Moped Cars in Holland
Moped cars (micro cars), or ‘brommobielen‘ as they are known in the Netherlands, are small, enclosed 4-wheeled vehicles that travel at a maximum speed of 45 kph. The Dutch AM4 driving license is the minimum required to operate this type of vehicle in Holland and the driver must be at least 16 years of age.
There are different types of moped cars (brommobielen) on the market in the Netherlands. Ligier is a French brand of microcars while Biro microcars are made in Italy. The Canta is a similar looking and performing vehicle manufactured here in Netherlands. All 3 have efficient engines graded ‘A’ for CO2 emissions.
DRIVING A MOPED CAR IN HOLLAND
A moped car is officially defined as a 4-wheeled moped vehicle with a closed body, has a maximum speed of 45 kph and can carry no more than two people (including the driver). Moped cars are subject to the same road guidelines as passenger cars, not those established for 2-wheeled mopeds.
Moped cars can be driven on most roads, but not highways, motorways or bicycle paths. Just like passenger cars, moped cars must be parked in the street, parking lot or garage. They cannot be parked on sidewalks.
A moped car must be registered with the RDW, display a license plate affixed to the rear of the vehicle and be covered by a Dutch provider insurance policy .
DRIVER LICENSE FOR MOPED CARS
A license is required to drive a moped car in Netherlands. If a person already has a class B or C license, he/she is automatically qualified to drive a moped car and no additional license is required.
A person who holds a class B or C license that has expired and cannot be renewed, can usually request a class AM4 license from their local municipal office (gemeente) without having to take the CBR exam. The class AM4 is the minimum license required to drive a moped car.
A person who has never held a class B or C driving license must attain a class AM4 license (brommobiel) from the CBR, the Dutch motor vehicle operator licensing organization. The process for earning such a license is laid out below.
MOPED CAR LICENSE (AM4) EXAM
The Dutch moped car driver license is Class AM4. ‘AM’ signifies moped and ‘4’ signifies 4 wheels. The license exam consists of two separate tests – a theoretical and a practical.
The AM4 theory exam is the same as that used for the AM2 license (bromfiets or moped bikes). It consists of 50 questions and 44 must be answered correctly. Yes/No questions account for 35 of the 50 test questions, while the remaining 15 are a combination of multiple choice and open-ended questions.
The AM4 practical exam is not the same as the AM2 practical exam. The AM4 practical portion consists of eleven special maneuvers completed in an enclosed space. During the exam, the examiner chooses 5 random maneuvers from 2 groups. The 11th required element is always a “stop-in-the-bend” maneuver. The exam lasts approximately 30 minutes and an element can be repeated one time. The examiner observes the performance from outside the vehicle.
Driving the moped car in live traffic is not part of the practical portion of the AM4 license exam.
Once both portions of the moped car driving exam have been passed, the applicant can request a license from their local municipal office.
Note: A person who holds a Dutch class AM4 license is only authorized to drive a moped car (‘brommobiel‘), not a moped bike (‘bromfiets‘ or ‘brommer‘). On the other hand, the holder of a class AM2 license is authorized to drive both 2-wheeled and 4-wheeled mopeds.
DUTCH CANTA MINI CAR
The ‘Canta‘ is a 2-seat vehicle developed and manufactured in Netherlands to provide mobility and independence to people who have limited freedom of movement. This could be due to age, handicap or injury.
While there is a specific target audience for the Canta, proof of limited mobility is not required to purchase it. There is also no license required to drive it.
A Canta can travel up to 45 kph on local roads (with a maximum speed limit of 80 kph), but due to its narrow width (only 1.1 meters), it is classified as a mobility aid rather than a moped car. As such, it can be driven on bike paths, foot paths and even sidewalks (at a maximum speed of 6 kph).
The only restriction to drive a Canta is that a person must be 16 years of age or older and the vehicle must be covered by an insurance policy. A class AM4 license is NOT required.
Related information…