Release Certificate

Typically, you pick up the release certificate from the police station closest to where your car was impounded. The officer should tell you at the time of the stop where to pay for the certificate. Be sure to bring proof of insurance with you. The driver retrieving the impounded automobile must have a valid license. If yours is suspended and you’ll be the driver picking it up, you’ll need to comply with the DMV's requirements to reinstate your license or find someone with an active, valid license. The cost of the release certificate varies from $50 to $300, depending on which city officer stopped you.

Tow Bill

This immediate cost might be your biggest. I’ve heard that tow companies charge between $200 and $500, or more, to tow your car. Much of the expense depends on where you were stopped, the vehicle, and how far to their tow lot.

Storage Fees

The towing company must maintain a secure tow yard to keep your car safe from theft, vandalism, and looting. No, you don’t get to empty your car when you get stopped. You can take your personal effects out of the vehicle, and that’s it. So, there your automobile sits, with everything inside, taking up valuable space in the lot. They usually charge between $30 and $50 a day for storage fees. That’s why I said earlier that the faster you can obtain the insurance and release certificate, the lower the storage fees will be.

Ticket

Either you go to court to fight the ticket, or you pay the fine and move on. Going to court and presenting your case might at least result in a reduced fine. A no-insurance ticket usually costs between $150 and $250. Add that to other infractions, and you’ll leave the courthouse having paid as much as $1,000 in fines.

Now, if you had maintained insurance and good credit, your insurance would probably be around $50 to $70 a month. You can expect to pay double to triple that because you had no prior insurance and will now have tickets on your record. Some companies charge even more because you’ll need an SR22 certificate. They charge you to send in the SR22 form to the DMV and an SR26 form if you cancel your policy. The $25 fee per certificate that the DMV charges is passed on to you.