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Start by checking what the pound recorded
When a vehicle is seized and taken to a pound, staff work from the details shown on the roadside paperwork. If the car was untaxed at the time of the stop, that fact is normally logged straight away. Insurance helps only with the question of whether the car can be driven after release. It does not remove the tax issue, and it does not extend the usual deadlines. In most areas the keeper normally has around seven days to claim the vehicle and roughly fourteen days to collect it.
Insurance on its own is not enough for a road release
A valid policy does not give you automatic permission to drive the car out of the pound. Road tax and roadworthiness rules still apply, and the pound may refuse a road release unless every condition is satisfied. Some sites sometimes allow an untaxed vehicle to be driven only if it is heading directly to a pre booked MOT test. Even then, the insurer must confirm that the journey is covered and the vehicle must be safe enough to make that trip.
Other pounds take a firmer approach and decline any road release when a vehicle is untaxed, regardless of whether an MOT appointment exists. Their view is that the safest option is collection by a specialist vehicle recovery company. Each authority sets its own procedure, so checking their position before travelling avoids wasted journeys.
When a tax deposit is requested
Some pounds apply a tax-deposit system for untaxed vehicles. This is not universal, but it does occur. In practice it means paying an amount that covers the expected tax liability if you are planning to drive the car away. Presentation of a valid insurance certificate is still necessary, and some pounds ask for proof of a booked MOT if the tax exemption you are relying on requires it.
A tax deposit does not replace the requirement to tax the vehicle properly once you leave the site. It is simply a way for the pound to ensure the journey is lawful.
When a specialist vehicle recovery company becomes the only workable option
If tax cannot be sorted immediately, or the pound declines a road release for an untaxed vehicle, removal by a specialist vehicle recovery company is usually the most reliable route. This avoids all road-use complications and allows you to take the car home or to a workshop without dealing with tax or MOT rules at the gate.
Once the vehicle is off-site, you can tax it, book repairs, arrange an MOT or update your insurance without the pressure of daily storage charges.
Checking the vehicle’s MOT and condition
Tax often isn’t the only problem in these situations. If the MOT has expired, you will need a direct MOT test booking before a road release is considered. If the car has serious defects, the pound may refuse a road release entirely and insist on a specialist recovery company.
A brief inspection at the pound is sensible. Look for flat tyres, leaks, broken lights or anything that suggests the car isn’t safe to drive, even if driving were permitted. Roadworthiness rules apply regardless of tax status.
Documents you’ll normally need to bring
To get the vehicle released, the pound usually asks for:
- Photographic ID.
- The seizure notice or case reference.
- The V5C or proof of purchase if the record is not up to date.
- A valid insurance certificate that supports release.
- Payment for removal and storage charges.
- Proof of MOT booking if you expect to use a direct-test exemption.
If someone else is collecting the vehicle for you, pounds normally apply stricter checks. Many insist the registered keeper attends personally, as permission letters alone are rarely accepted.
Keeping the situation under control
Insurance helps, but it does not solve the tax barrier on its own. The quickest way to avoid mounting storage fees is often to arrange collection by a specialist vehicle recovery company, then sort the tax and any MOT issues at home, put this can prove expensive and time consuming.
Act early, confirm the pound’s rules, gather the right documents and decide whether driving or recovered removal is realistic. Working within the usual time limits keeps control in your hands and prevents the vehicle slipping towards disposal.
Impound processes, time limits and costs vary widely across the UK, and authorities can amend their rules at any time. Information on this site is intended as a general overview and should not be relied on as definitive for any specific impound location.