Guide
Used-car check: verify before you buy
A solid used-car check combines open RDW data with common sense on the driveway. Start digital, finish with a test drive and paperwork.
The digital first pass
Before you message: used-car check on the plate. Do make, model, fuel and year signals match the ad? How long is APK valid? Is there an open recall? What does NAP say about mileage? Is there WOK or an import path that needs extra papers? Data answers these faster than gut feel.
Auto Consul bundles those open facts in one dossier and can explain them without a jargon wall. You prepare targeted questions: ‘I see an open recall — was it completed?’ or ‘APK expires in three weeks; what faults are known?’
On-site checklist
Bring the dossier (phone is enough). Confirm the plate on the car matches the ad. Listen and feel on the test drive: pull, brakes, drivetrain, warning lights. Ask for service invoices; RDW does not replace them. For ex-lease or import: extra alert on tyres, brakes and missing history.
- Car identity = plate in dossier
- NAP logical + mileage fits condition
- No open recall without proof of completion
- Written sale terms, no cash pressure
When to get an inspection?
For higher amounts, imports, unclear maintenance, or if you lack technical experience, an independent pre-purchase inspection is wise — even after a green online used-car check. Online filters stoppers; an inspector looks under, on and inside the car.
Use Auto Consul model pages for typical watch-outs on popular used cars (Golf, Yaris, Fiesta, Model 3, …). Those notes are generic, not a blacklist — a memory aid beside the plate dossier.
Start your used-car check
Enter the plate and review APK, NAP, recalls and WOK before you drive over. More answers are in the FAQ. Auto Consul remains a tool on open RDW data — the purchase decision is yours.
Private, dealer or import — different risks
Private sales can be fair and affordable, but you often have fewer legal nets than consumer purchases at a dealer. That makes the used-car check heavier: RDW facts, written terms, and no pressure to pay cash without a contract. Ask why they sell and whether recent repairs exist — vagueness is information.
Dealers vary widely in transparency. A solid dealer shares the plate early, lets you take the dossier, and separates facts from opinions. Distrust stock photos without a plate, or refusal to show APK/NAP before you visit. Import channels need extras: BPM status, foreign history, and sometimes a longer inspection path.
Make every used-car check a fixed routine: digital filter, three written questions, test drive with checklist, offer including foreseeable costs. Auto Consul speeds step one with open RDW data and AI explanation; you stay responsible for steps two to four. That division helps buyers decide faster and calmer.
Documents you still want beside RDW
Ask for the service book or digital dealer history, the latest APK sheet if available, and proof of completed recalls. With tow bar or taxi/ex-lease: expect extra wear. On key sets: all keys and codes. RDW tells register truth; papers tell owner behaviour. Together they form a used-car check that holds up if debate later arises about ‘hidden’ defects that should have been disclosed.
Photograph mileage, damage and the contract. Put promises (‘new tyres next week’) in writing. A tidy used-car check is boring — by design. Boring prevents expensive surprises. Start digital on Auto Consul, finish with a folder of proof on your phone.
Several candidates? Drop weak dossiers hard before you travel. Travel time is cost too. Sometimes the best used-car check is the one that never becomes a viewing because WOK, NAP or an open recall already said enough.