Impound release insurance, also sometimes known as compound insurance, is a temporary insurance policy that provides you with the correct cover to be able to release your impounded car from a compound. You are required to have specific impound release insurance to retrieve your car, insuring your car with a regular policy won’t work, unfortunately. If it is your van that has been seized we also offer impounded van insurance.
Our temporary impound insurance policies last for 30 days because to be able to release your car from an impound, you’ll need to prove that your vehicle is insured for at least 30 days.
Unlike the rest of our temporary car insurance options, impound release insurance provides you with third-party-only cover. This provides you with the minimum level of cover needed to drive on UK roads and to get your car out of an impound.
The longer a car remains in an impound, the more costs you’ll incur to release it. That’s why it’s in your best interest to retrieve your vehicle as soon as possible. With our impound insurance, you can get covered in under 2 minutes, ensuring you can release your car quickly and minimise additional fees.
A valid impound insurance policy won’t guarantee the release of your vehicle from an impound, but it is required to be able to retrieve it. If those holding your car won’t release it, the issue will need to be resolved with them.
There are several reasons a vehicle may be impounded. These reasons include:
In the UK, several authorities, including the police, DVLA, local councils, and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), have the power to impound vehicles—but only under specific circumstances.
For example, the police can seize a vehicle if it’s being driven without insurance or in a dangerous manner. The DVLA and local councils can impound a car if it’s parked illegally or untaxed, while the VOSA has the authority to act if a vehicle is deemed unsafe for public roads.
There are various reasons why one of these organisations might impound a vehicle, and in some cases, more than one authority may be involved.
If your vehicle has been seized for any of the reasons mentioned above, it will be taken to an impound lot. Typically, you have 14 days to take action, or the vehicle may be disposed of, either by scrapping or selling it. In some areas of the UK, however, you may have as little as 7 days to retrieve your vehicle. It’s important to check the specific regulations for the area where your car has been impounded and start the retrieval process as soon as possible.
If your car has been seized and impounded, you’ll need to find out where your local authority has taken it. This will typically be done by sending you a notice letter with all the information on how to retrieve your car.
However, if you don’t receive a notice you should call the police on 101 to find out where your car has been taken and when you can retrieve it.
If your car has been seized by the DVLA, you may need to contact NSL, the organisation that manages vehicle seizures for them, on 0343 224 1999.
Once you know where your car is being held, you’ll need to organise releasing your car as soon as possible. You don’t want to leave it in there for too long as you’ll incur costs and run the risk of your car being sold or scrapped.
Only the owner of the car can release it from the impound. So, when you go to collect your car as well as having impound release insurance in place and the funds to pay the release fee you’ll also need to bring:
To release your vehicle from the impound, you’ll need to insure it for at least 30 days with specialist impound release insurance. With our impound insurance options, this process is quick and easy. Simply fill out our online form, and you’ll receive a quote in under 2 minutes. After payment, you’ll be instantly insured, and your policy documents will be sent directly to your inbox.
Please note, only the registered owner of the vehicle can retrieve it from the impound, so make sure the impound insurance policy is taken out in the registered owner’s name and it is them that goes to release the car.
We can provide you with a valid impound insurance policy in under two minutes based on the information you provide us with. This allows you to release your vehicle from an impound as quickly as possible. However, please note valid insurance won’t guarantee your vehicle’s release.
If the authority in possession of the insured vehicle is not willing to release the vehicle to you for any reason, you’ll need to resolve this with them directly.
As the vehicle owner, you are legally required to have the correct vehicle insurance whenever your vehicle is on public roads. This means, you will also need the correct insurance to reclaim your vehicle.
Many insurance policies don’t provide the cover necessary to release your vehicle from the impound and in fact, most will include wording that specifically exclude cover for the purposes of an impound release. That’s why we offer specialised impound release insurance to cover your journey from the impound to your home.
What’s covered may vary slightly between providers, but when purchasing a compound insurance policy from us, you can generally expect the following:
Like with our other temporary insurance policies, the price of impounded vehicle insurance will vary depending on factors such as your age, vehicle, driving history, reason for impound, how long the vehicle has been impounded and more.
Get a quote and purchase in under 2 minutes to find out how cheap impound release insurance could be for you.
Drivers aged 25 to 69 can take advantage of our compound release insurance which provides you with the required 30 day third party only cover, enabling you to release your impounded vehicle.
Our extensive coverage ensures drivers who hold a Full UK, EU, provisional, or International licence are able to apply for impound release insurance, if they are the owner of the impounded car.
Many impounds will apply a daily charge for the storage of your vehicle, so being able to quickly and easily arrange cover to get your vehicle released will help keep these costs from spiralling.
Get your personalised quote now and release your vehicle within minutes.
Our Help Centre contains answers to all of the questions you might have about temporary insurance.
Yes. Our dedicated Impound Release insurance can be used to retrieve a vehicle from an impound. Please note that this is our only policy that can be used to retrieve a vehicle from an impound.
Unfortunately not. It is a requirement by law that you have a minimum of 30 days insurance cover to release an impounded vehicle. We only provide Impound Release Insurance on a Third Party Only Cover basis for a minimum of 30 days.
No, unfortunately, as you need to prove that your vehicle is insured for a minimum of 30 days to be able to release your vehicle, all of our Impound Release Insurance policies are non-refundable.
Yes, as long as your licence has not been suspended, we can still provide you with cover and will take into consideration that there may be a pending conviction for driving with no insurance.
Your certificate will immediately be sent to the email address you provided when buying the policy. You can then show this to the impound when releasing your vehicle.
Yes, you can choose instant cover when you purchase your policy and we will send your documents to your email address immediately.
Unfortunately, not. Policies must only be in the name of the vehicle owner, or the policy holder must hold a current lease in their name for the impounded vehicle.
Yes. Our compound release insurance is available for all UK, EU, provisional and International licence holders.
No, our Impound Release policy provides you with 30 days Third Party Only Cover. If you require comprehensive cover, you’ll need to purchase a new policy once your vehicle has been released.
GoShorty will provide you with a valid insurance based on the information you provide us with to allow for the release of your vehicle from an impound, however valid insurance won’t guarantee your vehicle’s release. If the authority in possession of the insured vehicle is not willing to release the vehicle to you for any reason, you’ll need to resolve this with them directly. GoShorty are not responsible for the actions of any impound, nor do we have any authority over them and your policy cannot be amended once cover has been purchased, so please ensure you have read and understand all of the terms and conditions of your policy before you purchase.
No. The only vehicle you will be covered to drive is the one on your policy, but you can purchase another policy from us if you need cover on another vehicle.
Vehicles fitted with manufacturer-specified optional extras that are fitted at the time of manufacture are acceptable. Vehicles modified to cater for a disabled driver, or a disabled passenger are acceptable. All other modifications (cosmetic or performance related) are not acceptable.
All claims must be reported directly to your Insurer within 24 hours of the incident occurring. Your Insurer’s contact information can be found in your policy documents. It is a condition of your insurance policy that all incidents are reported, even if you are not at fault or you decide you are not going to make a claim, so your interest can be protected in the event of any claim made against you.
All claims must be reported directly to your Insurer on the telephone number found on your documents within 24 hours of the incident occurring. It is a condition of your insurance policy that all incidents are reported, even if you are not at fault or decide you are not going to make a claim so they can protect your interest from any claim made against you.
