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RDW puts lights on green for new testing facility

November 28, 2025

Moving from Lelystad to Marknesse

The RDW says: “The RDW Test Center will move from Lelystad to Marknesse. Here, a new and longer test track will be built that fully meets all future safety requirements for testing innovative (self-driving) vehicles and systems in the areas of emissions, braking, steering, speed limitation and stability. The RDW has an active role in the creation of (inter)national laws and regulations when it comes to type approval and, through the new test track, maintains its role as European approval authority. The test center will remain independent and available to companies and individuals.”

Start of the project

Now that the tender is complete, construction can actually begin. On Friday, November 21, the RDW signed the contract with construction company KWS. This officially marks the start of the realization of a new test track in Marknesse.

New testing facility with advanced capabilities

The heart of the future test center will be a high-speed oval track, 1,700 meters long and 400 meters wide, with two bowl curves that allow the same speed to be maintained almost everywhere. This makes the site ideally suited for testing (partially) autonomous vehicles and systems involved in safety and environmental performance.

Compared to the current 1,200-meter track in Lelystad, the new location offers much more space. A longer straight section is necessary, for example, to test systems that support or intervene during overtaking maneuvers. Emission tests will also be carried out here in the future and innovative braking, steering and stability systems can be tested.

RDW test center Marknesse
Impression RDW test center Marknesse

Why this RDW test center is important

Road safety and a cleaner living environment are not a given. Before cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles and other vehicles are allowed on the road, they must meet strict requirements. In the new test center, vehicles and vehicle components are therefore thoroughly checked. Only when all safety and environmental tests have been passed do they receive approval for use on public roads.

Zeger Baelde, Director of Operations at the RDW, emphasizes that trust is essential: “As a driver, you want to be sure that your vehicle is safe, even as systems work more and more automatically. This new test track gives us the space to extensively examine vehicles and components. This is how we ensure that you can drive with peace of mind.”

The center also has a broader societal role. By testing new technologies, it contributes to emission reduction and stimulates innovation within the mobility sector. Moreover, companies and individuals can have vehicles tested and approved here in the Netherlands – practically and safely.

Part of the MITC

The new facility aligns with the ambition of the Mobility and Infrastructure Test Center (MITC) to become the national test center for mobility. Within the MITC, public and private organizations work together, including the RDW, Police Academy, DNW, NLR, the Municipality of Noordoostpolder, the Province of Flevoland and various knowledge institutions. This cooperation creates a place where knowledge, innovation and safety come together.

The site will also house the new national practice and training site for police and Police Academy driving proficiency and driving safety training. The total center is expected to be completed in late 2027 or early 2028.

Planning