Charges for seized vehicles in Northern Ireland will rise by 28% from Monday 10 November 2025. The Department of Justice has made new regulations under the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 to update the statutory fees that apply when police seize a vehicle for careless or inconsiderate driving, or for illegal off‑road use that is causing alarm, distress or annoyance. The change is set out in SR 2025/167.

Announcing the review last year, Justice Minister Naomi Long said it was “appropriate to review these fees to ensure that they are fair to both those carrying out removal, storage and disposal work and those whose vehicles are removed,” noting recent uplifts in Scotland and in England and Wales. That position has now been carried through to the final regulations.

The uplift applies across the full charging matrix for removal and storage. By The Northern Ledger’s read of the statutory tables, the top‑end recovery fee that was £6,000 in 2008 for the heaviest, most complex cases moves to just under £7,700 once the 28% increase is applied, with other bands rising in line. This aligns with the Department’s policy decision to restore parity with England and Wales.

The Department has confirmed the new rates will only apply to vehicles seized on or after 10 November 2025. Motorists whose vehicles were seized before that date will remain on the previous schedule. A companion rule, SR 2025/168, updates the uninsured‑driving regime under separate legislation, meaning both sets of seizure powers now move together on price.

Officials underline that fees are not a windfall for government: they are used to pay independent recovery operators contracted by the PSNI or by the Department. Northern Ireland had not updated these fees since 2008, and the Department’s consultation concluded that an increase was needed to keep services viable and aligned with neighbouring jurisdictions.

The consultation responses also flagged practical pressures on the ground: heavier electric vehicles are costlier to recover and store, operators reported security risks including arson and threats, and rural jobs can involve long trips. PSNI told the Department that, while statutory mileage is not charged, a local arrangement pays £1.15 per mile after 30 miles.

For communities, especially on the edge of towns and in the hills, the move meets a live issue. Police have continued to seize scramblers and quads ridden on footpaths, parks and farmland, with recent examples in Derry and across Belfast. Residents report the same pattern each spring and summer: noise, risk to pedestrians and torn ground.

The legal basis is unchanged. Article 65 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 gives police the power to seize a vehicle used carelessly, inconsiderately or off‑road in a way that causes, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance. The updated regulations simply adjust the charges within that framework.

For drivers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: if the PSNI seizes your vehicle for anti‑social or dangerous off‑road use after 10 November, you will face higher recovery and daily storage charges until you prove entitlement and settle the bill. Moving quickly limits storage costs; ignoring notices risks disposal. The fee uplift does not change those basic steps.

For Northern operators and hauliers who run into NI from Cairnryan or Heysham, the update matters too. Recoveries triggered in Northern Ireland are billed at Northern Ireland’s statutory rates. The Department’s aim, set out in its report and way forward, is to keep those rates sustainable and broadly in line with the rest of the UK after England and Wales raised their schedule in 2023.