Knowledge base
Dutch car terms from A to Z
50 termsUpdated
50 terms
A
- APK (Dutch MOT test)Technical
- The APK (Algemene Periodieke Keuring) is the mandatory periodic roadworthiness test in which an RDW-approved garage checks that your car meets minimum safety and environmental standards.
B
- Battery State of Health (SoH)Technical
- State of Health (SoH) is a battery's health as a percentage: how much capacity it still has compared with when it was new.
- BOVAGOrganisations
- BOVAG is the Dutch trade association for car businesses such as dealers and garages; complaints about members can go to the Geschillencommissie Voertuigen.
- BPM (Dutch car registration tax)Taxes
- BPM is a one-off Dutch tax paid when a car is registered in the Netherlands for the first time; the amount depends mainly on its CO2 emissions.
C
- Cash payment ban (contantverbod)Legal
- The contantverbod means that since 1 January 2026, traders such as car dealers may not accept or make cash payments of €3,000 or more for goods.
- Catalogusprijs (catalogue price)Value
- The catalogusprijs is the official new price of a car including VAT and BPM, plus accessories fitted by the manufacturer or importer before first registration.
- Company car tax (bijtelling)Taxes
- Bijtelling is the amount added to your taxable income when you also use a company car privately, calculated as a percentage of its catalogue price.
- Conformity (conformiteit)Legal
- Conformity means a car you buy must match the agreement: it must have the properties the buyer could expect on the basis of what was agreed (art. 7:17 BW).
- Consumer sale (consumentenkoop)Legal
- A consumentenkoop is the purchase of goods, such as a car, by a private person from a seller acting in the course of their business or profession.
D
- Dagwaarde (current market value)Value
- The dagwaarde is what a car is worth on the market at a given moment, based on age, mileage, condition, specification and demand.
- Dieseltoeslag (diesel surcharge)Taxes
- The dieseltoeslag is the extra tax on diesel cars: €114.83 per gram of CO2 above 69 g/km in BPM (2026), plus a fuel surcharge in road tax (MRB).
- DigiD (Dutch government login)Organisations
- DigiD is the Dutch government login you use to prove your identity online, for example with the RDW and the Belastingdienst (tax authority).
E
- Energy label (energielabel)Environment
- The car energy label uses a letter from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) to show how economical a car is compared with cars of similar size.
- Euro emission class (emissieklasse)Environment
- The emissieklasse, formerly called the euroklasse, uses a number to show how clean a vehicle's exhaust emissions are; the higher the number, the cleaner.
F
- FOCWAOrganisations
- FOCWA is a Dutch trade association for car body and damage repair businesses; member companies must meet its quality requirements for repairs.
- Forfaitaire tabel (BPM depreciation table)Taxes
- The forfaitaire tabel is the Belastingdienst depreciation table that sets rest-BPM on an imported used car based purely on its age.
- Fully comprehensive insurance (allrisk)Insurance
- Allrisk (volledig casco) is the broadest car insurance: on top of WA and limited comprehensive, it also covers damage to your own car that you cause yourself.
G
- Grey licence plate (grijs kenteken)Taxes
- A grijs kenteken is the registration of a commercial vehicle, usually a van, for which businesses that meet the conditions pay a lower road tax rate.
H
- Hidden defect (verborgen gebrek)Legal
- A hidden defect is a fault that already existed at the time of sale but that the buyer could not see or know about during a normal check.
I
- Inruilwaarde (trade-in value)Value
- The inruilwaarde is the amount a dealer offers for your current car when you buy another car from that same dealer.
K
- Kentekencard (registration card)Documents
- The kentekencard is the credit-card-sized Dutch vehicle registration certificate, issued by the RDW since 1 January 2014, showing the vehicle and its registered keeper.
- Kentekenloket (registration counter)Organisations
- A kentekenloket is a counter, for example at PostNL branches, where you can transfer a vehicle, suspend a registration or end a suspension.
- Koerslijst (price guide)Value
- A koerslijst is a car-trade price guide listing, per model, version and year, the historical new price and the current trade value.
L
- Limited comprehensive insurance (beperkt casco)Insurance
- Beperkt casco (WA+) is car insurance that adds cover for damage to your own car you did not cause, such as theft, fire, storm and window damage.
- Low-emission zone (milieuzone)Environment
- A milieuzone is an area in a city that older, polluting vehicles may not enter; for passenger cars in the Netherlands, it concerns older diesels.
M
- Margeregeling (VAT margin scheme)Taxes
- The margeregeling is a VAT scheme under which a dealer pays VAT only on its profit margin on a used car, not on the full sale price.
- Motorrijtuigenbelasting (MRB, road tax)Taxes
- Motorrijtuigenbelasting (MRB), also called wegenbelasting or road tax, is the quarterly tax paid by the registered keeper, based on weight, fuel type and province.
N
- NAP (National Car Pass)Technical
- NAP (Nationale AutoPas) is the foundation that recorded odometer readings until the RDW took over in 2014; 'NAP logisch' means the recorded readings rise consistently.
- No-claims discount (no-claimkorting)Insurance
- No-claimkorting is the discount on your car insurance premium that grows with every year in which you make no claim for damage you caused.
O
- Opcenten (provincial road tax surcharge)Taxes
- Provinciale opcenten are a surcharge on Dutch road tax (MRB) that each province sets itself; you pay the rate of the province where you live.
- Overschrijven (transfer of ownership)Documents
- Overschrijven is registering a vehicle with the RDW in the name of its new keeper after a sale; in 2026 it costs €13.10.
P
- Plug-in hybrid (PHEV)Technical
- A PHEV (plug-in hybrid) has a combustion engine plus an electric motor with a battery you charge from a plug, so you can drive short distances electrically.
- Pre-purchase inspection (aankoopkeuring)Technical
- An aankoopkeuring is an independent technical check of a used car before you buy it, in which an inspector records the car's condition in a report.
- Presumption of defect (bewijsvermoeden)Legal
- The bewijsvermoeden means that in a consumer sale, a defect appearing within 1 year of delivery is presumed to have been present at delivery.
R
- RDW (Netherlands Vehicle Authority)Organisations
- The RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer) is the Dutch government agency that admits and registers vehicles, issues registrations, supervises the APK and records odometer readings.
- Reserve price (reserveprijs)Trading
- The reserve price (minimum price) is the lowest amount a seller is willing to sell for; bidders cannot see it, and if every bid stays below it, the seller does not have to sell.
- Rest-BPM (BPM on imported used cars)Taxes
- Rest-BPM is the BPM you pay when importing a used car: the BPM at the rate on the date of first registration, minus depreciation.
- Restwaarde (residual value)Value
- The restwaarde is the value a car still has after a period of use or, after an insurance total loss, the value of the wreck.
S
- Sale contract (koopovereenkomst)Legal
- A koopovereenkomst is the written contract in which buyer and seller record the car, price, payment, handover and any known defects.
- SEPP subsidyTaxes
- SEPP (Subsidieregeling Elektrische Personenauto's Particulieren) was the Dutch subsidy for private persons buying a fully electric car; the scheme is permanently closed.
T
- Taxatierapport (valuation report)Value
- A taxatierapport is a written valuation of a car by an independent appraiser (taxateur), based on a physical inspection of the vehicle.
- Tellerstandoordeel (odometer verdict)Technical
- The tellerstandoordeel is the RDW's verdict on a car's recorded odometer readings: logical (logisch), illogical (onlogisch) or no verdict (geen oordeel).
- Tenaamstellingscode (registration code)Documents
- The tenaamstellingscode is a 9-digit code belonging to the Dutch registration certificate, needed to transfer, suspend, export or scrap a vehicle.
- Third-party liability insurance (WA)Insurance
- WA insurance covers damage you cause to others with your car; it is compulsory by law for every car with a Dutch licence plate.
V
- Vaste voet (BPM fixed base)Taxes
- The vaste voet is the fixed base amount every BPM calculation for a passenger car starts with; in 2026 it is €687, and zero-emission cars pay only this amount.
- VAT car (BTW-auto)Taxes
- A BTW-auto is a used car, often ex-lease or ex-company, sold with 21% Dutch VAT shown separately, so a business buyer can reclaim that VAT.
- Vehicle Disputes Committee (Geschillencommissie Voertuigen)Organisations
- The Geschillencommissie Voertuigen is an independent committee that settles consumer complaints against BOVAG businesses, for example about a purchased car or repair, with a binding ruling.
- Vrijwaringsbewijs (indemnity certificate)Documents
- The vrijwaringsbewijs is the RDW's proof that, after the transfer, a vehicle is no longer registered in the seller's name.
W
- WLTPTechnical
- WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure) is the test method for fuel use, CO2 emissions and range of new cars; the basis for Dutch BPM since 1 July 2020.
Z
- Zero-emission zone (ZE zone)Environment
- A zero-emission zone (ZE zone) is a city area that vans and trucks may only enter with zero exhaust emissions, with transitional rules for newer diesels.