NI drivers face six-week MOT wait as delays grow by 29% in a year

Drivers in Northern Ireland are waiting 10 days longer for an MOT appointment than a year ago, new figures show.

The average time between booking a private car MOT and the test itself rose to 45 days in September 2026, up from 35 days in the same month last year, a year-on-year increase of 29%.

Waiting times have climbed through 2026, peaking in July and August at 49 days – that is the longest average wait since October 2024, when it stood at 53 days.

Across the first nine months of this year, the average wait was around 39 days, compared with about 33 days in the same period of 2025. The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) business-plan target is 35 days.*

The figures, acquired by CompareNI.com through a Freedom of Information request, show that 11 of Northern Ireland's 15 test centres saw a year-on-year rise in wait times for appointments.

Newbuildings, near Derry, saw the most dramatic increase over the 12 months to September 2026. It went from the centre with the shortest wait times a year ago (19 days) to one of the longest this year at 49 days – a rise of 158%.

Coleraine saw the second-biggest rise, with waits leaping by 81% year-on-year, up from 26 days to 47.

At the other end of the scale, drivers in Armagh waited six days less on average than a year earlier, down from 45 days to 39.

Overall, Enniskillen test centre has seen the longest waits so far this year, sitting at 50 days or above in every month from May to September. Drivers booking there in July waited an average of 61 days, the highest figure at any centre this year.

The latest figures come as the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) faces criticism for the backlog of MOT appointments at test centres across Northern Ireland.**

Two new MOT test centres at Hydebank and Mallusk, which will have the capacity to test 200,000 vehicles a year between them, have yet to open. The Department has said the delays are primarily due to the termination of the vehicle testing equipment contract.* In May, the DVA said it expected both centres to open within a year.***

Ian Wilson, car insurance expert and Managing Director at CompareNI.com said: “It is disappointing to see MOT waiting times in many parts of Northern Ireland getting worse.

“A six-week average waiting time means many drivers may struggle to get a suitable appointment at their local test centre and will possibly have to travel to centres many miles away from where they live.

“I would urge motorists to stay on top of their renewal date and even consider booking their test in advance, rather than waiting on a reminder letter. This will give drivers the best chance of securing an appointment and help take the stress out of the MOT booking process.

“Although the PSNI has agreed not to penalise drivers whose MOTs have expired if the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition and the driver can provide proof of a booked appointment, it can still create problems.

“Drivers can’t renew their vehicle tax without a valid MOT unless their car is covered by a Temporary Exemption Certificate, and many insurance policies require a valid MOT. Anyone whose MOT has run out while they wait for a test should check their policy or speak to their insurer to make sure they’re still covered.”

While the current average wait time is 10 days higher than a year ago, it remains much shorter than the peak in early 2024, when the average wait was 108 days in April of that year.

The introduction of Temporary Exemption Certificates (TECs) in June 2024 helped to significantly reduce the backlog, allowing motorists with eligible cars to continue to drive them legally, provided they are roadworthy, taxed and insured.****

This intervention, combined with staff recruitment and overtime,***** saw waiting times drop to a low of 28 days in 2025, before they started to climb again this spring.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has extended the use of TECs for certain five- and seven-year-old private cars for 2026/27, covering around 88,000 vehicles.****

CompareNI.com helps hundreds of thousands of drivers every year find savings on their car insurance.