CarAlert

How it works

Three journeys, one privacy promise

CarAlert does three separate jobs: it lets anyone privately flag a safety issue with a vehicle, it lets you watch your own vehicles, and it reminds you before your NCT and motor tax fall due. Each is built so no one learns who owns or watches a plate.

The reporter

Flag a safety issue — anonymously

You spot a car with a boot left open, lights on, or a flat tyre. You enter the reg and choose a structured safety reason. That is all. You never see who owns the vehicle, and you are never shown who else may be watching it.

A

Enter the reg + reason

Pick from a short list of safety reasons. Free-text is limited and moderated — no links, phone numbers, threats or personal data.

B

We route it privately

If the vehicle is watched, the alert reaches the watcher instantly and privately. Your identity is never revealed to them.

C

You get the same reply either way

You see a generic confirmation. It looks identical whether the plate has zero, one, or many watchers.

The generic confirmation is the whole point

A reporter can never use CarAlert to learn whether a plate is registered, watched, or by whom. Every report returns the same message. There is no public “is this plate registered?” lookup and no public plate directory — by design.
The vehicle watcher

Watch your own vehicle

Add a vehicle you own or are responsible for and confirm it in a quick check. From then on, any community safety alert about that vehicle reaches you — and only you and anyone you have chosen to share with.

A

Add and confirm

Enter your Irish reg and a private nickname. We match on a secure key, never a public list. Confirmation keeps a stranger from claiming your plate.

B

Receive alerts privately

If someone reports a safety issue, you are notified. The recipient never learns who reported it.

C

Share with family

Reasonable family sharing is included, so a partner or parent can get the same alerts for a shared car.

Not a shaming or enforcement tool

This is for genuine safety and courtesy alerts about a vehicle’s condition — not for reporting bad driving, settling disputes, or contacting a person. There is no public feed, no leaderboard and no open chat.
Reminders

Never miss NCT or motor tax

Save your NCT and motor-tax dates once and we nudge you before each deadline, with a one-click link to the official service. These reminders give you real value from day one — before the community network is dense in your area.

A

Enter your dates

Your NCT due date and motor-tax expiry are user-entered and user-confirmed. We do not scrape official registers or claim to verify the date ourselves.

B

We nudge you early and often

NCT reminders at 90, 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before and on the day. Motor tax at 30, 14, 7 and 1 days and on expiry, plus limited overdue nudges.

C

Act on the official site

Every reminder links to NCTS or Motor Tax Online. Mark it done and we set the next cycle.

NCT remindersMotor-tax reminders

We are independent

CarAlert is an independent service. We are not affiliated with the NCTS, the RSA, the Department of Transport, Motor Tax Online, or An Garda Síochána. Official services remain the authoritative source for your NCT and motor-tax status — we simply remind you and link you there.

Set up your vehicle in under two minutes

Free reminders and private community safety alerts — no PIN, VRC or VIN ever required.

Add my vehicle