Seized vehicles

Here, you can find out how to reclaim a vehicle that has been seized under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. This means an officer had reasonable grounds to believe that the driver was uninsured or was not driving in accordance with their driving licence.

If your vehicle has been seized for this reason the driver should have received a seizure notice.

If your vehicle has been impounded for another reason, go to our impounded vehicles page.

How to reclaim your vehicle

You'll find the details of how to reclaim your vehicle and the ID documentation you need on the seizure notice. You have seven working days from the date of the seizure to go to one of the police stations listed on the seizure notice.

You'll also have to pay the recovery and daily storage charges.

If you don't go to the police station within 14 days, your vehicle will be disposed of and the owner will liable for the disposal charge. 

Payment of charges

You can find full details about the statutory charges you'll have to pay in The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Regulations 2023.

For vehicles seized before 6 April 2023 you'll have to pay the charges listed in The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Retention and Disposal of Seized Motor Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 2008.

These charges are set by government, not the police, and vary depending on the weight, condition and location of the vehicle.

Please note, the daily storage charges start from midday on the next working day after the vehicle was seized.

MOT

If your vehicle is over three years old and doesn't have a current MOT test pass certificate you can only drive it on a public road from the recovery garage to an MOT testing station. You must:

• bring evidence from a garage of a pre-booked MOT appointment, or
• arrange recovery at your own expense once you have had the vehicle released at a helpdesk

If your vehicle has been issued with a PG9 prohibition notice, isn't roadworthy or won’t start

If your vehicle has been issued with a PG9 prohibition notice, isn’t roadworthy or won’t start, you need to arrange for a fully trained, equipped and insured vehicle recovery operator to collect it at your own expense. The vehicle is not to be driven on a road until it is road legal and any PG9 prohibition notice has been lifted.

Provisional driving licence holders

If you’re driving under a provisional licence you must bring someone who:

• is over 21, and
• has held a licence for more than three years

Make sure you have L plates on the vehicle.

Collecting property only (not the vehicle itself)

We'll only give property from the vehicle to the owner or registered keeper of the vehicle, or to the driver at the time of seizure.

We require proof of ID in all cases.

If the registered keeper or owner is collecting property, we'll need proof of ownership or a V5C. The driver’s details can normally be confirmed from the seizure notice.

If the registered keeper or owner can't come to the recovery garage in person to collect the property, the person collecting the property on their behalf will need a letter of authority and proof of signature from the registered keeper or owner.

Things to be aware of

Bring a set of keys, in case the driver didn't leave the keys in the vehicle.

If your vehicle doesn’t have correct number plates and you’re planning on driving it, you must attach valid replacement plates when you collect it.