Insurance Alarm: One in 15 Vehicles in Ireland Is Uninsured
Insurance concerns are rising in Ireland after new data showed that one in every 15 vehicles on the road is uninsured or unregistered. The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland, or MIBI, published the figures on Monday and is pressing for Continuous Vehicle Coverage to change how uninsured driving is detected. The bureau says the current system leaves too much pressure on enforcement after a vehicle is already being driven.
Insurance data points to a stubborn problem
At the end of last year, there were 211, 371 uninsured or unregistered vehicles being used on Ireland’s roads, equal to about 6. 5 per cent of the overall fleet. The figure included 105, 429 uninsured private vehicles, up from 101, 881 in 2024, a rise of 3, 548 vehicles or 3. 5 per cent.
The MIBI said its latest analysis shows progress is flatlining. David Fitzgerald, chief executive of the MIBI, said the latest insurance analysis shows “progress is flatlining and further measures are required. ” He added that adapting the system to Continuous Vehicle Coverage would benefit the Government, An Garda Síochána, insurance providers and road users.
How the proposed insurance system would work
Continuous Vehicle Coverage is described by the MIBI as an administrative enforcement system rather than a policing-led one. Under the model, the owner must insure a road vehicle at all times once ownership is taken. Registered vehicles would be cross-checked against insured vehicles, and fines would follow where a vehicle is registered but not insured.
The MIBI said the approach could significantly reduce uninsured numbers. It also noted that the system is already used in 25 European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The bureau pointed to the UK as an example where uninsured vehicles fell from about 6 per cent to 2. 5 per cent after the system was introduced.
Enforcement pressure remains high
The latest figures come despite extensive Garda activity against uninsured driving last year. A total of 19, 673 vehicles were seized for driving without insurance, while 25, 009 charges and summonses were issued for the same offence over the same period.
Since the introduction of the Irish Motor Insurance Database in 2024, the MIBI has also been able to analyse non-private motor vehicles. It said 105, 942 non-private vehicles remain either uninsured or not yet registered on the National Fleet Database, a specialised part of the database system. Some of those vehicles use individual policies, while others are covered under fleet or motor trader arrangements.
What happens next
The MIBI is urging a shift toward Continuous Vehicle Coverage as a way to reduce uninsured driving and ease the burden on enforcement. Fitzgerald said the issue remains serious and that a new approach is essential if the country is serious about cutting illegal uninsured activity on its roads. For now, insurance remains the central fault line in a debate over how Ireland should keep uninsured vehicles off the road.
