Drivers have paid almost £400,000 in fines for travelling without car insurance with the police seizing close to 166,000 vehicles.
The penalty for driving without insurance could see drivers fined as much as £300 and receive six points on their licence.
Between 2021 and 2023, motorists were forced to pay out their insurance premiums on top of the fine by the police to retrieve their car.
It is estimated that during the three-year period drivers were charged a further £16million collectively.
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Drivers could be fined as much as £300 for not having car insurance
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The risks of driving without insurance means that if a driver is in an accident, they could be forced to pay out thousands in damages from their own pocket.
The price of car insurance premiums has rapidly increased over the year with the average cost of car insurance estimated at £995 at the end of last year, £366 more than in 2022.
Louise Thomas, motoring expert at Confused.com, said: “It’s easy to assume if you have a fully comprehensive policy you’re covered to drive another car. At least this used to be quite common.
“However, today, this doesn’t come as standard on these policies, so if it’s something you think you need, check your insurance details carefully.
“It’s also important to remember that ‘driving other cars’ only covers you for third party damage. So if you’re in an accident, you could be paying for any repairs to the vehicle you are driving.”
Young drivers have been hit with the highest insurance premiums since before Covid, with some drivers now quoted more than £3,000.
With the cost of car insurance growing, the comparison website said it’s no surprise that 41 per cent of offences for travelling without cover came from those under 30.
Thomas added that if a person is driving someone else’s vehicle regularly, they should consider becoming a named driver on the owner's policy.
Driving other cars is something that motorists can include on their insurance policy if they’re over 25 which means their cover extends to other vehicles, however not all drivers are aware of this add-on.
More than a third of UK drivers explained that they weren’t sure whether their insurance policy includes “driving other cars”.
Meanwhile, one-in-10 motorists admitted to knowingly driving another car that isn’t their own, without checking their insurance first.
Over 33 per cent said they thought they had insurance at the time of driving, but a further 29 per cent admitted they took the risk as they were only driving a short distance.
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One-in-10 drivers admitted to knowingly driven another car that isn’t their own
PA
Louise Thomas explained: “It’s concerning how many drivers have been caught driving without insurance in recent years. Whether this is a deliberate decision to avoid paying for insurance, or from lack of knowing what drivers are covered for on their own policies.
“And with the cost of insurance so high at the moment, it may be tempting to cancel your insurance to help save some money. But this is a serious offence.
“If you do this, you’re putting yourself at risk of a fine. You also impact any third party as well if you’re unable to cover the cost of the damage in the case of an accident.”
