Impounded Car Insurances - The Definitive Guide
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So, you’ve found yourself in a situation where your car has been impounded for whatever reason. This isn’t a great position to find yourself in, especially when you find out that a lot of car insurance providers won’t insure your car allowing you to get back out on the road.
If you can’t get insurance, what are you supposed to do?
Well, all hope is not lost, especially since there are plenty of insurance providers out there that aim to give you a full car insurance policy, even if your vehicle has been impounded. In this guide, we’re going to explore absolutely everything you need to know to have the best experience.
What is impounded car insurance?
Impounded insurance, as the title suggests, is a type of insurance policy that covers your car with legally acceptable insurance despite the fact it’s been impounded in the first place.
In many cases, the police won’t release an impounded car until you can prove that you are insured to drive the vehicle, and since many insurance providers won’t insure an impounded car, you’re going to need to look into dedicated impounded car insurance providers.
Impounded car insurance policies last at least 30 days, it is a legal requirement. To release your vehicle, you will need a special insurance that is valid at least for 30 days, which should give you enough time to get your car out of impounded. Once everything has been dealt with the car isn’t registered as being impounded anymore, you can then go back onto a traditional policy.
Why is standard car insurance not acceptable for impounded cars?
A common question asked is why exactly doesn’t a standard car insurance policy cover the insurance requirements on an impounded car, and the answer is simple. The car is not worth the risk of insuring in case something goes wrong.
Due to all the reasons a car can be impounded for, and with insurance companies being as proactive as possible to be as competitive as possible, it’s simply not sustainable for a provider to insure an impounded car and then for an accident situation to occur. To make things easier for themselves, they simply avoid insuring this type of car.
Impounded car insurance policies features
While most standard insurers won’t insure an impounded car, we found one dedicated impounded vehicle insurance providers out there who specifically offer policies that cover impounded cars. Impounded car insurance online quote are hard to find, here’s a table with everything you need to know about impounded car insurance from Insure4aday:
| Provider | Price | Features of the policy | Opinion | Min days of coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | £399.10 per 30 day period |
|
| 30 days |
Can my car get impounded if I don’t have car insurance?
To cut a long story short, yes. You can have your car impounded when no insurance policy is covering it.
If your car doesn’t have a car insurance policy covering it and your car is on a public road, even if it’s parked on the side of a public road, you may find your car impounded by police, The only way you won’t need a car insurance policy on your car is if it has been declared SORN and is not being stored or parked on a public road.
Can I use a temporary car insurance to collect my seized car?
Unfortunately, you can’t use standard temporary insurance to insure and drive away an impounded car. Some insurance companies propose short term policies that do offer impound coverage, as insure4aday for example. This temporary cover must last at least 30 days, and must absolutely cover impounded insurance.
Can I add an additional driver to my impounded vehicle policy?
It is very rare that an impounded insurance provider will allow named drivers on the policy of an impounded car.
However, if there’s a specific reason you want a named driver on the policy and it’s something you need for logistical reasons, find the insurance provider you want to work with, call them up, and ask what they can do for you. Most likely this will raise your impounded car insurance cost a lot, so bear this in mind.
What documents do you need to take your car out of impound?
There’s a process you need to go through to get your impounded vehicle back, which includes getting yourself an insurance policy. Let’s explore the quickest and most cost-effective way you can get your car returned and back out on the road.
First, you’ll need to gather all the documentation that will allow you to take your car out of the impound. This is what you’ll need to take with you;
- Proof of a valid insurance policy
- Proof of identity
- Proof of vehicle ownership (The V5 logbook, or V5C/10 new keeper slip)
- Proof of a valid MOT test
Only the legal owner of a vehicle can retrieve it from an impound, so bear this in mind so you don’t waste your time. It is the owner who must go to the impound and present the documentation. All payments and fees must be paid by the owner using a card at the impound. No payments can be made over the phone.
You may need to call the impound to book at an appointment to pick up your car or you may be able to turn up at any time; it depends on the impound your vehicle is in. Once at the impound, you’ll be able to prove the vehicle is used and you’re covered by an insurance policy, you’ll be able to get your car back.
There’s typically a £100 - £200 fee you’ll need to pay to release the vehicle, but this is if you retrieve the car within 24 hours of it being seized. The longer you leave the car in the impound, the more expensive it will be to retrieve it again. This increase is typically around £20 per day. That's why it could be useful to have a cheap impounded car insurance policy. If you leave the car in the impound for too long, the car can be sold or scrapped by the impound.
5 tips to know about impounded car insurances
While it taking out insurance for impounded cars may seem complicated and there’s a lot to think about, especially with so many variables, there are a few tips and pieces of key information to remember if you want to have the best experience when reclaiming an impounded vehicle.
| What you should know | Details |
|---|---|
| 30-day policy minimum | It’s important to remember that it’s required by UK law that every impounded car insurance policy will last a minimum of 30 days, and you will not be able to get a policy that will cover you for a shorter amount of time than this. |
| Some policies allow for convictions | Even if you’re facing a driving conviction that’s pending, such as an IN10, you can still take out an impounded vehicle insurance policy, but it may mean you have a higher premium. |
| Acquiring Your Insurance Certificate | To retrieve your vehicle from an impound, you need to ensure you have a valid certificate of insurance as proof you can drive the car and it’s legally covered. Most of the time when you take an insurance policy, your certificate will be emailed to you. Print it out as proof you’re insured. |
| Named Driver Policies | If you want to add a named driver to your impounded car insurance policy, this is a very rare situation where a provider would allow this. However, if it’s something you really need, contact your preferred provider directly to see what they can do. |
| Types of Car Insurance | Most providers will only offer third-party, fire, and theft levels of cover for impounded vehicles, but there may be the odd occasion where a fully comprehensive level is offered. Check with your preferred provider for details. |
How to find cheaper impounded car insurance policies?
Of course, you’re going to want to be proactive in finding the best deal possible when it comes to impounded car insurance, especially since it’s a lot more expensive than traditional car insurance policies. If you’re looking to save on your policy, here are some tips to help;
- Co-operate with authorities - The more fuss you create when trying to get your car back, the longer the process can go on for. If you pay for a 30-day policy and you end up prolonging the process, you may need to pay out again for more insurance, which simply isn’t worth it.
- Clear all convictions - If you’re getting insured with driving convictions pending, this can dramatically raise the premiums of your insurance policy. Try to clear and sort out all convictions before taking out a policy if you can.
- Shop around - There’s no point in simply taking out the first quote you receive because you’ll have no idea whether you’re getting the best price for it. Instead, shop around and research different providers to see who’s got the best deal at the time you’re searching for.
