it that paragraphs 4 and 7 refer to section 18 of the road traffic act 1961…but I could be wrong