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Why the vehicle was seized
Driving without a licence is a qualifying offence for police seizure. The officer can remove the vehicle from the road under statutory powers and arrange for it to be taken to an approved pound. The seizure applies to the vehicle itself, not only the driver, which is why a car owned by someone else can still be taken if the person behind the wheel had no entitlement to drive.
What happens to the unlicensed driver
The person who was driving will normally face enforcement action. This can include penalty points, fines and prosecution, depending on whether they never held a licence, previously held one, or were disqualified at the time. These penalties follow the individual driver, not the vehicle, and run separately from the release process at the pound.
Whether the vehicle’s owner can get the car back
The registered keeper can usually reclaim the vehicle, provided all pound requirements are met. The fact that someone drove the vehicle without a licence does not automatically bar the keeper from recovering it. However, the keeper must satisfy the pound’s checks on identity, keepership, insurance and payment before the car is released. Pounds usually refuse release to anyone who cannot prove keeper status or complete the required documentation.
Insurance requirements for release
The vehicle cannot be driven out of the pound without insurance suitable for impound release. Standard policies and short-term temporary cover will not be accepted, because they exclude seized vehicles. Pounds usually expect to see a specialist impound-ready policy with a minimum thirty-day term. If the keeper is getting someone else to drive the vehicle out, that person must have an appropriate impound-release policy in their own name. A simple permission letter is rarely enough on its own.
ID and proof of keepership
The keeper will normally need strong photo ID and the V5C registration certificate. If the V5C is not available, some pounds may accept the new keeper slip with a bill of sale, but this varies and is not guaranteed. Where the pound cannot confirm keepership reliably, release may be refused until suitable documents are produced.
Fees and time limits
The keeper is responsible for paying the statutory release charge, daily storage and any associated recovery costs. Storage is charged for each period of twenty-four hours or part of it, so the total can rise quickly. Pounds usually set strict time limits for claiming and collecting vehicles. If the deadlines pass, disposal action can begin. These timeframes do not change because the offence involved an unlicensed driver.
If the driver was disqualified
If the person at the wheel was driving while disqualified rather than simply unlicensed, the offence is more serious. This does not in itself prevent the keeper from recovering the vehicle, but the police may hold the car for longer if it is needed as evidence in a wider case. The pound will only release it when police authorisation is given.
What happens if the keeper does nothing
If the vehicle is not claimed within the pound’s timescale, the pound may begin disposal. Some vehicles are sold at auction, others are scrapped depending on condition and local arrangements. Any proceeds after statutory deductions are handled according to the authority’s rules. Leaving a vehicle unclaimed will not cancel enforcement action against the person who drove without a licence.
A practical way to approach the situation
Once a vehicle has been seized because someone drove without a licence, the driver faces their own penalties while the keeper focuses on retrieving the vehicle. Bringing solid ID, proof of keepership, an impound-valid insurance certificate and payment for fees normally allows release to go ahead, provided the car meets any tax or MOT requirements. Acting promptly is the best way to limit storage costs and avoid complications with time limits.
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.