Timing belt or timing chain: which does your car have?

All three do the same job: they make sure the valves open at the right moment relative to the pistons. The ANWB puts it like this: as soon as the crankshaft turns, the timing drive makes the camshaft turn as well. The difference lies in the material, the position in the engine and the maintenance.

Source: ANWB, pages on the timing belt and on belt or chain (in Dutch).

A wet belt is a hybrid of the two: a belt, but in the place where a chain would otherwise sit. It runs more quietly and with less friction, but it is in constant contact with oil. If it wears too early, small pieces of belt can end up in the oil. Which makes and engines have a wet belt is explained in which cars have a wet timing belt.

You cannot tell from the make or the model alone. One model can come with different engines in the same year, and manufacturers switch from chain to belt or the other way round over time. What counts is the engine in your car. This is how to find out:

1. Check the service schedule. If it has a line saying ‘replace timing belt’ with a number of kilometres or years, your engine has a belt. If it says nothing about replacement, it is often a chain, but not in every case. How to read such a schedule is explained in your car’s service schedule explained.
2. Look up old invoices. If the timing drive has been replaced before, it will be on the invoice, often together with the tensioners and the water pump.
3. Look up the engine code. You will find it in the service book or on a plate in the engine bay. With the engine code, the answer is clear.
4. Call us with your registration number. We look up which engine your car has, whether it has a belt, a wet belt or a chain, and which interval the manufacturer prescribes.

A sound tells you little. A chain is not necessarily louder than a belt. If you do hear rattling shortly after a cold start, that can point to a stretched chain.

We do not give a complete list per make, because it differs per engine code and manufacturers change their schedules. We look up the prescribed interval from your registration number. These examples show how much it varies:

Sources: ANWB (TSI engine, EcoBoost engine, PureTech engine) and Stellantis (press release, 19 February 2024). Not a complete list. We look up the interval for your engine from your registration number.

More about these engines: the timing chain of the Volkswagen TSI, the wet belt of the Ford 1.0 EcoBoost and PureTech engine problems.

For six of the ten most common models on Dutch roads, the table below shows, engine by engine, whether it has a belt, a wet belt or a chain. Each row gives the source. A model is only included if a public source names it per engine. We look up which engine your own car has from your registration number.

Numbers: RDC and RAI Vereniging, cars on the road on 1 January 2025, via AutoRAI (1 January 2026) (in Dutch). The Toyota Yaris (191,025), the Renault Clio (162,084), the Toyota Aygo (161,119) and the Kia Picanto (156,448) are not included, because we found no public source per engine. Other engines in these models are not included either. Checked on 8 November 2026.

You can read more per engine, including the interval and known complaints, on our pages about the Volkswagen Polo and Golf (in Dutch) and the Toyota Yaris and Aygo (in Dutch). Call us with your registration number if your model or engine is not listed.

At the number of kilometres or years that the manufacturer prescribes for your engine, whichever comes first. The ANWB gives a rough range of 60,000 to 240,000 km. Even if you drive little, the belt can be due for replacement because of its age. If you leave it, the belt can break, possibly causing serious engine damage.

On the wet belt of the 1.2 PureTech, the interval has changed over time. According to the ANWB, it was originally 175,000 km or 10 years, dealers now often advise checking the belt at 100,000 km or 6 years, and on some models the interval has been shortened to 60,000 km or 6 years. Which figure applies to your car depends on the engine and the year of manufacture. We look that up for you.

When the belt is replaced, the ANWB advises replacing the tensioners as well, because they last about as long. If the belt also drives the water pump, the same applies to the pump. What that means for the bill is explained in timing belt replacement cost.

In principle yes, but not without conditions. According to the ANWB, a chain usually has no specific maintenance prescribed and can last the lifetime of the car. At high mileages the chain can still stretch too much. The ANWB names the oil quality as a decisive factor. Changing the oil on time, with the oil the manufacturer prescribes, is therefore the most important maintenance for a chain as well.

According to the ANWB, you can hear a worn chain with the car stationary and the engine running, especially shortly after a cold start. The ticking or rattling speeds up when you rev the engine a little in neutral. Other signs are an engine warning light and an engine that runs unevenly. All the symptoms are listed in stretched timing chain: symptoms and consequences.

If the chain does need replacing, the ANWB says that is more expensive than a belt. The chain itself costs more and is often harder to reach.

Neither is better in every case. It depends on how the manufacturer designed it and on the maintenance. An overview:

Source: ANWB. Costs are a market indication, not a price from Autobedrijf Willemsbrug. We tell you your price in advance, based on your registration number.

If you are buying a used car with a 1.2 PureTech, the ANWB advises choosing a version with a chain rather than a belt where possible. For any car with a belt: ask for the invoices of the last belt change. We do not do pre-purchase inspections. If you have recently bought the car, you can have it checked at our garage. We tell you in advance what it costs. You can find more tips in our article on buying a used car with a 1.2 PureTech.

We look up the interval for your engine from your registration number and replace the belt with the tensioners and, if needed, the water pump. We tell you one price in advance. During a service we check the belt as the manufacturer prescribes. If your engine has a chain, we read the engine’s fault memory if there is a warning.

For the wet belt of the 1.0 and 1.2 PureTech we have package prices. Everything about how we work and the price is on timing belt replacement in Rotterdam. We only carry out repairs with your approval.

No. The Dutch registration certificate (kentekenbewijs) does not say whether the engine has a belt or a chain. You can find it in the service schedule or from the engine code. Call us with your registration number and we will look it up for you.

No. The timing belt and the timing chain are not inspection items in the APK. A pass therefore says nothing about the condition of the belt. Keep track of the manufacturer’s interval yourself or have your garage do it for you.

Yes. It happens less often than with a belt, but a badly stretched chain can jump a tooth or break. According to the ANWB, the risk of engine damage is considerable if the belt or the chain breaks. Rattling after a cold start is the main sign to have the chain checked.

The engine stops at once. On many engines the valves then hit the pistons, causing serious engine damage. On an engine where the valves and pistons cannot touch, the damage is limited, but the car will not drive any more. We look up which type your engine is from your registration number.

A hybrid has a petrol engine, and that engine has a belt or a chain, depending on the engine. Its maintenance follows the manufacturer’s schedule, as on a car without an electric motor. A fully electric car has no combustion engine and therefore no timing belt.

No, not by definition. A wet belt runs quietly and with little friction. According to the ANWB, problems with the wet belt are known on the 1.2 PureTech and the 1.0 EcoBoost. With a wet belt, the correct oil and changing it on time are extra important.

No, not without a reason. For most chains the manufacturer does not prescribe replacement. If you hear rattling after a cold start or the engine warning light comes on, have the chain checked. We read the engine’s fault memory and listen to the timing drive before we advise anything.

• ANWB: Distributieriem (timing belt: interval 60,000 to 240,000 km, tensioners and water pump, cost, in Dutch)
• ANWB: Distributieriem of ketting (belt or chain: maintenance, lifespan and noise, in Dutch)
• ANWB: TSI-motor (TSI engine: chain before 2012, belt after, in Dutch)
• ANWB: EcoBoost motor (timing belt in any case at 240,000 km, in Dutch)
• ANWB: PureTech motor (wet belt, changed interval and buying advice, in Dutch)
• Stellantis: Citroën C4 and C4 X Hybrid 48V: new 1.2 PureTech with timing chain (19 February 2024, in French)