Police forces across Britain seized more than 214,000 vehicles from the roads last year.
Cars can be taken from owners by agents if they have not taxed or insured the engine, if they are driving without a license or after a vehicle is recovered after being stolen – or crashed and removed from the scene.
The highest concentration of vehicle seizures occurred in Dundee, with 23,344 vehicles in police possession in 2023, a study has found.
And of the 214,051 vehicles seized by the country’s 23 police forces, one in six (16.6 percent) was destroyed shortly afterwards.
Data from 23 police forces in the UK shows that at least 214,000 vehicles were seized from their owners last year
The figures were shared by National Scrap Car, which made a Freedom of Information request to all 45 police forces in Britain, although only half responded with usable data.
The results showed that uninsured or untaxed vehicles, traffic accidents and stolen vehicles were the most common reasons why the armed forces took action.
After Dundee, West Midlands had the highest number of vehicles seized by police with 23,203 cases, just ahead of Greater Manchester with 22,317.
| City | Number of vehicles seized in 2022 | Number of vehicles seized in 2023 | Number destroyed in 2022 | Number destroyed by 2023 | Number auctioned in 2022 | Number auctioned in 2023 | Number returned to their owners 2022 | Number returned to their owners 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee | 21,574 | 23,344 | 3,577 | 1,982 | 483 | 1,982 | – | 19,380 |
| West Midlands | 24,514 | 23,203 | 7,774 | 7,012 | 274 | 283 | 16,057 | 15,998 |
| Greater Manchester | 21,714 | 22,317 | – | 1,312 | 1,049 | 1,312 | – | 5,337 |
| West Yorkshire | 19,635 | 20,124 | 4,026 | 4,138 | 1,404 | 1,344 | 14,372 | 14,255 |
| Beds, Herts, Cambs | 17,576 | 16,632 | 2,951 | 1,143 | 711 | 2,062 | – | – |
| Merseyside | 9,997 | 11,210 | 2,659 | 2.018 | 398 | 315 | 7,188 | 6,936 |
| Lancashire | 14,744 | 10,794 | 2,727 | 2,394 | 190 | 268 | 7,159 | 7,432 |
| South Wales | 10,006 | 8,313 | 1,537 | 897 | 503 | 897 | 6,169 | 5,661 |
| West Mercia | 7,016 | 8,003 | 1,445 | 878 | 200 | 878 | 4,544 | 4,998 |
| Staffordshire | 7,356 | 7,946 | 2,029 | 1,975 | 5 | 13 | 5,153 | 5,901 |
| Leicestershire | 7,572 | 7,751 | 1,232 | 1,194 | 404 | 329 | 5,144 | 5,393 |
| Avon and Somerset | 7,583 | 7,548 | 413 | 1,559 | 413 | 294 | 7,334 | 4,773 |
| Nottinghamshire | 9,058 | 7,005 | 1,678 | 1,960 | 723 | 403 | 6,272 | 5,683 |
| Derbyshire | 5,723 | 6,098 | 1,422 | 1,525 | – | – | 4,213 | 4,573 |
| Cleveland | 4,557 | 5,306 | 1,134 | 910 | 294 | 262 | 3,127 | 3,416 |
| Norfolk | 4,864 | 4,703 | 306 | 782 | 741 | – | 3,780 | 2,704 |
| Hampshire | 4,351 | 4,692 | – | 694 | 1,280 | 694 | 3,035 | 3,246 |
| Durham | 3,950 | 4,068 | – | 252 | 818 | 252 | – | – |
| North Wales | 3,750 | 3,493 | – | 727 | – | 72 | – | 2,650 |
| Surrey | 2,203 | 3,376 | 589 | 485 | 172 | 485 | 1,442 | 2,083 |
| Wiltshire | 3,230 | 3,333 | 676 | 605 | 65 | 605 | 2,273 | 2,295 |
| Suffolk | 3,128 | 3,112 | 171 | 548 | 508 | 0 | 201 | 2,268 |
| Warwickshire | 1,499 | 1,680 | 514 | 497 | 152 | 189 | 828 | 906 |
| TOTAL | 215,600 | 214,051 | 36,860 | 35,487 | 10,787 | 12,939 | 98,291 | 125,888 |
| Source: National Scrap Car FOI request to all 45 UK police forces (23 responded with data) | ||||||||
*If you are reading this article in the MailOnline mobile app and cannot see the table above, click this link to read the story in a web browser and view the table
Dorry Potter, car expert at National Scrap Car, once said that one vehicle is seized by police, some are returned to their owners, others are sold at auction and others are scrapped.
“This all depends on the condition of the vehicle and whether the original owner of the vehicle can be contacted,” she explained.
‘By carrying out this research we wanted to find out which parts of the country had the highest number of seized vehicles, along with the main reasons why so many vehicles are kept in car depots across the country.’
Vehicles are seized for a variety of reasons, but most often because the owner is using them illegally. This can vary from not taxing or insuring the motorcycle to not having a full driver’s license. Vehicles are also seized if they are stolen and recovered – or crashed
Of the 214,051 vehicles seized by the country’s 23 police forces, one in six (16.6%) were destroyed shortly afterwards.
How many seized cars are destroyed?
The data showed that three in five (59 percent) of reported seized vehicles were returned to their owners.
Changes to the rules in April 2023 around the removal, storage and disposal of vehicles mean that the minimum cost incurred to recover a car after it has been seized by police is €192.
However, if the car is damaged or falls on its roof (after an accident), that one-off payment can be up to €384.
Daily storage fees are also charged for how long police hold the vehicle, which costs £26 per day for a car.
This was evident from the information provided to National Scrap Car by the police More than one in six of the 2,014,000 vehicles seized by police last year were ultimately destroyed – and a further 12,939 (6 percent) were sold at auction.
Vehicles can be seized by police if they are found not to have tax or insurance, or if the person behind the wheel is found not to have a full driver’s license
The data showed that three in five (59%) of reported seized vehicles were returned to their owners. Vehicle removal, storage and disposal rules mean the minimum cost incurred to recover a car after it has been seized by police is €192
Why were cars seized by the police in 2023?
The most common reason for a vehicle to be seized in Britain was that the vehicle had no insurance or legal licence, meaning the vehicle does not comply with section 165 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
You are required by law to hold a full and valid driver’s license, with the only exception being learner drivers who hold a provisional driver’s license.
In addition, anyone using a vehicle on the road or in any other public place is required by motoring legislation to have valid insurance against third party risks.
This also includes vehicles that are parked exclusively on public roads and not driven.
Drivers who do not comply with these laws may face fines, driving bans and in this case their vehicles may be confiscated.
Around 56,707 vehicles were seized for not having insurance or licence, with the highest volume being in the West Midlands with 7,339 vehicles seized in the twelve month period.
The second most common reason is road accidents: 49,278 incidents lead to vehicle seizures.
Dundee had the highest number of incidents during that period with 8,608 cars in police possession.
In these events, the cars are usually seized because they are no longer in good condition after the accident, or because they are being kept as evidence by the police.
A further 1,978 vehicles were seized during this period due to serious or fatal accidents.
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