You can see how many owners a Dutch car has had with a free licence plate check, and you can see when it was last transferred. You cannot see who those owners were. Names and addresses are protected by privacy rules, and the RDW only releases them in limited cases. For a buyer, the number of owners, the type of owner and the timing of each change are usually what matters, and all three can be checked before you pay a deposit.
This guide explains what the RDW registers, what you can look up yourself, what you can request through official channels, and how to compare all of it with what the seller tells you.
TL;DR
- A free RDW licence plate check shows the number of owners, a judgment on the mileage and the date the plate was last transferred. It does not show who the owner is.
- The RDW can pass on an owner's name and address for a fee, but for private individuals it first asks for their consent. If they refuse or stay silent for 14 days, you get nothing.
- The owner-type overview in the RDW vehicle report goes back 9 years. It tells you whether the owners were people, companies or recognized businesses such as dealers.
- Owner records say nothing about accidents, maintenance or how the car was used. Combine them with the service history, mileage data and a mechanic's inspection.
- Compare every claim the seller makes with the registration documents and the records before you commit.
Table of Contents
- What "previous owners" means in the Netherlands
- What you can check yourself, for free
- Owner types: person, company or dealer
- Can you find the names of previous owners?
- Checking the seller's story against the records
- What owner records do not tell you
- How to check as a seller, a leasing company or a dealer
- Run the plate with CarTrace
- FAQ
- Sources
What "previous owners" means in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands the person or organization a car is registered to is called the registered keeper (the tenaamgestelde). Each time a car is sold and transferred, the registration changes. The number of these changes is what most buyers mean when they ask about previous owners.
The RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, keeps this register. According to the RDW's own description, the register holds vehicle data and information about the people or organizations the vehicles are registered to. It also records whether a vehicle had its APK (the periodic inspection) on time and whether it was insured. Vehicle data is public, and register data is kept for 9 years.
Two things follow from this:
- The number of owners and the type of owner are public-facing information that you can check yourself.
- Personal data, meaning who exactly owned the car, is not public.
That split explains almost everything else in this article.
What you can check yourself, for free
The quickest route is the public plate check. The RDW says this check is open to everyone, so it only shows general information: the number of owners, a judgment on the mileage, technical and tax details, and when the plate was last transferred. The same page states that the owner's identity is not part of the check.
What that gives you in practice:
- A number of owners. If the advert says "one owner" and the plate check shows four, you have a conversation to have.
- A last transfer date. A car transferred two weeks ago to a trader who is now selling it on tells a different story than a car held by one family for six years.
- A mileage judgment. The RDW does not hand you every reading in the public check, but it does give an assessment of whether the mileage looks logical.
If you want a walk-through of what each field means and where the limits lie, we explain it in our guide to the RDW licence plate check and in our article on reading the RDW vehicle information system.
A worked example
Say you find a five-year-old hatchback advertised as "first owner, dealer maintained". You run the plate and see three owners and a transfer date from four months ago. Several readings are possible: the first owner may have been a leasing company, the second a dealer, and the third a private seller who bought it recently and is already reselling. None of that is necessarily bad, but the advert's wording does not match the record. Ask the seller directly and ask for the paperwork behind the answer. A seller who has a clear explanation will usually give it without fuss.
Owner types: person, company or dealer
The number alone is a blunt tool. A car with three owners that were all companies (lease, then lease again, then a dealer) is a different proposition from three private owners in four years.
The RDW vehicle report addresses this. It gives an overview of owner types from 9 years ago up to the present: a person, a company, or an RDW-recognized company such as a dealer. The report also contains the vehicle-status history and registered mileage readings, according to the RDW's page on the free vehicle report.
There is a catch for buyers: the free RDW vehicle report can be requested by the vehicle's owner or holder, using DigiD or, for company vehicles, eHerkenning or an RDW certificate. As a prospective buyer you cannot pull it yourself. You can ask the seller to request it and show it to you. That is a reasonable request. A seller with nothing to hide can do it in a few minutes, and it shows you the same record the RDW holds.
| What you want to know | Where to look | Who can do it |
|---|---|---|
| Number of owners | Public RDW plate check | Anyone |
| Date of last transfer | Public RDW plate check | Anyone |
| Mileage judgment | Public RDW plate check | Anyone |
| Owner types over 9 years | RDW vehicle report | Owner or holder (DigiD) |
| Registered mileage readings | RDW vehicle report | Owner or holder (DigiD) |
| Owner's name and address | RDW request for a fee | Anyone, subject to consent rules |
Can you find the names of previous owners?
Sometimes, but not easily, and usually you do not need to.
You can ask the RDW for the name and address of a vehicle's owner. The RDW charges €9.20 per owner. If the owner is a private individual or a sole proprietorship, the RDW first asks that person for consent. If they refuse, or do not respond within 14 days, the information is not provided.
So a request does not guarantee an answer. And even a successful one gives you only the registered keeper that the RDW can link to the plate, which is a limited tool for a buyer.
The broader rule is that the RDW supplies personal data to the registered keeper and to parties named in the law. Others may receive it with written consent.
Seeing your own history
If you are the person who owned a car and want to see which plates have been registered in your name, there is a route for that. Consumers can use DigiD to request a free overview through the RDW website of licence plates that were previously registered in their name, covering up to 9 years. This became simpler after the Dutch data protection authority (AP) directed the RDW to change its procedure. It is useful if you want to confirm what was registered under your name, for example after selling a car.
Why you rarely need the names
What a buyer wants to learn from previous owners is whether the car was looked after. Names do not answer that. Documents do. Ask for:
- the service booklet or the digital service record,
- invoices for major work,
- earlier APK reports,
- the registration documents, which you should compare with the car itself.
The RDW's tips for buying a vehicle recommend exactly this combination: review the historical vehicle data, transfer eligibility and recalls through the RDW check, check the mileage through an RDW vehicle report or an online mileage check, compare the car and registration certificate with the registration details, and check the service booklet or Digital Service Register for maintenance history.
Checking the seller's story against the records
A practical way to use all of this is to treat the advert and the seller's replies as claims, and the records as the test. Work through these steps in order.
- Run the plate before you call. Note the number of owners, the last transfer date and the mileage judgment. Do this from the advert photo or listing, before you invest time.
- Ask the seller how long they have owned the car and why they are selling. Compare the answer with the last transfer date. If they say "three years" and the plate was transferred four months ago, ask again, politely.
- Ask who the previous owners were in general terms. Private, company car, rental, lease? The answer should match the owner types in the RDW record, which the seller can show you via the vehicle report.
- Check the documents against the car. The registration details, the plate and the VIN should agree with each other. Mismatches are a reason to stop.
- Match the mileage to the story. A car with a low mileage and many owners, or a high mileage and "only used on weekends", needs an explanation. Use the registered readings and the judgment from the plate check.
- Look at the maintenance record. Gaps are normal on an older car, but they should not coincide with ownership changes that nobody can explain.
- Check that the car is not stolen or flagged. An ownership history is only useful if the car is legitimately for sale. Our guide on how to check whether a used car is stolen walks through it.
- Have a mechanic look at it. Records cannot see rust, worn brakes or a tired battery. Our article on checking engine, brakes, battery and tyres explains what to ask for.
For the full sequence from advert to registration, see our used car checklist. Buying an electric car adds specific points such as battery health, which we cover in 12 things to check first on a used EV.
What owner records do not tell you
It is easy to read too much into a clean ownership record. Be clear about what it does not cover.
- How the car was driven. Two owners can mean one careful driver and one who towed trailers every weekend.
- Accidents and repairs. A transfer record does not describe damage. Look at the car, the repair invoices and the inspection history.
- Why the owner changed. Moves, new jobs, lease endings and problems with the car all look the same in the register: a new name.
- Anything before the retention period. Register data is kept for 9 years, so older history, for a long-lived car, may not be visible in the RDW data.
- Private arrangements. Whatever happened between individuals that never showed up in the register is invisible.
The way to fill these gaps is to stack evidence: the plate check for the registered facts, the service record for care, the mileage readings for consistency, and a physical inspection for condition. No single document replaces the others.
How to check as a seller, a leasing company or a dealer
Ownership history is not only a buyer's concern.
If you sell privately, run your own plate first. You will see what a buyer will see, so you can explain the number of owners and the last transfer before they ask. Having the RDW vehicle report ready, which you can request as the owner, signals that you have nothing to hide and can shorten negotiations.
If you are a dealer or lease company, the same register facts apply, but you also care about the owner type. A car that has passed through several trading or fleet stages is a known pattern, and it should be visible and consistent with your purchase documents. Document your own checks at intake: plate data, registration documents, mileage reading and recall status.
If you drive a connected car, note that vehicles can collect personal data such as location and driving style. The Dutch data protection authority provides tips on protecting your privacy when you buy, rent, use or sell such a vehicle, which is worth reading before you hand the car over to the next owner.
Our perspective
We built CarTrace around a simple observation: the facts that matter in a used car purchase are scattered. The number of owners sits in one place, mileage readings in another, inspection results in a third, and theft or recall information somewhere else again. A buyer who is not an expert should not have to piece that together on a Sunday evening before a viewing.
That is why we bring national and European registers, inspection databases and theft registers together in one platform, and why a basic plate check is free. We would rather you see the owner count, the mileage picture and any warning signs before you travel to see a car than after you have paid a deposit.
Our AI agent Leo helps you read what you find. It points out what stands out, such as a short ownership period or a mileage reading that does not fit, so you know which questions to put to the seller. It does not replace an inspection by a mechanic, and it does not replace asking for the paperwork. It makes sure you go into both with the right questions.
We keep the tone calm on purpose. A flag is a reason to ask, not a reason to panic. Most used cars you will see are fine, and a clear record helps you pay a fair price with confidence.
Mo
Run the plate with CarTrace
Start with the free licence plate check on CarTrace: enter the plate and you get a summary of the vehicle, with signals worth following up. If you want the complete picture, including ownership and insurance events, mileage, theft status, recall alerts and ongoing monitoring, our pricing page shows what is included. The full car report is currently free during our launch period, so check the page for the present terms.
The paid plans are Basic at €4.15 per month or €49.90 per year, Advanced at €8.32 per month or €99.90 per year, and Expert at €16.65 per month or €199.90 per year. If you only need a one-off check before a purchase, start with the free plan. If you own a car and want to track changes, or you work with vehicles professionally, one of the monitoring plans fits better. You can also look up car models to compare prices, mileage and registrations before you narrow down your search.
FAQ
How can I find out how many previous owners a car has had in the Netherlands?
Run the licence plate through the RDW's public plate check. It shows the number of owners and when the plate was last transferred. For the owner types over the past 9 years, ask the seller to request the RDW vehicle report with DigiD and show it to you.
Can I find out the name of a previous owner?
You can ask the RDW for an owner's name and address, which costs €9.20 per owner. For private individuals, the RDW first asks for their consent, and if they refuse or do not respond within 14 days, nothing is released. For most buyers, service records and inspection history are more useful than a name.
Is a car with many previous owners a bad buy?
Not automatically. What matters is the type of owner, the timing of the changes and how well the maintenance is documented. A company or lease car with a full service record can be a better choice than a privately owned car with gaps. Ask the seller to explain each change and check the answers against the records.
How far back does the ownership history go?
The RDW keeps register data for 9 years, and the owner-type overview in the vehicle report covers the same period. For an older car, earlier history may only be visible through the service booklet, invoices and earlier documents from the seller.
Can I see which cars were registered in my own name?
Yes. Using DigiD, you can request a free overview through the RDW website of licence plates previously registered in your name, covering up to 9 years. It is a handy way to confirm your own records after selling a car.
Sources
- Kentekencheck | RDW
- Gegevens die de RDW registreert | RDW
- Uitleg voertuigrapport | RDW
- Gratis RDW-Voertuigrapport aanvragen | RDW
- Eigenaar voertuig opvragen | RDW
- Kentekeninzage RDW eenvoudiger geworden na uitspraak AP | HCC
- Tips for buying a vehicle | RDW