Registration · insurance obligation · suspension
How many cars may be registered in your name?
There is no statutory maximum for the number of registrations in one name. The limit lies in what attaches to each registration: tax, inspection and compulsory insurance, even where the car stands idle.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Hoeveel auto's mogen er op uw naam staan?.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
The RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) sets no upper limit on the number of vehicles a private individual may have in their name. What does come with each registration is a fixed set of obligations: road tax, a valid inspection and liability insurance. The last of these follows from Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) and applies as long as the registration is in your name, even where the car stays in a locked garage all year.
The RDW checks the register automatically. If a registration is recorded without insurance, a fine follows, and on repetition the registration can be declared invalid. If you do not want to use a vehicle for a while, suspend the registration is the proper route: the tax and insurance obligations lapse, but the vehicle may then not stand or be driven on the public road. What exactly is and is not allowed then is set out at how long a car may stand uninsured.
Insurers look at something other than the legislature does: the number of vehicles you have in use at the same time and who drives them. With a few cars they remain separate policies, with the second car often on the driver's same no-claims years. Above a larger number it becomes a fleet insurance, and for enthusiasts with several classics there is the car collection insurance.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare home contents insurance (inboedelverzekering).
What to look out for
Four points that determine what several registrations in one name really cost you and gain you.
The insurance requirement attaches to the registration
It is not the driving but the registration in your name that is decisive. A car standing on the drive waiting to be sold, a project that has been in the shed for two years: as long as the registration is in your name, there has to be at least third-party liability cover. If you sell the vehicle, have the registration transferred the same day and only end the policy after that.
Suspension is not insurance
During a suspension the vehicle is not insured against damage. Fire, theft or a collapsing canopy in storage are at your own expense, unless you take out separate storage or third-party, fire and theft cover. If you do drive or park on the public road, you are acting both contrary to the conditions of the suspension and uninsured within the meaning of the WAM.
Above a certain number of vehicles the type of policy changes
On a fleet contract the no-claims scale per car falls away and the premium is derived from the claims experience of the whole. That is favourable as long as little happens, but one large claim then works through onto all the vehicles. With separate policies the effect stays limited to the car involved. Have both variants worked out before you switch.
A car in your name for someone else
If you register a car in your name while someone else uses it every day, that person has to be named on the policy as the regular driver. If that is not done, the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code is breached and the payment can be reduced or refused under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. See also insuring a car that is not registered in your name.
What does your premium depend on?
- Number of vehicles: determines whether separate policies or one contract fit
- Use per car: driving daily counts differently from occasional use
- Age and experience of the drivers: assessed separately per vehicle
- Cover chosen: third-party liability, third-party fire and theft or comprehensive per car
- Storage location: garage or public road
- Claims history: with a fleet the overall picture counts
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| One hailstorm damages the three cars on your drive | No | Yes |
| The car you only use in summer is stolen from locked storage | No | Yes |
| Your parked second car rolls down the slope and hits the front of a building | Yes | Yes |
| A marten chews through the wiring of the car that has stood idle for months | No | Provided that |
| Rust on the floor pan of a car that has not been driven for years | No | No |
| Your daughter hits a cyclist with the car registered in your name | Yes | Yes |
Every registration has its own policy with its own excess. So with one event affecting several cars, you pay it several times.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is there a maximum number of cars in my name?
Not in law. In reality you run into two limits. The first is financial: every registration costs tax and premium, even where it is not driven. The second is underwriting: if you start buying and selling vehicles commercially, a trade registration is expected and a private policy no longer fits your situation.
Do I have to insure a car that only stands in the garage?
Yes, as long as the registration is in your name and has not been suspended. Article 2 WAM ties the obligation to the registration, not to the use. If you want to avoid those costs, suspend the vehicle's registration with the RDW. Bear in mind that from that moment the car is also no longer insured against fire or theft, unless you arrange that separately.
Do I get a discount if I insure several cars with one company?
Often you do, usually in the form of a package or family discount. More importantly, no-claims years accrue to the driver and not to the registration; two cars therefore do not produce the same discount twice. Who drives which car most determines on which policy the years built up may be used.
When does it become a fleet?
Insurers apply their own lower limit for the number of objects, which differs per company. From that point on you move to one contract with one renewal date and a premium based on the overall claims experience. For private individuals this rarely arises. It mainly occurs with a business or with a collection registered in one person's name.