News item | 10-12-2025 | 09:15
Disabled vehicles must be safer and they must be used correctly. That is why Minister Robert Tieman (Infrastructure and Water Management) is announcing new rules for these vehicles. The ministry will make a distinction between vehicles that drive faster and slower than 20 km/h.
Faster than 20 km/h
Disabled vehicles that drive faster than 20 km/h will have to be inspected nationally in the future. The RDW is currently examining what this approval should look like. This “fast” category includes Canta-style vehicles, which resemble small cars.
Currently, no (type) approval is required for any disabled vehicle, while some resemble, for example, microcars – for which a European type approval applies. A mandatory national inspection not only ensures safer disabled vehicles, it also ensures a more level playing field.
The ministry is still exploring whether more rules should be introduced for this faster category. At present, some people buy disabled vehicles just because they provide many user benefits. Consider, for example, parking on the sidewalk or driving without a driver’s license.
Slower than 20 km/h
For disabled vehicles that drive slower than 20 km/h, the authorization remains the same: the manufacturer is responsible for the technical safety of the vehicle and must assess for itself whether it can safely take to the road. Most disabled vehicles in this slower category are mobility scooters.
Minister Tieman: “Disabled vehicles are essential for their users in daily life. Some people can no longer go outside without these vehicles. I therefore think it is important that we as a government keep the threshold for admission low, at the same time I also see that there are relatively many casualties with these vehicles. That is precisely why it is crucial to look carefully at the conditions: no more rules than necessary, but sufficient to guarantee safety.”
More will be known about the additional rules for the “fast” category of disabled vehicles in the summer of 2026. Once the policy has been further developed, the ministry will start working on legislation.