Research before you sign
Check the RDW data, ask for the chassis number and proof of maintenance, take a test drive and get the seller’s statements in writing.
Choose your test-drive formKnowledge from Autologica
Know what you buy.
A number plate is just the start. Find out the facts and go into the test drive with targeted questions.
Start with the number plateFREE CHECK + TEST-DRIVE FORM
Based on public RDW (Dutch vehicle authority) data. Only have a chassis number (VIN)? Enter it later in the test-drive form and add the model yourself.
WHAT YOU GET RIGHT AWAY
- Make, model and vehicle details
- MOT (APK) expiry date
- Odometer verdict: logical, illogical or no verdict
- Open recalls, where known
- A test-drive form with questions for this car
How does Autologica help?
A buying guide for every step.
Built on the knowledge and expertise behind Autologica. Start for free and choose how far you want to go.
Compare more than the monthly payment
See an indicative range for the monthly amount, the total cost and the balance still outstanding when you want to change cars.
Calculate an estimatePrepare the handover
Gather maintenance invoices, list known defects honestly, check the value against several current comparisons and arrange a safe moment for payment and transfer of registration.
Read the selling tipsCar history report
What do we know about this car?
More sources can give more insight. No report guarantees that all damage, maintenance or mileage readings have been recorded.
Basic check
Available instantly after entering a Dutch number plate.
- Technical details, first registration and MOT (APK) from RDW open data
- RDW odometer verdict: logical, illogical or no verdict; no current reading or full odometer history
- Targeted links to search for public mentions and images yourself
Plus report
A planned combination of our interpretation and one licensed history report, for example from CARFAX or autoDNA.
- An extra source for reported damage, mileage readings or import history, where available
- A source and a clear level of uncertainty for each finding
- The chassis number helps trace a vehicle across borders and plate changes
Pricing and sales will follow once a supplier agreement is in place. Nothing is charged now.
Premium investigation
A planned comparison of two or three available sources in a single Autologica presentation.
- Differences between sources stated separately
- Practical questions for the seller and points to check at inspection
- A personal conclusion based on the facts that are known
Availability and price depend on source rights and vehicle coverage.
Why do we sometimes ask for the chassis number? The number plate changes on import or re-registration; the chassis number (VIN) stays with the vehicle. Ask the seller for the chassis number and compare the one on the car with the documents. A chassis number only yields extra history if a provider holds records for that vehicle. The owner can also share a free RDW vehicle report themselves.
Knowledge from Autologica
Understanding car history.
A car’s history is everything that happened to it before you buy it: registration, use, maintenance, mileage readings, owners and any damage or import. Not everything is recorded centrally. So combine the free plate check with evidence from the seller and an inspection of the car itself.
Damage history
There is no public, complete damage record for Dutch cars. Repairs made without an insurance claim may not appear in any report. No reported damage is therefore no proof that the car is damage-free.
How to check further: ask the seller in writing about previous damage and repairs, look at repair invoices and watch for mismatched paint, panel gaps and fixings. If in doubt, have an independent pre-purchase inspection carried out.
Take the questions on your test driveNumber of owners
The number of registered owners is shown in the RDW vehicle report. The owner or keeper can request this report free of charge and share it with you. The public RDW data our plate check uses does not provide this number as a reliable standalone figure.
Look beyond the number: ask how long the seller has had the car and whether maintenance invoices and registrations fit the story. We do not show names of previous owners.
How the owner requests the RDW report ↗Valuation
Autologica distinguishes between asking price, likely selling price and trade-in value. The original purchase price is not a current market value. An online valuation tool also gives only a first indication.
- Compare several current listings of the same trim level, age and mileage.
- Adjust for documented maintenance, origin, options, market demand, damage and technical condition.
- Make separate estimates for a private sale and a trade-in; a dealer factors in costs and risk.
Without current market data and an inspection, this site deliberately gives no figure as ‘the value’.
See an external guide price from ANWB (Dutch motoring association) ↗History of imported cars
Dutch registration only starts on import. So check the foreign documents, maintenance invoices and earlier mileage readings. Compare the chassis number on the car with all the paperwork; a Dutch number plate alone does not tell you what happened before the import.
When does a history report help? Mainly when the provider actually holds foreign records for this chassis number, such as damage, auction photos or odometer readings. Check the coverage per country and car beforehand. An empty report does not prove a damage-free past.
See the possible reportsThis explanation follows the chapters on valuation and pre-purchase checks in Autologica. Further sources: RDW vehicle report, RDW buying tips and ANWB on car values.
Business use only
Financial lease. An indication.
For business owners: see an indicative range for the monthly payment, total financing cost and outstanding balance. A lower monthly payment can leave a higher final (balloon) payment.
At most 35% of the purchase price: €8,750.
Business cost indication
Not a quote or commitment
€537 – €568
indicative monthly range; excluding VAT, insurance, tax and maintenance
Total payable to the lender€25,775 – €27,288
Interest cost€3,775 – €5,288
Outstanding at chosen replacement point€11,874 – €12,199
Expected km at end of term130,000 km
After 24 months, roughly €11,874 – €12,199 is still outstanding; compare this with the possible resale value, which this calculator cannot determine.
Solely a business cost indication based on two internal cost assumptions, fixed monthly instalments and an optional final payment. Not an interest rate, financial product, financing advice or offer. Actual terms, additional costs, VAT, approval and early-repayment charges differ per lender. Before signing an agreement, ask for the actual rate and the full costs.
Free · Autologica know-how
Choose your test-drive form.
Choose where you are buying the car. The form takes over the RDW data found; enter the VIN yourself and check it on the car against the documents. No history is retrieved via the VIN yet.
Who are you buying the car from?
Autologica · Test drive
Buying from a private seller
A.
RegistrationNot looked up yet
VehicleEnter a registration or model
APK (MOT) valid until—
Odometer verdict (RDW)—
Open RDW recallNot checked yet
Compare the number on the car and the documents. This site does not yet look up vehicle history by VIN.
This reading determines extra check questions; the RDW does not provide a current odometer reading. Only with the extended form do the rounded reading and the registration go to the Autologica server.
Entered by you: the site does not verify this model via the VIN.
Enter the odometer reading for extra check questions. Not every model has a validated model-specific rule.
Details and documents
Inspect the car
During the test drive
Ask the private seller
Notes, defects and promises made
0 of 17 checked
Choose how far you want to check
Your test drive, your choice.
Free form
The checks and questions from Autologica for buying from a private seller or a dealer. Complete the details and take the form with you.
Free
Extended test-drive form
Targeted questions based on the car, its age, mileage and APK history: known weak spots of this model, what is likely due at this mileage and which repairs to ask about. Questions, not claims. Generated with AI; check everything on the car.
Enter a registration and odometer reading for an example of targeted questions.
€5 incl. VATComing soon · nothing is charged now
Test drive including car history (extended)
Planned combination of the extended form and one licensed history report, provided a supplier has data for this VIN. An empty report does not rule out damage.
€20 incl. VAT · plannedComing soon · depends on supplier and data coverage
The two forms distinguish between a private seller and a dealer. A form does not replace an independent pre-purchase inspection or a written purchase agreement. Sources (in Dutch): RDW buying tips, ANWB test drive and ACM ConsuWijzer on warranties.
Autologica tips
Small checks, big insights.
01 / mileage
A verdict is not a full history.
A logical odometer verdict says something about the known readings. Ask the owner for the full RDW vehicle report and compare invoices with the odometer.
02 / costs
A balloon payment doesn’t disappear.
A higher final (balloon) payment lowers the monthly payment, but it still has to be paid. Check the outstanding debt at the point when you want to change cars again.
03 / import
The chassis number travels with the car.
With an imported car, Dutch registration starts later than the car’s history. Compare the chassis number on the vehicle and the documents, and ask for foreign maintenance records.
Selling without surprises. Take photos in daylight, describe visible defects too and keep a copy of the listing. Ask the buyer to sign a test-drive statement, agree who drives and, before handing over the keys, check that payment and the transfer of registration are final. The owner can request and share an RDW vehicle report themselves.
The book behind the method
Autologica
Mehrad Xerxes Hosseini brings together practical knowledge on buying, selling, valuation, leasing and financing, warranties, maintenance and running costs. That knowledge is the foundation of this website.
From the book into practice: check the facts, understand the costs and choose consciously.
From €34.95
Online ordering is not yet set up; delivery date and terms to follow.
