More than £94m of uninsured vehicles were saved from potentially being crushed in 2017, including Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bentleys and Aston Martins.

Supercars and high-value vehicles that had been confiscated from uninsured drivers were among those saved from being scrapped last year, according to the latest figures released through the innovative CrushWatch scheme.

The figures for 2017 show that six Lamborghini Huracans (worth between £147k-£186k) and one Lamborghini Aventador worth £318,000, were recovered. A Ferrari 458, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin Vanquish worth £134,000, £111,000 and £104,000 respectively were also recovered.

The £94m figure is £7m up on 2016’s figure of £87m, making it an all-time high for hpi CrushWatch regarding vehicles saved.

The high-value vehicles were among more than 113,000 cars that were confiscated by police after their drivers were found not to have any insurance, of which almost 11,000 belonged to finance and leasing companies. Historically in such situations, the cars would either be sold on, often via auction or scrapped, without the finance company ever being aware.

It was more mainstream models that made up the bulk of the most commonly recovered vehicles, with the Vauxhall Astra and Corsa, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and the Ford Fiesta making up the top five. They were closely followed by BMW’s 1 Series, 3 Series, Mercedes’ C Class, Audi’s A3 and Ford Transit.

CrushWatch was devised in 2009 to allow Police Forces to check vehicles before disposal, giving the option of reuniting finance companies with their often very valuable assets.

Barry Shorto, head of industry relations at cap hpi, said: “These are the highest annual figures in the eight years that the CrushWatch scheme has been operational. Its success further illustrates the need to crack down on driving without insurance, drivers who are causing a risk to other road users and pedestrians.  Our data reveals that drivers of supercars and premium vehicles are not exempt from this practice. Preventing this from happening is not just a safety issue but also about enabling finance companies across the UK to reclaim their vehicles which otherwise may have ended up at auction or on the scrap heap.”

‘Supercars’/high-worth vehicles recovered as part of CrushWatch

Most common vehicles recovered by CrushWatch