New figures reveal 18% rise in abandoned vehicles
New figures have revealed that there were nearly 100,000 abandoned vehicles in the UK last year.
A Freedom of Information request by Churchill Motor Insurance found that 99,095 vehicles were reported abandoned in 2024, up from 84,299 in 2023 and 73,738 in 2022.
This represents a one-year increase of 18% and two-year increase of 34%.
Meanwhile, only one in five reported abandoned vehicles are ever retrieved by their owners, with 13% deemed officially abandoned by councils and 30% of that number being scrapped.
The rise in abandoned vehicles mirrors a sharp rise in the number of cars declared off the road, up to 6.68 million from just 2.85 million in 2014.
Abandoned vehicles
Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “The number of abandoned vehicles is rising sharply, blighting our communities, taking up valuable parking spaces, and straining council resources.
“It’s important to remember that vehicles without an MOT, tax, or insurance cannot be left on public highways – they must be declared SORN and kept on private property, even if they are not being driven.”
