Checking a car's APK and mileage history via RDW

In the Netherlands, part of a car's inspection and mileage data is free and open to check yourself, without having to ask the seller anything. RDW Open Data publishes, per license plate, the validity of the current APK inspection, the outcome of earlier inspections, and a verdict on the mileage. This guide covers what you can find yourself, and what you still need to ask the seller for.

1. What RDW Open Data shows for free

Look up a license plate through the RDW vehicle check or the open data API, and you will see, among other things: the expiry date of the current APK, whether the vehicle has an open manufacturer recall, whether it carries mandatory liability insurance, and the mileage verdict: "Logisch" (consistent) or "Onlogisch" (inconsistent) (RDW Open Data). The APK history also lists the defects found at each inspection, including their severity category (minor, major or dangerous defect). A car with the same defect coming back repeatedly, or a string of dangerous defects fixed only right before the next inspection, is a concrete talking point at the viewing.

2. What it does not show, and where to get that instead

RDW Open Data shows a verdict on the mileage, but not the full list of every individually registered reading over the years, and not the number of previous owners either. For those two, there is one reliable route: ask the seller to request the full RDW vehicle report. The owner can do that for free, in minutes, via DigiD on rdw.nl (RDW). If the seller refuses without a clear reason, given that it is free and quick, treat that refusal itself as a signal worth asking about.

3. How to do the check yourself

• Look up the license plate through the RDW vehicle check or the open data portal, and note the APK expiry date and the mileage verdict.
• Review the inspection history: how often has the car failed, and on which parts (brakes, exhaust, rust, lights)? A defect that keeps coming back on the same part suggests something patched just enough to pass, not properly fixed.
• Ask the seller, before the viewing, to request the full RDW report with mileage history via DigiD, or request it together during the appointment.
• Compare the last known mileage reading in the RDW data with what the seller currently claims: a large, unexplained gap deserves a direct question.

4. What this does not replace

This check tells you what is officially on record: an APK inspection is a snapshot on the day it happened, not an ongoing guarantee. A car can have a clean APK history and still need work that only shows up at the next inspection. Always combine this RDW check with a physical inspection, exactly as with any other vehicle history check.