Gardaí seized over 19,673 vehicles for driving without insurance in 2025, a report published by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) on Monday has revealed.
The Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) annual report 2025 shows that the gardaí detained 38,546 vehicles for breaking the law by driving without insurance in the first 24 months since they began using the new insurance database. The IMID system allows gardaí to check the insurance status of a vehicle in seconds, using automatic number plate recognition technology or through their mobile device.
A further 51,024 charges and summons have been issued to those who were apprehended for driving without insurance in that period, with 25,009 of those charges and summons occurring in 2025.
Since November 2023, fleet owners and motor traders have been required by law to ensure all the vehicles covered by insurance policies of this type were uploaded to the NFD. Those who do not comply risk prosecution and fines of up to €500 per vehicle.
“IMID allows the Gardaí to identify uninsured vehicles in seconds and that has changed the whole uninsured policing picture completely. Fake insurance certs or suggestions of mistaken identity can no longer be used by drivers to try to get away with breaking the law,” said MIBI chief executive David Fitzgerald, CEO of the MIBI. “We are very pleased to see IMID now includes more than 4.5 million validated driver numbers and we expect that number to grow even further over the coming months.
“One note of concern though relates to fleet and motor trader vehicles. We believe there are still a significant number of individuals that are yet to fulfil their obligations to add their vehicles to the National Fleet Database section of IMID, and who, as a result are breaking the law … if you do not meet your legal motor insurance obligations you face the real risk of being prosecuted.”
