Requirements for the car
| Item | What the rule is | Checked at the APK? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyre tread depth | At least 1.6 mm in the main grooves, over the entire circumference of the tread, wear indicators not counted | Yes | "Over the entire circumference" is the crux. One measurement proves nothing: if one spot reads 1.5 mm the tyre fails, even if elsewhere it measures amply enough. The same 1.6 mm applies to vans and buses. |
| Tyre pressure | No general figure in the regulations. The correct pressure belongs to the car itself — usually on a sticker in the door pillar or the fuel flap, and in the manual | No, not as a separate requirement | Under-inflation lengthens the braking distance and raises fuel use. That it is not in the law does not make it unimportant — it only makes it your own responsibility. |
| Winter tyres | Not compulsory in the Netherlands. The words "winterband" and "M+S" do not appear in the Regeling voertuigen at all | No — there is nothing to test against | Cross the border and that changes. Germany has a situational winter tyre duty in snow, slush or ice, and Austria from 1 November through 15 April in wintry conditions. Both apply to cars on Dutch plates as well. |
| Lighting | All prescribed lights must be present and working. Their use is governed by the RVV: dipped beam at night and by day as soon as visibility is seriously impaired | Yes | Two different things: the car must HAVE the lamps — that is the Regeling voertuigen and hence the APK — and you must SWITCH them on at the right moment, which is the RVV. See the separate table on lighting. |
| Windscreen wipers | A properly working wiper installation that gives the driver sufficient view | Yes | The standard is written functionally: not "how many millimetres of rubber" but whether the result gives sufficient view. Streaks and smears therefore do count as a defect. |
| Seat belts and child seats | Driver and passengers use the available belt. A passenger who is under 18 AND shorter than 1.35 metres must be in a suitable, approved child restraint. No more passengers than there are belts | Yes, the presence and operation of the belts | Mind the word "and": both conditions must hold. A sixteen-year-old of 1.70 m therefore needs no child seat, and neither does an adult of 1.30 m. In a car without belts you may not carry children under 3 at all. |
| Mirrors and camera systems | There must be a device to observe the adjoining area you cannot see directly: a mirror, a camera monitor, or another device giving information about the indirect field of vision | Yes | The standard is written technology-neutrally: a camera monitor counts just as much as a mirror. Exterior mirrors must also be foldable. |
| Blind spot | For cars the Regeling voertuigen contains no separate blind-spot requirement; the word does not occur in it. What it does contain is the general requirement of a device for the indirect field of vision | Only indirectly, through the requirement on mirrors and camera systems | That it does not appear separately in the vehicle requirements does not mean the blind spot plays no part: for special manoeuvres art. 54 RVV obliges you to give way to other traffic, which you can only do if you have looked. Trucks are moreover subject to rules of their own. |
| Roof load | The Regeling voertuigen gives no universal figure. The maximum roof load belongs to the car itself, in the manufacturer's manual | No | A load changes the way the car behaves: the centre of gravity rises and the car reacts more slowly and tips more easily. Bear art. 19 RVV in mind — you must still be able to stop within the distance you can see. |
| Tow bar | What you may tow is stated on your car's registration, and the licence category determines whether you may drive it. Two different limits, both of which must be satisfied | Yes, the mounting and condition of the tow bar | See the separate table on trailers. In short: up to 750 kg the trailer itself poses no problem for your B licence; above that the combination must stay under 3500 kg or you need code 96 or BE. |
Notes
- The APK tests against the permanent requirements of the Regeling voertuigen. The whole column beside this follows from that: if something is in that regulation it is tested; if it is not, there is nothing to test against. That explains in one sentence why tyres are checked and tyre pressure is not.
- Vehicle requirements and traffic rules are two different systems. The Regeling voertuigen says what must be on the car; the RVV says what you must do with it. Having lamps is the first, switching them on the second. Having belts is the first, wearing them the second.
- Where the law gives no figure, we invent none. Tyre pressure, roof load and towing weight differ per car and are stated in your vehicle's papers. An "average" in a table would be more dangerous here than an empty cell.
- Two requirements that exist only outside the Netherlands yet apply to your car: winter tyres in Germany in wintry conditions and in Austria from 1 November through 15 April. A Dutch registration does not exempt you there.
The law itself
- RegelingVoertuigen profilering hoofdgroeven personenauto
«De profilering van de hoofdgroeven van de banden moet over de gehele omtrek van het loopvlak ten minste 1,6 mm bedragen, met uitzondering van slijtage-indicatoren.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 5.2.43 lid 1
«Personenauto's met een voorruit moeten zijn voorzien van een goed werkende ruitenwisserinstallatie die de bestuurder voldoende uitzicht geeft.»
- RegelingVoertuigen art. 1.1 (voorziening voor indirect zicht)
«voorziening voor indirect zicht: voorziening om het aan het voertuig grenzende gebied waar te nemen dat niet rechtstreeks kan worden waargenomen, zijnde een spiegel, een camera-monitor of een andere inrichting die de bestuurder informatie over het indirecte gezichtsveld geeft;»
- RVV1990 art. 59
«Bestuurders van een personenauto, een bedrijfsauto, een driewielig motorvoertuig met gesloten carrosserie of een brommobiel en hun passagiers maken gebruik van de voor hen beschikbare autogordel.»
- RVV1990 art. 32 lid 1
«Bestuurders van een motorvoertuig, een bromfiets, een snorfiets, niet zijnde een bromfiets als bedoeld in artikel 1, eerste lid, onderdeel e, subonderdeel d, van de wet, een gehandicaptenvoertuig dat is uitgerust met een verbrandingsmotor, of een gehandicaptenvoertuig dat is uitgerust met een elektromotor en voorzien van een gesloten carrosserie, voeren bij dag, indien het zicht ernstig wordt belemmerd, en bij nacht dimlicht.»
- Rijksoverheid Moet ik in Nederland winterbanden gebruiken?
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