High-end luxury cars among those seized from M50 toll evaders
Gordon Deegan
High-end luxury cars from Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and Land Rover are among the vehicles seized by the Dublin Sheriff from motorists who have racked up large bills on the M50 toll.
New figures show the Dublin Sheriff seized 43 vehicles during the first six months of 2025, representing a 78 per cent increase on the seizure rate for the same period in 2024 when 25 cars were seized.
In total 70 vehicles were seized by the sheriff in 2024 through the civil process in the courts.
Vehicle seizures only occur following repeated offences and unsuccessful attempts to rectify the evader's position.
A spokesman for eFlow said on Friday that the outstanding M50 bills range in value.
He said that those bills must be paid off before motorists can reclaim their cars from the sheriff.
The eFlow spokesman said: "The seizing of vehicles is the final act in a series of opportunities for toll evaders to rectify the situation, there is a process for owners to reclaim cars after agreements on payments are reached."
Along with vehicles from Mercedes Benz, Audi A6, Audi A8, Land Rover and BMW, the sheriff has also seized a Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Kodiaq, Nissan Navara, Opel Mokka, Ford Focus, Renault Kadjar and Volkswagen Transporter.
Commercial vehicles such as Ford Transit, Peugeot Partner, Large goods and construction vehicles were also seized from toll evaders.
In the latest annual figures available, toll income on the M50, the State's busiest road, surged by 11 per cent to €190 million in 2023, on the back of an inflation-linked increase in toll charges and higher traffic volumes.
The €190 million in toll income – which goes to the State after costs of operating the M50 toll are taken into account – included €12.4 million in penalty income and was €17.6 million ahead of the M50 toll income of €172.4 million in 2022.
The confirmed toll income for the M50 will be even higher for 2024 with a second inflation linked toll increase coming into force from January 1st last year.
The e-Flow spokesman said: “Enforcement is about fairness for the 97 per cent of the road users who do pay their toll.
He said: “The M50 eFlow barrier free tolling enforcement programme is overseen by Pierse Fitzgibbon (PF) Solicitors and the compliance rate is one of the best in the world.’’
In addition to the powers of seizure, toll evaders may also be pursued through the criminal courts and failure to attend court can lead to the issuance of a bench warrant.
In 2025 over 70 vehicle owners have been prosecuted with court fines amounting to €1.3 million, payable to the court services and resulting in a criminal conviction.
These fines are separate to the debt owed to eFlow, for which the vehicle owner remains liable.
