A black Ferrari valued at €620,000 and three Lamborghinis worth almost €1 million were among the more than 1,000 vehicles seized by Revenue last year.
Trucks and other vehicles with a combined value of €15.6 million were seized in 2025 because of vehicle registration tax (VRT) issues, marked fuel or their use for smuggling.
The haul included an orange Lamborghini with a value of €405,000, which was confiscated in December and listed as being held in a State warehouse.
Another Lamborghini, worth about €200,000, was seized in June and was also listed as stored at the State warehouse.
A third Lamborghini – this one valued at €330,000 – was seized in August but marked as “released locally” in Revenue records.
The €620,000 black Ferrari was confiscated in March but it was also returned to its owner, according to records released under the Freedom of Information Act.
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Revenue also seized a yellow Ferrari 360 worth an estimated €120,000 last September but it too was released.
Not all vehicles were of such value, with three seized cars – a Volkswagen Golf, Vauxhall Astra and Toyota RAV4 – worth just €200 each.
Both Ferraris and all three Lamborghinis were held because of issues with VRT, which accounted for most of the Revenue seizures last year.
A total of 858 vehicles, worth a combined €12.7 million, were seized because of VRT problems in 2025.
Another 127 vehicles, valued at just over €1 million, were confiscated over the use of marked mineral oil or green diesel.
Revenue also logged 66 seizures worth €1.6 million where cars or trucks were used for smuggling of illicit goods.
A further seven vehicles valued at €221,000 were seized because of their use in drug-related crime.
Revenue reported that another 552 vehicles were seized in the first half of this year.
Collectively, those cars and trucks were worth €7.4 million, with most of the seizures related to VRT.
Asked about the figures, a Revenue spokesperson said work on vehicle detention and seizure was about “fairness and protecting the public interest”.
They said: “The aim is to make sure people who pay the correct taxes and duties, and businesses who trade legitimately, are not undermined by those who evade tax or use vehicles to support criminal activity.”
The spokesperson said avoiding VRT or misusing marked fuel gives individuals an unfair advantage over ordinary motorists and legitimate motor traders.
“Similarly, when vehicles are used to transport illegal tobacco, alcohol, fuel or drugs, this harms the exchequer and wider society,” they added.
The spokesperson said that when a vehicle was seized, Revenue followed a set of legal and administrative steps to decide whether it should be returned to its owner or disposed of.
They said in some situations, the vehicle was returned, usually where a person co-operated or agreed to pay a “compromise sum” as well as any outstanding VRT or tax.
If the owner didn’t challenge the seizure within the legal time limit and the conditions for forfeiture were met, the vehicle was treated as permanently taken by the State.