More than 19,000 vehicles were seized by An Garda Síochána in 2025 for being driven without insurance, according to new figures from the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI).
The Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) Annual Report 2025 reveals that 19,673 vehicles were detained by gardaí last year alone. In total, 38,546 vehicles have been seized in the first two years since officers began using the IMID system to clamp down on uninsured driving.
The database enables gardaí to check a vehicle’s insurance status within seconds, either through automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology or by accessing the system on a mobile device at the roadside. The introduction of the technology has significantly strengthened enforcement efforts.
Alongside the seizures, a total of 51,024 charges and summonses have been issued since 2024 to motorists found driving without insurance. Of those, 25,009 were recorded in 2025.
The IMID contains detailed information including policyholder data, vehicle registration numbers and the names of drivers permitted to operate vehicles covered under specific insurance policies. It also stores the driver numbers of every insured motorist in the State.
By the end of last year, 4,589,494 valid driver numbers had been added to the database, along with details relating to 3,646,638 vehicles. The information is supplied by motor insurers, brokers, fleet owners and motor traders, and is shared with both the Department of Transport and An Garda Síochána.
The report also highlights ongoing concerns around fleet compliance. By the end of 2025, details for 384,247 individual fleet vehicles had been uploaded to a dedicated subsection of the IMID. However, MIBI estimates that thousands of fleet vehicles remain missing from the system.
Since November 2023, fleet owners and motor traders have been legally required to ensure all vehicles covered by such insurance policies are uploaded to the database. Those who fail to comply risk prosecution and fines of up to €500 per vehicle.
MIBI Chief Executive David Fitzgerald said uninsured driving has been a persistent issue. “Driving without insurance has been a problem in this country for quite a while,” he said.
“That is why IMID was set up - to make it easier for An Garda Síochána to identify those who are breaking the law,” Mr Fitzgerald added.
Welcoming the enforcement figures, he said: “So it is very pleasing to see that more than 38,000 vehicles have been seized by the gardaí since we began using this system and over 51,000 charges and summons have been issued during that same period.”
Beyond enforcement, uninsured driving continues to have a financial impact on policyholders. The MIBI estimates that claims involving uninsured drivers add approximately €35 to the cost of motor insurance policies in Ireland.
