LED and Law - part 4: MOT requirements
MobiLED occasionally receives questions about the legally permissible application of LED lighting on vehicles. We have summarised this for you in the blog series LED and Law.
The last blog in this series is about the Dutch MOT handbook. We can be short and long about the Dutch MOT requirements for vehicle lighting.
In a nutshell...
In longhand…
That is nice, that brief summary, but what is it based on? Below is an overview of Dutch MOT requirements that apply to vehicle lighting.
MOT handbook
The Algemene Periodieke Keuring (APK) is a legally required vehicle test in the Netherlands to increase road safety and protect the environment. It is similar to an MOT test in the UK. The APK handbook contains all the requirements that vehicles have to meet. It is based on the Dutch Vehicles Directive.
The APK handbook also contains additional explanations for special cases, such as dynamic rear lights that do not blink but "run". Based on these explanations, the inspector knows what to check. The most up-to-date inspection requirements can be found on the RDW website.
Source in Dutch: https://apk-handboek.rdw.nl
The MOT handbook and the Vehicles Directive distinguish between these vehicle types:
M | Passenger cars and buses: motor vehicles on four or more wheels designed and constructed for the transport of people |
N | Company cars: motor vehicles with four or more wheels designed and constructed for the transport of goods |
O | Trailers (including semi-trailers) |
L | Two- and three-wheeled vehicles: Mopeds, motorbikes, tricycles and quadricycles |
T | Wheeled tractors |
C | Track-laying tractors |
R | Agricultural or forestry trailer |
S | Interchangeable towed machines |
U | Mobile machinery: motor vehicles specially designed and constructed for the performance of work and not intended for the transport of persons or goods by road |
Source in Dutch: RDW website
Dutch MOT requirements 2022 for lighting of passenger cars
Lighting is also checked during the MOT inspection, usually by visual inspection and sometimes by measurement. The standards for lighting differ for each type of vehicle. Below is a summary for passenger car lighting.
Source in Dutch: https://apk-handboek.rdw.nl/personenautos/lichten-lichtsignalen-en-retroreflecterende-voorzieningen
The lights and reflectors must work properly, be securely attached to the vehicle and the lenses are not allowed to be broken. The lighting operation must also work properly. All lights with the same function must have the same intensity and be of the same size (Article 5.2.55). A particular colour is prescribed for each type of lighting (Article 5.2.53 and Article 5.2.59). And finally, everything must be properly tuned (Article 5.2.59b, Article 5.2.61).
In principle, passenger cars must be equipped with (Article 5.2.51):
Exceptions exist depending on the date of first use and the size of the car. Important dates are: 7-1-1967, 12-31-1997, 9-30-2001 and 12-31-2006.
Passenger cars may be equipped with (Article 5.2.57):
Passenger cars may not be equipped with more than these lights (Article 5.2.65).
It is forbidden for passenger cars to be equipped with (Article 5.2.64 and 5.2.65):
Disclaimer
This document is intended to provide our customers and other interested parties with an overview of Dutch and European legislation and rules on vehicle lighting. The text has been carefully prepared but is not necessarily complete or exhaustive. There may be changes in the law that are not included in this document. Therefore, no rights can be derived from this text.