If your car’s been impounded and you’ve decided it isn’t worth recovering — maybe it’s off-road, failed its MOT, or simply not worth the storage and insurance costs — you still have responsibilities as the registered keeper. You can’t just leave it unclaimed and walk away without consequence. What happens next depends on whether the vehicle was seized by the police, DVLA, or a local authority, and how you deal with the paperwork.

What happens if you do nothing

If no one contacts the pound within the statutory period (normally seven working days from the date on the seizure notice), the vehicle may be classed as abandoned and disposed of. Police and council pounds are legally entitled to sell or scrap unclaimed vehicles to recover their costs. You’ll no longer own the car, but you could still be liable for certain charges incurred before disposal, such as removal or storage fees. Ignoring the notice doesn’t automatically cancel those debts.

Formally giving up ownership

If you don’t want the vehicle back, the proper approach is to contact the pound as soon as possible and tell them in writing. Most pounds can provide a form that transfers the vehicle to the contractor or local authority for disposal. Once signed, this form ends your right to collect it later and formally passes ownership to the pound.

Keep a copy of the signed form for your records, and send the relevant section of the V5C logbook (Section 9 in older documents, or Section 4 in the newer red version) to the DVLA to confirm you’ve given up the vehicle for scrap or disposal. This step is vital — until the DVLA updates its records, you remain legally responsible for tax, fines, and penalties linked to that registration.

When disposal is the better option

Letting the pound dispose of the car can be sensible if:

• the vehicle has major mechanical faults or corrosion and isn’t worth repairing;
• the storage fees already exceed the car’s value;
• it’s off-road or missing essential documents like the MOT certificate; or
• you don’t intend to re-insure or tax it.

For many older vehicles, the combined removal, storage, and insurance costs quickly outweigh their market value. Official disposal can be cheaper and less stressful than trying to recover and re-register a car that’s barely roadworthy.

Alternative: authorised scrappage

Some pounds allow the registered keeper to nominate an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) — a licensed scrap yard — to collect the car from the compound. You’ll need to make these arrangements directly and confirm the ATF is registered with the Environment Agency. Once the vehicle is destroyed, the ATF should issue a Certificate of Destruction, which you should forward to the DVLA to complete the deregistration.

What to avoid

Don’t ignore the paperwork, and don’t assume the pound will automatically notify the DVLA for you. Procedures vary by region, and the keeper is ultimately responsible for updating vehicle records. If you fail to confirm disposal, you could still receive tax reminders or fines months later. It’s also unwise to try to sell or transfer the vehicle privately while it’s still impounded — the pound will only release it to the registered keeper or their authorised representative.

Final note

If your impounded car is off-road and not worth saving, you can legally surrender it to the pound or an authorised scrap facility. Acting quickly and completing the DVLA paperwork ensures you stop being liable for tax, storage, and fines. Walking away without doing so may leave you responsible for costs long after the car has gone.

Check here for more useful information about impounded cars!

Please note: impound rules, collection windows and fee structures are set locally and can change at any time. Details on this site offer a broad outline only and are not guaranteed to match the requirements of any individual pound or authority.