Glossary
APK (Dutch Periodic Inspection)
The Netherlands' periodic roadworthiness inspection, registered against the vehicle's number plate in the national registry.
Definition
The Algemene Periodieke Keuring is the Netherlands' periodic roadworthiness test. Petrol cars require their first APK at four years old, then again at two years, then annually after eight years. Diesel and LPG cars test annually from three years. Each inspection logs the odometer reading and a pass/fail result into the national vehicle register operated by the Dutch road transport authority. The Dutch register exposes a free public lookup at the registry's website that returns inspection history, current ownership category (private/lease/dealer), and prior test mileages for any Dutch-plated vehicle, queried by number plate. This makes the Netherlands one of the most transparent EU markets for used-car checks — provided the car was Dutch-plated for long enough to accumulate a record.
Why it matters when buying a used car
A Dutch number plate is one of the few EU registrations where buyers can run their own pre-purchase mileage check for free. A car that was Dutch-plated and then exported usually carries a credible mileage trail back to that registration.
Often confused with
MOT
The UK's annual roadworthiness test, mandatory for cars over three years old. Records mileage and any defects on a public-access history.
HU
Germany's biennial roadworthiness inspection. TÜV is the largest of several authorised inspection bodies; HU (Hauptuntersuchung) is the formal name of the test.
STK
The Czech and Slovak roadworthiness inspection. Logs mileage at every test and is one of the more rollback-prone records due to historical paper-based reporting.