🔧 Can I drive with an expired roadworthiness test in Luxembourg?

Quick answer

No, and there is no grace period whatsoever. Putting a vehicle on the public highway without a valid roadworthiness certificate is a serious offence: €145 and 2 points, from the very first day past expiry. Worse, "putting into circulation" does not only mean driving: stopping and parking on the public highway count too — a car with an expired test simply parked in the street is already in breach. The famous 60-day period everyone quotes belongs to the road tax disc, an entirely separate obligation. And beware the French figures (€135, €750, 3 points) that dominate search results: they have no force here.

📋 The rules

Putting a vehicle without a valid certificate into circulation: a fixed penalty of €145 or prosecution (a fine of €25 to €500 and a driving ban of 8 days to 1 year), plus 2 points.
"Putting into circulation" also covers stopping and parking on the public highway, and any road — even a private one — open to the public is a public highway. A car with an expired test parked in the street is already an offence.
Frequency: first test 4 years after first registration, second at 6 years, then every year. Annual testing from the start for vans, lorries, trailers over 3,500 kg, taxis, rental cars and ambulances.
You are notified by letter roughly 8 weeks before expiry. A test passed inside that window runs the new validity from the old expiry date: going early costs you nothing.
If the vehicle fails: a certificate valid 4 weeks, covering only trips between the test centre, your home and the repair or scrapping site. After those 28 days, the whole test must be redone.

🔓 Exceptions

Driving to the test station on Luxembourg territory is described as permitted even with an expired certificate — but this tolerance is stated only by the ACL (the automobile club); no official page confirms it explicitly. Treat it with caution.
Exempt from periodic testing: trailers under 750 kg, mopeds and light quadricycles, vehicles limited to 25 km/h, certain tractors and mobile machinery, and historic vehicles first registered before 1 January 1950.
The road tax disc blocks everything: you are refused access to the roadworthiness test if the tax disc has been expired for more than 60 days — and driving in that state is no longer a fixed penalty but prosecution, €251 to €1,000.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

€145 and 2 points; if prosecuted, a fine of €25 to €500, a driving ban of 8 days to 1 year and a criminal record entry, communicated to the country of nationality of any EU citizen. On insurance, let us be honest: no official Luxembourg source states that an expired test allows an insurer to reduce or refuse a payout. The claims circulating online come from French sites and blogs and carry no weight here. Treat it as a contractual clause to check in your own policy conditions, not as a rule of Luxembourg law.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Is there a grace period after the roadworthiness test expires?

None at all: the offence exists from the very first day past expiry. The 60 days everyone quotes belong to the road tax disc, a completely separate obligation that drivers routinely confuse with the test.

Can I drive to the test centre with an expired certificate?

The ACL says yes, but no official Luxembourg page states it explicitly: the official texts only describe this regime for the 4-week certificate issued after a failure. Proceed with caution.

Why do I keep reading €135 and 3 points?

Because those are the French figures, which dominate French-language search results. In Luxembourg the amount is €145 and the deduction is 2 points from your driving licence.

Can my insurer refuse to pay after an accident?

No official Luxembourg source provides for this, contrary to what French blogs repeat. Check your policy conditions: if a consequence exists, it will be contractual rather than a matter of law.

How often is the roadworthiness test required?

The first test comes 4 years after first registration, the second at 6 years, then every year. Some vehicles — taxis, vans, rental cars — are tested annually from the outset.

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