What You Need to Know About Driving a Classic Car in Winter — Classic Car Regulations

Taking Advantage of the Transitional Arrangement

If you wish to take advantage of the transitional arrangement, you must apply for it yourself with the Tax and Customs Administration. Once your application is approved, you will receive a payment slip in the mail. It is not possible to pay the road tax by direct debit. The transitional arrangement will expire in 2028. By then, all classic cars that did not receive an exemption in 2014 will have been in use for more than 40 years.

One of the requirements for taking advantage of the transitional arrangement is that classic cars must be parked on private property during December, January, and February. During this period, it is not permitted to drive the classic car on public roads.

Lower rate effective January 1

If you are currently paying the standard road tax rate for your classic car, you will not be able to take advantage of the transitional arrangement until January 1. You must submit your application and make the payment before that date. For classic cars that are 40 years old or older and are not used for business purposes, owners do not have to pay road tax. If you take advantage of the transitional arrangement, you’ll pay only one-quarter of the road tax for your classic car, with a maximum of €123 per year. If you have registered for the transitional arrangement, you do not need to re-register for the following year. You will automatically receive a bill in November for the coming year.

If you buy a classic car that the previous owner has already registered under the transitional arrangement, you automatically inherit this rate.

If you take advantage of the transitional arrangement, in some cases you will not receive a refund for the excess tax paid. This applies if you sell the classic car, send it to a scrapyard, export it abroad, or if the car is stolen.

Suspension of the license plate

Although you are not allowed to drive under the transitional arrangement during the months of December, January, and February, this does not mean that your license plate is suspended for this period. Without a suspension, the license plate remains active in the RDW system. As a result, you are required to have a valid vehicle inspection (APK) and minimum third-party liability insurance for the classic car. If you suspend your classic car and make use of the transitional arrangement, you will not receive a tax refund. However, it is possible to temporarily suspend your auto insurance during the suspension period. In that case, you do not have to pay any premiums during that period, and there is no requirement to have a valid APK. There is a fee associated with the suspension, namely €24.10.

Car insurance companies may sometimes apply different rules for cars that benefit from the transitional arrangement. In such cases, suspension isn’t always possible. This is often the case withclassic car insurance, but it can also apply to standard auto insurance. The reason for this is that the premium is often already quite low. So be sure to carefully consider whether suspending your license plate would be worthwhile. If the insurance cannot be suspended, suspending your license plate makes little financial sense.

From the moment your suspension is lifted, you are immediately required to have auto insurance and a valid vehicle inspection certificate. If you do not have a valid vehicle inspection certificate, the fine is €140. The fine for not having proof of insurance is €600.

Driving a classic car in the winter

If you plan to drive your classic car during the winter, you cannot take advantage of the transitional arrangement. If you are currently using the arrangement but plan to drive during the winter months, you can opt out. You will then be required to pay the standard rate for the entire year (starting January 1). You will not receive a refund for the tax you’ve already paid. This means you’ll have to pay a significant amount extra for just one month of driving. To save money, you can choose to opt out of the scheme for your classic car after December. This way, you’ll only need to store the car in December, and starting in January, you’ll pay the regular tax for the coming year.