If your car has been stolen, it's a crushing experience to say the least - but you're certainly not alone. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 129,159 vehicles were stolen in the UK between April 2023 and March 2024.
It's easy to say not to panic, but acting quickly can help improve the chances of a positive outcome. We'll highlight some of the important steps to consider if your car is stolen.
Double check before assuming it's stolen
It might sound obvious, but if your car is missing you should double-check where you parked it. You might use a variety of different car spaces, try checking each one just to make sure.
You might share your car with a partner, family member, or friend. You should contact anyone who has access to the vehicle, someone may be using it and hasn't told you.
Lastly, the DVLA, the police, and the local council can clamp or tow away cars in certain scenarios. For example, if your car is parked illegally, or it's untaxed.
Report your car as stolen
If your car's stolen, start by calling the police on their non-emergency number, 101, as soon as you can. This should direct you to local police.
At this point you'll need to report your car is stolen and give details such as the make, model, registration number and colour of your car.
You'll be given a crime reference number, make a note of this - you'll need to give it to your insurer. After you've contacted the police, you can begin your insurance claim.
Before you do so, it's helpful to have your policy number, documents and crime reference number at hand. The more details you can provide at this stage, the less you'll have to do later.
If you progress with your insurance claim, and it's settled, you'll need to contact the DVLA and inform them you no longer own the car.
It's important you do this as you're no longer the registered keeper of the vehicle, the DVLA should also refund you any remaining vehicle tax.
Does my car insurance policy cover theft?
This largely depends on your car insurance policy. Generally there are three common types of car insurance:
- Third-party only
- Third-party, fire, and theft
- Comprehensive
If you have a third-party only policy, you won't be covered if your car is stolen. This type of policy is the basic level of cover and only offers protection for injury or damage to other people or their property.
Both third-party, fire, and theft and comprehensive policies could offer cover for a stolen car. The circumstances surrounding the theft of your car should determine how your insurer handles the claim. For example, if your car isn't recovered, or it's found but damaged to the extent it's written off, your insurer should pay out. You'll typically receive a market value sum for your car so you can buy a replacement. Exactly how much you receive can depend on your policy and insurance provider.
How can I find my stolen car?
There are various tracking and recording devices you can fit and install in your car. Although it won't directly stop your car from being stolen, it can help you recover it. Commonly used devices include:
Dash cams
Depending on the model you buy, a dash cam could record the theft of your car and upload the footage to a cloud storage service. Many dash cams also have in-built GPS tracking, but the downside is a thief could discard the device if it's visible. Ultimately it can provide you with video evidence of the crime, this can help the police and your insurer.
GPS trackers
It's a small device that can give you access to locate and monitor your car's position in real time. GPS trackers are small, so you can hide them from potential thieves. You can only fit these to your own car and not someone else's.
If you do have any footage or a tracking location of your vehicle, you should communicate this to the police as soon as possible.
Doing so means you have a greater chance of your car being located, recovered and returned to you. It can also help the police find the culprits.
What happens if my stolen car is on finance?
You'll still need to contact the police and then your car insurance provider, even if you've bought your car through finance. In addition, you must also notify the finance company that your car has been stolen.
As you're buying the car through finance, any potential insurance pay-out is awarded to the finance company.
Tips to help prevent car theft
There are a number of different ways to protect your car from thieves, including:
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Introducing security measures: Applying any form of steering wheel lock, handbrake lock or immobiliser can act as a deterrent to thieves. Crucially it'll also make your car extremely difficult to drive off with if it's broken into.
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Don't leave valuables laying around: Leaving expensive valuables exposed in your car could inadvertently act as a 'come and get me' plea to thieves. It's good practice to always take valuables with you when you leave a car, or hide them away at the very least.
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Check your car is locked and protect your keys: Never assume you've locked your car by fob, you should always check just in case. To combat keyless entry theft, keep your keys a good distance away from your car and store your keys in signal-blocking pouches.
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Fit a tracking device to your car: It won't prevent your car being stolen in the first place, but a GPS tracker can locate your car in real-time via satellite. If your car is stolen, it greatly increases the chances of locating and recovering your car.
Read our guide on car theft prevention for more ways to secure your car. Also, certain makes and models are at a greater risk of theft than others. You can check if your car is at risk using our car theft calculator.
Can black box insurance help find my car if it's stolen?
Telematics insurance such as a black box policy, for example, monitor your driving habits to give you a personalised car insurance quote. In some instances, the technology fitted to your car contains GPS tracking. You could use this to locate your vehicle if it's stolen. Your insurance provider would in turn be able to help the police trace your car using tracking data.
It's worth comparing telematics insurance quotes, not all insurers include GPS tracking with the technology they provide.
What happens if my stolen car is found?
The police should get in contact if your stolen car is found. They can arrange for the vehicle to be recovered, but you might have to pay some other charges. The good news is, you could claim this back through your insurance. If you arrange collection, make sure you do this as soon as possible - the police may dispose of your vehicle after 14 days.
You should contact your insurance provider immediately if your car is found. Generally they'll assess the car for any damage, whether it's safe to drive, and if it's been used to commit a crime. In turn, your insurer could return the car to you, send it off for repairs, or write it off entirely.
What should I do if my van is stolen?
Follow exactly the same procedure as if it were a car that was stolen, contacting the police should always be your immediate priority.
The main difference is if contents are stolen from your van. An example of this is if you're a self-employed tradesperson and tools are stolen.
Generally, standard van insurance offers you cover for the vehicle itself, not the contents inside. When you buy a policy, cover for your contents is an optional extra - so it's important to check if you have this in place. If you don't, it's unlikely you'll be able to claim if any contents are stolen, for example.
It's not unusual for van contents insurance to include certain conditions. Your belongings may not be covered if you leave anything in your van overnight. Each policy is different, so it's always worth checking your documents to understand what you're protected for and any potential exclusions.
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