RDW overcharged for years – thousands of Dutch get money back (here’s how to find out if you get something back too)

Suspension rate too high

Normally, you pay a lower rate if you take your vehicle off the road for a while – if you put your RV away during the winter months, for example. But between 2014 and the end of 2024, the suspension of motorhomes and heavier passenger cars went wrong. The RDW often charged the high suspension rate instead of the advantageous “hibernation rate.

What exactly went wrong?

These are vehicles in the so-called M1 category – usually campers or heavy passenger cars – that weigh more than 3,500 kilos and are younger than 15 years old. These did qualify for the low rate, but the RDW did not realize that for a while. It makes quite a difference: 88.05 euros per year instead of 29.10 euros. And add that up over ten years. As of January 1, 2025 the rules have been adjusted: for heavy passenger cars the higher rate applies by default, regardless of age.

And now?

Only now does the RDW admit its mistake. Fortunately, the mistake is now being corrected. The RDW sends letters. Many letters. In total, some 6,700 people receive an envelope on the mat, containing good news. The first batch of 500 letters went out the door on May 8, 2025. The rest will follow before June 15. Still haven’t heard anything after that, but think you qualify? Then you should ring the RDW.

How much will you get back?

That depends on how many years you suspended your motorhome and whether you paid the high rate each time. But with an annual suspension over 10 years, you can get almost 600 euros back.

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