Sharjah Municipality plans to sell hundreds of confiscated cars at a public auction after they were abandoned by their owners.
The owners have four days to claim their cars before they are sent for auction on April 30.
On Tuesday, the emirate’s municipality urged owners of more than 440 vehicles to visit its inspection and control department in industrial area 5 and take their vehicles.
The cars have been in a compound lot for more than six months. In the past, luxury vehicles were abandoned by heavily indebted people who fled the country to avoid paying their dues.
“They have four days to visit the inspection and control department to rectify the reasons for impoundment,” the municipality said in a post on Instagram.
The municipality said it was cracking down on the owners of dirty and neglected cars to improve the appearance of the streets.
Most unclaimed cars towed away in the past two years have had Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia number plates.
Brands include Range Rover, Lexus, Porsche, Jeep, Cadillac and Mercedes, among others.
Some of them were seized between 2016 and 2019.
Last month, authorities in Abu Dhabi said they would sell abandoned cars and those illegally parked in multi-story car parks and Mussaffah’s M18 area.
In Dubai, motorists who leave their cars parked in the same spot for long periods of time get a text message warning from the municipality before they are removed. The cars are sold at auction if they are not claimed within six months.
Five most efficient petrol cars in UAE market: in pictures
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SUZUKI DZIRE: It may not be the prettiest vehicle but the Dzire is one of the cheapest to fill up at the pumps. You should get 24 kilometres per litre (km/l), with a new model costing only Dh36,900 ($10,045). Getty Images -
SUZUKI SWIFT: A bit snazzier than the Dzire, the Swift comes with a punchy 1.4 litre turbocharged engine but can still get 23.75km/l, says Drive Ninja, a UAE comparison site. A new model starts at slightly less than Dh49,000 ($13,340). Prashanth Vishwanathan / Bloomberg -
SUZUKI BALENO: The slightly larger Baleno comes with 1.2 or 1.4-litre engines and should get you 22.35km/l. You should expect to pay in the region of Dh45,900 ($10,905). AFP -
TOYOTA YARIS: The Yaris did not become one of the world's most popular cars for nothing. With a fuel efficiency of 22km/l, a new one should set you back about Dh60,000 ($16,335). Another Dh10,000 would get you a Corolla saloon, the world's number one selling car. Reuters -
TOYOTA RAIZE: The only compact SUV on our list gets our vote for forecourt price and fuel efficiency. It should get you 19km/l and prices start at around Dh57,000 ($15,518). Its small 1-litre engine model is turbocharged, giving you about 100 horsepower. Akio Kon / Bloomberg
