Drivers risk having vehicles 'scrapped or sold' and fines of over £1,000 if they do not pay car tax
The DVLA can clamp vehicles if they do not pay their car tax
GETTY
Experts have urged drivers to pay their car tax on time or they could risk enormous fines as the DVLA embarks on a campaign to crack down on untaxed vehicles.
Recent data suggests that the amount of impounded vehicles in the UK has reached 197,000, a significant year-on-year increase of more than 7,000 vehicles.
Drivers could see their vehicle clamped or impounded if it is untaxed or on a public road without a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
If a vehicle is not taxed, drivers could be prosecuted and slapped with a fine of up to £2,500 if they use it on the road for any reason without declaring it SORN.
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Drivers who do not tax their cars properly could face huge fines, especially if they have not been declared SORN
GETTYThe only exception for driving without a SORN is to go to or from a pre-booked MOT test or another testing appointment.
According to the DVLA, drivers who have been clamped will need to pay a £100 release fee or a £200 impound release fee to get their vehicle back.
Andy Moody, founder and managing director of GoShorty, called on drivers to get their vehicles out of the impound lot as soon as possible as they could face serious consequences.
He added that research has found that Monday is the most popular day for drivers to get impound insurance, potentially showing that it is their first priority after the weekend.
Moody continued, saying: "Failure to collect the vehicle within 14 days could lead to it being scrapped or sold, which is why we are delighted to be able to offer this valuable policy.
"Acquiring insurance for an impounded vehicle over the phone is usually a difficult task - but now you can get sorted quickly and simply online, in less than two minutes."
Motorists could also be required to pay £21 per day when their vehicle is being held in the impound, which can quickly add up the longer it is held there.
If the keeper of the vehicle has not taxed their car or van by the time it is released they face further charges.
This includes a £160 fee for motorcycles, light passenger and light goods vehicles, £330 for buses, recovery, haulage and goods vehicles and £700 for exceptional loads and HGVs.
If someone were to have their HGV impounded for two weeks and did not tax it once it was released, resulting in them having to pay the surity fee, they could face costs of more than £1,000.
The research, from GoShorty, found that South Wales had seen the biggest increase in the number of impounded vehicles between 2021 and 2022, with a 35 per cent rise.
This was followed by Gwent (30 per cent), North Yorkshire (26 per cent), Cumbria (20 per cent) and Devon and Cornwall (15 per cent).
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The DVLA has been patrolling streets in recent weeks looking to clamp untaxed cars
PAMoody suggested that the rapid rise in the number of people being slapped with fines and having their vehicles impounded could be related to the jump in the cost of car insurance, which is now an average of £882, Confused.com shows.
Geography and personal factors all play a role in the variation of car insurance changes, with drivers in Inner London paying £1,404, while 18-year-olds will pay a mindblowing average of £2,960 for cover.
Experts have suggested that drivers will not pay less than £1,000 for their car insurance until they reach 38 years old.