How to Get Your Impounded Car Back in GTA 5 Online

Image: Rockstar North, Rockstar Games via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross

Human Made

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

It wouldn’t be Grand Theft Auto without something annoying happening to you. Whether you’re being griefed by another player, getting disconnected from the server, or running into one of the many bugs Rockstar will probably never patch, there’s no shortage of minor inconveniences to test your patience.

One of the most trivial yet annoying problems is getting your car impounded. Whenever you get busted/wasted by the cops while your personal vehicle is nearby, they’ll send it off to lockup. Thankfully, there’s a number of different ways to get your impounded car back in GTA Online. Some are through legal means; others… not so much. In today’s walkthrough, we’ll cover how to get your impounded car back in GTA 5 Online, as well as how to avoid getting impounded in the first place.

How to Get Your Impounded Vehicle Back

So without any more delays, let’s jump right into the guide for how to get your impounded vehicle back in GTA 5 Online!

Three Ways to Get Your Vehicle Back

Where your car is impounded in GTA 5 Online — *Image: Rockstar North, Rockstar Games via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross*

There are three different ways that you can obtain your car back quickly and easily. The first way — which is also the easiest and fastest method — is to phone up your assistant and pay them to have your car retrieved. Keep in mind that in order to do this method, you’ll need to own a CEO office. Just go to your contacts, select Assistant, and select the option to retrieve your car. This subtracts $1,000 from your account, but your car will appear nearby in less than a minute.

If you don’t own a CEO office, you can also go to the impound and get the car back yourself. You can find the location of the impound by opening up the game’s map and looking for your personal vehicles icon, which should be located near the Davis Police Station. See the image above for the exact location.

Once you get there, you can do one of two different methods. You can approach the gate and pay $250 to have the NPC allow you entry. Then you can just get in your car and go. Alternatively, you can just go in guns blazing and steal your car back. This isn’t too hard to do — the NPCs are a pretty easy fight, and you’ll only earn a 2-star Wanted level for your troubles. But then again, $250 is basically nothing. Really, it’s up to you which of these two methods is best.

How to Avoid Getting Your Car Impounded

Stock up on supplies — *Image: Rockstar North, Rockstar Games via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross*

It’s nice to know how you can get your impounded vehicle back in GTA Online, but it’s a lot more beneficial to know how to avoid getting it impounded in the first place!

There are two ways that your vehicle can get impounded in GTA Online. The first way is by being too close to your personal vehicle when a cop wastes you. To avoid dying at the hands of a police officer, I recommend staying stocked up on snacks and body armor at all times. That way, you can quickly replenish your health if you’re in a shootout with them.

The second way is by being arrested by the police. This can happen if you have a low wanted level and are sitting in a stationary vehicle. To avoid this, just make sure you’re always paying attention to nearby cops when you have a Wanted level. If you see them approach your car on foot, quickly drive away or shoot them. It may seem obvious, but many players don’t know you can get arrested in GTA Online. It’s easy to underestimate one cop coming to arrest you.

You can also just call Lester on your phone and pay him to dissipate your Wanted level. This will prevent cops from coming to arrest/kill you in the first place!

Join the High Ground

We hope that you found this article explaining how to get your impounded car back in GTA 5 Online informative! If you found it helpful, be sure to let us know down in the comments section. If you enjoyed reading this guide, subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more regular GTA Online content.

Happy gaming!