What is the Dutch APK inspection?

How do you find your expiry date?

Check the expiry date in the RDW registration lookup or on your last inspection report. How often an inspection is required depends on the vehicle, so use the date for your registration.

The APK assesses the car at the time of inspection. Servicing follows your car’s maintenance schedule. Arrange both when they are due.

Open the RDW registration lookup, enter the registration number and check the expiry dates and history tab. Record the exact date and compare it with your report if available. Your booking date and the legal expiry date are separate.

RDW says you can have the car inspected up to two months before expiry while keeping the usual expiry day and month for the next inspection period. This gives you time to find a garage and plan any repairs.

You receive a report after the inspection, even if the car fails. Ask which items caused a failure and which are advisory. If it fails, ask for a separate quote for repairs and any retest.

There is no national fixed inspection price. Ask what the inspection costs for your registration and whether extra tests are included. Ask for a separate service quote if you book both on the same day.

You have just bought a used car

Look up the expiry date and keep the report if you have it. This tells you when to make an appointment even if the seller said the inspection was still valid.

Check that your garage has availability well before the expiry date.

Reading the APK report

An APK report can contain repair and advisory items alongside the result. Read them separately. A repair may already have been carried out during the visit, while an advisory item may need attention later. The workshop can tell you what prompted the advice.

Before the appointment, check whether the expiry date in the RDW vehicle lookup matches your own reminder. Ask whether the workshop will call before adding work.

Check the date on which the result was registered. If the car stays at the workshop, it can differ from the booking date. Before collecting the car, ask whether the inspection has actually been completed. A repair job sheet does not establish that on its own.

Comparing inspection and retest charges

Your car passes, but the report includes a tyre advisory. Ask which tyre it applies to and what the inspector found so that you can arrange a targeted follow-up.

Compare the included tests and any retest charges before choosing between two inspection quotes.

Ask whether you can collect the car the same day. A retest may take longer if a part has to be ordered. Arrange alternative transport if the expiry date is near and the car may need to stay at the workshop.

Check the lights and mention visible damage or warning messages when booking. Let the workshop assess what they mean for the inspection. If the vehicle fails, ask what was found and what the process and cost of retesting would be.

Keeping the report and invoice

Keep the inspection report together with the invoice so that you can recover both the result and the work carried out.

For a tyre advisory, record which wheel it applies to. Ask for a reading or a description of the wear. The tyre shop can then focus on the right side and you can compare its findings with the original inspection advice.