A total of 19,673 vehicles were seized by gardaí last year for being driven without insurance, according to a report from the Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI).
The Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) Annual Report 2025 shows gardaí have detained a total of 38,546 vehicles for being driven without insurance in the first two years 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 a mobile device.
In addition to the vehicles seized, a further 51,024 charges and summons have been issued to those apprehended for driving without insurance since 2024, with 25,009 of those charges and summons occurring last year.
The data contained in the database includes policyholder details, vehicle registration numbers and names of drivers who are permitted to drive the vehicles which are covered by each policy.
This information is provided by motor insurers, brokers, fleet owners and motor traders, and is shared with the Department of Transport and An Garda Síochána.
Also included are the driver numbers of every insured driver, and by the end of last year a total of 4,589,494 valid driver numbers were added to the IMID, with details for 3,646,638 vehicles also included.
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Separately, the IMID report shows that by the end of 2025, details for 384,247 individual vehicles had been added to a subsection for fleet vehicles.
However, the MIBI estimates there are thousands of fleet vehicles still missing from the database.
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 are uploaded to the database, with those who do not comply risking prosecution and fines of up to €500 per vehicle.
MIBI Chief Executive David Fitzgerald said driving without insurance "has been a problem in this country for quite a while".
"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 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," he added.
The MIBI estimates that claims involving uninsured drivers add up to €35 to the cost of motor insurance policies.
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