The number of uninsured vehicles seized by the police last year was almost double that of 2006, with expensive models to the fore, the AA said.
The total number rose from 78,000 in 2006 to 150,000 in 2007, with 40% of cars seized not reclaimed. Of these 45,000 unclaimed vehicles, some were crushed and others sold at auction.
The AA said that there was a growing number of top-of-the range cars that were being seized. This was because owners could not afford to insure them or chose not to.
The AA also said that claims for accidents with uninsured drivers were down from 36,340 in 2006 to 34,239 in 2007.
It added that the trend of uninsured cars was changing due to the increased use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras by the police.
AA president Edmund King said: "The more widespread use of ANPR cameras means that the net is closing in on uninsured motorists. Some motorists feel that driving a top-of-the-range car means they are less likely to be stopped.
"This may have been true a few years ago but the camera does not discriminate.
"However, some villains are trying to stay one step ahead of the chase by using foreign number plates to try to avoid detection.
"We need to increase the checks on foreign registered vehicles. Plates from a left-hand drive eastern European country on a right-hand drive car are often a sign."
