How to get your car back from a police compound.

Why the police seized the car

Most seizures happen under section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which lets an officer take a vehicle when the driver cannot show they hold a valid licence or insurance for it. The second common power is section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, used for careless, inconsiderate or off-road driving that causes alarm, usually after a warning. Your seizure notice states which power was used, the compound or recovery operator holding the car, and a reference number. Keep it; you will need it at every step.

A seizure is separate from any penalty for the offence itself. Driving without insurance, for example, usually brings a fixed penalty of six points and a £300 fine, or a court appearance. Paying the compound does not settle that, and dealing with the penalty does not release the car.

How long you have

You have seven working days from the date the seizure notice was given to produce your documents and claim the vehicle. Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays. If the car is not claimed, the police can dispose of it, by sale or scrapping, 14 days after the notice date, and you still owe the charges plus a disposal fee.

What it costs

The charges are set by regulations, not by the police or the compound, and are the same across England and Wales. For a car or van up to 3.5 tonnes that was on the road, upright and not substantially damaged:

Heavier vehicles, vehicles recovered off-road, and damaged or non-starting vehicles attract higher removal charges. As a rough example, a standard car collected on the fourth working day after seizure would owe £192 plus three or four days' storage, so around £270 to £300 before insurance. Compounds take card payment; some also take cash.

What to take with you

Compounds are strict and will send you away if something is missing. Bring:

• The seizure notice you were given at the roadside or sent by post.
• Photo ID: a passport or photocard driving licence.
• Your driving licence, valid for the category of vehicle. If you hold a provisional licence, bring a supervising driver who is 21 or over and has held a full licence for at least three years, plus L plates.
• Proof you own the car: the V5C logbook in your name, or a bill of sale with the V5C/2 new keeper slip. Some forces accept a recent DVLA letter.
• An insurance certificate that names you and the registration and covers the vehicle for at least 30 days. This is the document most people get wrong; see below.
• A valid MOT if the car is over three years old. Without one, most compounds will only release the car to be driven directly to a pre-booked MOT test.
• Payment for the removal and storage charges, and a set of keys if the driver did not leave them in the car.

If someone is collecting on your behalf, they need a signed letter of authority from you, their own photo ID and licence, and they must be insured to drive the car. On an impound policy that means being added as a named driver; read the named driver page before you buy, because once a named driver is added the policyholder cannot drive under the policy.

Which insurance the compound will accept

The certificate has to do three things: name the person collecting, name the vehicle by registration, and run for at least 30 days. Ordinary annual policies exclude cars in police custody, and hourly, daily or weekly temporary policies fail the 30-day rule, so they are refused at the gate. What you need is a standalone impound insurance policy, sometimes called compound or impound release insurance, written for exactly this situation. Dash arranges them online in about three minutes or by phone, and the certificate arrives by email straight after payment.

The certificate must be in the name of the registered keeper and owner. If the car was seized because the driver had no insurance, insurers check the details carefully; an undeclared cancelled policy, conviction or earlier seizure can void the new policy after you have driven away, which would put you straight back where you started.

Step by step

1. Read the notice. Note the power used, the deadline, the compound address, its opening hours and whether the force wants you to attend a police station first to produce documents.
2. Arrange the 30-day impound policy. Do this before you travel. Have your licence and the registration to hand. If someone else will be driving the car out, have their details ready too: a named driver is added by phone before you pay, and you won't be able to drive under the policy once they're on it.
3. Gather the documents in the list above and check the names and registration match across all of them.
4. Attend in the stated hours. Some forces release from the compound directly; others want documents checked at a police station, which issues a release form for the compound. The notice says which.
5. Pay and sign for the vehicle. Check the car for damage before you leave and note anything on the release paperwork.
6. Drive home legally. Your impound policy covers you for the full 30 days, social use only. Arrange an annual policy before it ends so you are not caught twice.

If you can't drive it yourself

You have three options. Add a named driver to your impound policy and let them drive it out. If you are a learner, take a provisional impound policy and bring your supervising driver. Or have the car recovered on a truck by an insured recovery operator, which most compounds allow, though many forces still require proof of insurance before release even when the car is not being driven. Ask the compound before you book a truck.

If you don't collect it

After the 14-day point the force can sell or scrap the car. Any sale proceeds go first towards the charges you owe; if they do not cover them, you can still be pursued for the balance, including the £96 disposal fee. Cars with finance outstanding are usually released to the finance company instead. Not collecting does not make the original offence go away either.

Related

• Police seizure notice explained
• Impound insurance: what it is and who can get it
• Impound insurance for drivers 25 and under
• Impound insurance questions and answers