Every year, hundreds of thousands of UK car owners have their vehicles seized by the authorities for offences such as parking dangerously or driving without insurance. Even if an offence was unintentional, this knowledge will do little to soothe frayed nerves when you discover your car\u2019s doing time in the local impound. On top of car release fees, plus any penalty points or fines for the offence itself, you\u2019ll probably also need to buy a special form of insurance known as \u201cimpounded car insurance\u201d to free your car. Here\u2019s why regular insurance often won\u2019t be enough, and how you can get the cover you need.<\/p>
Impounded car insurance is a type of insurance that provides cover if your car has been seized and impounded. If this is the case, you\u2019ll need proof of valid insurance in order to get your car released. A few regular car insurance<\/a> policies might include cover for impounded cars as standard, but most don\u2019t. If your existing policy doesn\u2019t include this cover, you\u2019ll need to add it to your policy (if your insurer allows this) or take out a specialist impounded car insurance policy on top of your existing cover.<\/p> Local authorities, the DVLA and the police all have the right to seize vehicles and take them to an impound if certain offences have been committed. Reasons for your car being seized can include the following:<\/p> Regular car insurance cover is designed to give you protection to drive and park your car on public roads. It\u2019s a legal requirement to have at least third party car insurance<\/a>, which covers any harm you might cause to other people or their property.<\/p> However, regular car insurance isn\u2019t primarily intended to cover cars that have committed an offence that results in them being impounded. As a result, many standard car insurance policies<\/a> won\u2019t include cover for cars that have been impounded.<\/p> If your policy doesn\u2019t include this cover, then dedicated impounded car insurance can fill the gap. You\u2019ll need to show evidence that you have appropriate cover in place, valid for at least 30 days, in order to retrieve your car from an impound.<\/p> You might need a dedicated impounded car insurance policy if your car has been impounded, typically for one of the reasons outlined above, and your existing car insurance policy doesn\u2019t provide impounded car insurance.<\/p> In some cases, your car might have been impounded because you didn\u2019t have insurance<\/a> for it in the first place (perhaps because you accidentally missed a renewal date). If so, then you\u2019ll almost certainly need a specialist policy to get it released. You\u2019re likely to find it much harder to take out a regular policy if your car is already impounded.<\/p> Impounded car insurance specifically covers one thing: the ability to get an impounded car released and drive it out of the impound. This is often not covered by regular car insurance.<\/p> In order to get your car released, you\u2019ll need cover for at least 30 days.<\/p> Once you\u2019ve left the impound, a specialist impounded car policy will also allow you to legally drive on UK roads for the remainder of the policy term. However, it\u2019s worth noting that many short-term impounded car insurers only provide third party cover.<\/p> To take out a specialist impounded car insurance policy, you\u2019ll need a valid driving licence. You\u2019ll also need to be the owner and registered keeper of the impounded car.<\/p> Policies may also have age limits. For example, some insurers won\u2019t let under-21s take out cover.<\/p> There are a few different forms of impounded car insurance:<\/p> A full year\u2019s worth of specialist cover is unlikely to be necessary if you already have a standard policy with plenty of time left before renewal. But if your car was impounded because you were previously driving uninsured, or you only have a short time left on a current policy, it could be worth comparing the cost of a full year of specialist cover against buying short-term impound insurance and then switching to a standard annual policy.<\/p> Check your policy documents. If impounded car cover is included, it should be stated clearly. If you can\u2019t lay your hands on your documents or the wording isn\u2019t clear, ask your provider directly.<\/p> If cover for impounded cars isn\u2019t included in your existing car insurance, it won\u2019t hurt to call your provider and ask if it can add this cover to your policy. Even if it can (and some may not offer this cover even as an add-on), it\u2019s still worth getting quotes for standalone, specialist policies too, as they may work out cheaper.<\/p> Many price comparison sites don\u2019t offer a comparison service for impounded car insurers, so you\u2019ll need to get quotes from a selection of specialist insurers and brokers directly. Unlike regular insurance, you may be unable to complete the quote process online. Many specialist insurers request a few basic details, after which they\u2019ll call you back for more information.<\/p> As well as the other information you need to supply to any car insurer (such as your age, driving history, location and details of the car), you may be asked to supply details of where the car is impounded and the reasons for it being seized.<\/p> We\u2019re not going to lie. Unless you\u2019re lucky enough to have it already included in your regular policy, it\u2019s unlikely to be cheap. Drivers whose cars are seized and impounded tend to be considered higher-risk drivers because of the reasons that cars are typically impounded for (such as driving without a licence or driving dangerously), and this pushes premiums up.<\/p> Beyond that, the cost of cover is likely to be influenced by the same things that affect any insurance. These include your age, where you live, the car you drive and your previous driving record.<\/p> Unfortunately, though, if you want your car back, it\u2019s a price you\u2019ll need to pay. As always, your best bet is to shop around and compare quotes.<\/p> Compare quotes with Confused.<\/a><\/p> Yes. There are a number of providers that specialise in temporary policies for impounded cars. In many cases, this will be the best \u2013 or sometimes the only \u2013 viable option to allow you to release your car from the impound.<\/p> Temporary impounded car insurance policies invariably last 30 days, as this is the minimum time you need your insurance policy to have left in order to get your car released.<\/p> If your car has been seized and impounded by the authorities, you\u2019ll likely want it back as soon as possible.<\/p> If you don\u2019t know exactly where it\u2019s been taken, the first step will be to track it down. If it has been impounded for failure to pay vehicle tax, contact the NSL<\/a>. This organisation is contracted by the DVLA to seize untaxed cars. Otherwise, contact your local police force by calling 101.<\/p> Once you\u2019ve uncovered the location of your car, pull together the documents you\u2019ll need to provide in order to get it released, including the following:<\/p> You\u2019ll also need to pay a fee to release the car from the impound lot. The fee can vary. If you retrieve your car promptly, it\u2019s likely to be between \u00a3100 and \u00a3200. If your car isn\u2019t taxed, you may also need to pay a surety fee of \u00a3160. This is refundable if you buy new vehicle tax and contact the NSL to confirm this within 15 days.<\/p>What are the reasons that cars are impounded?<\/h3>
How is impounded car insurance different to regular car insurance?<\/h3>
Who might need impounded car insurance?<\/h3>
What does impounded car insurance cover?<\/h3>
Are there any restrictions for impounded car insurance?<\/h3>
Are there different types of impounded car insurance?<\/h3>
How do I know if my regular car insurance includes cover for impounded cars?<\/h3>
How do I get impounded car insurance?<\/h3>
Is impounded car insurance expensive?<\/h3>
Can I get a temporary insurance policy for my impounded car?<\/h3>
How can I retrieve an impounded car?<\/h3>
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