THE ROAD SAFETY Authority is to hike fees for a number of its services, including the NCT and the fee to receive a driving licence and a learner permit. 

The following fee adjustments will take effect from January 1, 2025:

• Driving Licence: Increase from €55 to €65
• Learner Permit: Increase from €35 to €45
• Full Test under the NCT: Increase from €55 to €60
• Retest under the NCT: Increase from €28 to €40
• Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test (CVRT): 15% increase in the pre-VAT cost

The CVRT test is mandatory for all vehicles that are used for commercial purposes, and the cost depends on the vehicle in question. For vehicles that weigh under 3,500kg, the cost before VAT is currently €92.91 for a full test – a 15% increase would mean that this will cost €106.85 before VAT is applied at 23%.

Vehicles with more than eight seats but less than 14 now face the cost of €193.82 for a full CVRT test before VAT. This will cost €222.89 in the new year. 

For a full breakdown of the current cost of CVRT for each type of commercial vehicle, you can see here. 

The RSA said that the fee adjustments are the result of business planning for 2025, including planned €18 million expenditure on “public interest activities and government priorities”.

These will be the first changes to costs of services since 2012, and in some cases since 2011, the authority added.

In November, it was announced that the RSA is set to be disbanded and split into two independent agencies in a plan that was approved by the government. 

An independent external review made the recommendations.

It also recommended that fees for RSA customer services – such as testing and licensing – be reviewed given the “current unsustainable funding model” for the agency.

The consultants said this is “likely to require an increase in fees in 2025 and modest increases in subsequent years”.

However, it recommended that fee increases should be conditional on substantially meeting service level targets.