The emissieklasse (emission class) shows how clean a vehicle is in terms of exhaust emissions. It used to be called the euroklasse. The RDW has assigned an emission class to every registered vehicle: EURO 4 becomes class 4, EURO 6 becomes class 6 and electric vehicles get class Z. The higher the number, the cleaner. The RDW uses the environmental class from the type approval; if that is unknown, the date of first registration determines the class.
Why it matters when buying or selling
- Low-emission zones: the emission class decides whether you may enter a low-emission zone. Amsterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem ban diesels of Euro 4 and lower; The Hague bans Euro 3 and lower.
- Vans: Euro 5 vans may still enter a zero-emission zone until 31 December 2026.
- Subsidy: the announced OGEA subsidy (not yet open) pays a higher amount if you scrap a car of your own with Euro 0 to 4.
- Wrong class? You can have an incorrect emission class corrected by the RDW, for example with a certificate of conformity.
Look up the emission class with the licence plate check.