If your car failed its APK, the Dutch periodic inspection, you have not lost anything yet: you have a written list of defects, a deadline to fix them and the right to a reinspection. What matters most is the expiry date of your current APK. Until it passes, a rejected car stays legal. After it passes, you may not drive it at all.
This guide explains what the rejection means, when you can still drive, what happens if you wait too long, what usually causes a failure and how to check a car's inspection status before you buy it.
TL;DR
- A failed APK means the inspector refused to issue an inspection certificate because the car does not meet the technical requirements.
- If the APK was rejected before the old one expired, the car stays legal until the expiry date. After that, driving it is forbidden.
- Once the APK has expired, the car may stand on the public road for up to two months while you repair it and have it reinspected. After two months without inspection, the CJIB fines you.
- Lights and tires are the most common causes of failure, and they are usually cheap to fix.
- Check the APK date of any car you plan to buy with a plate check before you go and see it.
Table of Contents
- What a failed APK actually means
- Can you still drive after a failed APK?
- What to do, step by step
- The most common reasons for failing
- What if you disagree with the rejection?
- Buying a car: what an APK history tells you
- Our perspective
- Check the car before you pay for repairs or a purchase
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
What a failed APK actually means
APK stands for Algemene Periodieke Keuring, in English the general periodic inspection, often shortened to PTI in official English texts. The RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, explains that the inspector checks road safety, environmental standards and whether the car is registered correctly. Driving without a valid APK is forbidden.
When a car fails, the garage hands you an APK report. According to the RDW's guidance for inspectors, a rejection report is a written notice that the issuance of an inspection certificate has been refused. It lists the defects that caused the refusal. That list is your repair order: fix every item on it and the car can be inspected again.
A failure is also not rare enough to ignore. Gaspedaal.nl, using RDW figures for 2023 and 2024, puts the share of inspections that end in a rejection at roughly 2.4%.
Can you still drive after a failed APK?
The answer depends on one date: the expiry of your current APK.
Your APK has not expired yet
If the car fails an inspection you took early, it remains legally compliant until the existing expiry date. Two warnings come with that:
- The police can still fine you for technical defects they see during a traffic check, such as a broken headlight.
- An insurer may refuse to pay a claim after an accident if the defects played a role.
So the car is legal on paper, but driving with known safety defects is a risk you take on yourself. Treat the expiry date as the latest possible deadline for repairs, not as permission to wait.
Your APK has expired
Without a valid APK, driving is forbidden. The RDW says this can lead to a fine, or to an insurer refusing a claim. The Dutch government explains that after the APK has expired, the car may stand on the public road for up to two months while it is repaired and reinspected, but you may not drive it.
In practice that means a trailer, a tow truck or a mobile mechanic. If the garage that found the defects is also going to repair them, ask whether they can do the work on site so the car never has to move.
What happens after two months
If the car has still not been inspected after two months, the CJIB (the Central Judicial Collection Agency) fines you. The RDW's page on the periodic inspection lists the fine as between €180 and €500, and states that the owner alone is responsible for having the car inspected on time, even though the RDW sends a reminder.
What to do, step by step
- Read the report before you leave the garage. Each defect should be named. Ask the inspector to point out the ones you cannot find yourself, and ask which are safety defects and which are environmental or administrative.
- Check your expiry date. Look it up with the RDW plate check or on your last report. The date decides how urgent everything else is.
- Get a repair quote. Compare the quote from the inspecting garage with a second garage for anything expensive. Cheap items such as bulbs and wipers you can often fix yourself.
- Do not move the car if it is already expired. Arrange transport or on-site repair.
- Repair every item on the report. A partial repair leads to a second rejection.
- Book the reinspection and bring the report. Keep both the rejection report and the new approval: together they show a future buyer that the defects were handled.
- Keep the paperwork. You do not have to carry the report while driving in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch government. In many other European countries you may be asked for it, so take it along if you drive abroad.
The most common reasons for failing
Gaspedaal.nl's analysis of the RDW data finds that the most frequent failures involve lighting and tires: wrong tire pressure, too little tread depth, and lights that are misaligned or do not work. Here is how to think about the usual suspects.
| Area | Typical problem | Who can fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Lights | Burnt-out bulb, misaligned headlights, cracked lens | You, for bulbs; a garage for alignment |
| Tires | Low tread, damage, uneven wear | Tire shop |
| Brakes | Worn pads or discs, uneven braking | Garage |
| Steering and suspension | Play in joints, leaking shock absorbers | Garage |
| Exhaust and emissions | Leaks, failing emissions values | Garage, sometimes a specialist |
| Registration | Mismatched or unreadable details | Check the registration documents |
The first two rows cost the least and cause the most rejections. That is good news: a quick walk around the car before the inspection catches many of them.
A five-minute check before the inspection
- Turn on every light, including brake lights and indicators, and have someone look from outside.
- Check tire pressure against the sticker in the door frame and look at the tread across the whole width of each tire.
- Test the wipers and top up the washer fluid.
- Look for warning lights on the dashboard. A lit airbag, ABS or engine light is worth diagnosing first.
- Listen for new noises when braking or steering.
Our guide on how to check engine, brakes, battery and tires goes deeper on each of these points.
What if you disagree with the rejection?
You have the right to challenge it, but the timing is strict. The Dutch government states that you must object to a rejection immediately after the inspection by contacting the RDW. An approval, by contrast, can be contested in writing within one year.
The RDW's page on disagreeing with a rejection says the RDW will then inspect whether the rejection was correct. The conditions include that the car has not been moved since the inspection and that no repairs have been made. If you suspect an error, do not drive away and do not start repairs until you have contacted the RDW.
The reverse also exists. If an RDW assessment finds that an approval was unjustified, the approval is removed from the registration and the owner has to suspend the car or repair it and have it reinspected. This matters when you buy a used car: a fresh APK stamp is not a guarantee that nothing was missed. The RDW also runs random, unannounced spot checks to verify that garages inspect according to the rules.
Buying a car: what an APK history tells you
A failed or soon-to-expire APK changes what a car is worth. Before you view a car, find out three things:
- When does the APK expire? The RDW registration check shows the date under expiration dates and history. Our article on the RDW licence plate check explains what you can see for free and what you cannot.
- Why is the seller offering a car with a short APK? Sometimes it is a perfectly honest sale. Sometimes the car has just failed, and the repair bill moves to you.
- Does the mileage fit the wear? Worn brakes, tires and suspension on a low-mileage car are a reason to ask questions.
A fresh APK is not the same as a purchase inspection. The APK checks minimum legal standards on the day. It does not tell you about the condition of the engine, the gearbox or the history behind the car. For that, read about a pre-purchase car inspection, and use our checklist for checking a used car from the advert to registration. If you are looking at an electric car, our guide to buying a used electric car covers the battery questions an APK does not answer.
Also worth knowing: the RDW's OVI system holds more vehicle data than most people look at. Our explainer on how to read OVI shows what is there. And if the car you are considering is old and diesel, check whether you can still drive it into city centers with our article on low-emission zones.
Our perspective
We look at inspection results from two sides: the owner who just received a rejection report and the buyer who is looking at a car that might have received one. For the owner, a failed APK is usually a list of repairs, not a verdict. The calm response is to read the report, check the expiry date, and decide what to fix first. For the buyer, the APK history is one of the cheapest pieces of information to collect and one of the most useful.
Our view is that most unpleasant surprises in used car deals come from information nobody looked up. An expiry date, a mileage trend or a theft status takes a minute to check with a licence plate. That is why we built CarTrace around one plate and one place to see what the registers hold. We would rather you walk away from a car after a free check than discover the problem after paying for it.
A rejected APK is not a reason to panic, and a clean APK is not a reason to stop looking. Use it as one data point among several.
— Mo
Check the car before you pay for repairs or a purchase
Whether you are about to sell a car with a rejection on its record or buy one, start with the plate. CarTrace gives you a free licence plate check with basic vehicle details, and you can see how the paid plans compare on our pricing page: Basic costs €4.15 per month or €49.90 per year, Advanced €8.32 per month or €99.90 per year, and Expert €16.65 per month or €199.90 per year. The complete report is currently free during our launch period, so check the current offer before you decide.
You can start right away with the free licence plate check. It shows you basic data about the car, and the full report adds history, mileage, theft status and more. If you want to know why we put these registers together, read why CarTrace.
Frequently asked questions
Does APK mean the same as an MOT or TÜV inspection?
They serve the same purpose: a mandatory periodic check that a car is roadworthy and meets environmental standards. APK is the Dutch version, short for Algemene Periodieke Keuring. The rules on intervals, defects and fines differ per country, so do not assume the Dutch deadlines apply elsewhere.
Can I drive to the garage after my APK expired?
The RDW says that without a valid APK, driving is forbidden, and it makes no exception on its page for trips to the garage. Safest is to have the car towed or repaired where it stands. If you are unsure, ask the RDW or your garage before you drive.
How long do I have to repair the car and get it reinspected?
After your APK expires, the car may stand on the public road for up to two months while it is repaired and reinspected. If it has not been inspected after those two months, the CJIB fines you. Before the old APK expires, you can simply repair and reinspect within the remaining time.
How do I find out when my APK expires?
Use the RDW plate check, look at your latest inspection report or wait for the RDW reminder, which arrives six weeks before the date. The reminder is a courtesy, though: you remain responsible for having the car inspected on time. Checking the date yourself once a year takes a minute.
What if I think the inspector made a mistake?
Contact the RDW immediately after the inspection, before the car is moved and before any repair is done. Objections to a rejection are only possible straight after the inspection. An approval you disagree with can be contested in writing within one year.
Sources
- About the Periodic Technical Inspection, RDW
- Algemeen, APK-handboek RDW
- APK-onderzoek: kosten, gebreken en boetes, Gaspedaal.nl
- Keuringsrapport van de APK, Rijksoverheid
- Algemene Periodieke Keuring (APK), Ondernemersplein
- Objecting to the result of a periodic technical vehicle inspection, Government of the Netherlands
- Niet eens met afkeuring APK, RDW
- Disagreement with the PTI approval, RDW