Stolen vehicle recovery rates plummet to 28% as insurers pay out £1.44bn

Only 28 per cent of stolen vehicles in 2021 were recovered, down from 80% in 2006

Police

Vehicle thefts in England and Wales are costing insurers nearly £1.5 billion per year, while recovery rates have plummeted. Of the 101,198 vehicles stolen across the two nations in 2021, only around 28 per cent were recovered, according to an analysis of Home Office figures by Claims Management and Adjusting, with insurers paying out an estimated £1.44 billion.

By comparison, there were around 180,000 vehicle thefts in 2006, of which 80 per cent were recovered and insurers only had to pay out £360 million. One key difference is that the average value of a stolen vehicle in 2006 was £10,000, whereas it was £20,000 in 2021.

CMA’s managing director Philip Swift is a former police detective. He described the fact that 72 per cent of stolen vehicles are never recovered as a “staggering failure”.

“It is way too simplistic to say car crime is down from 500,000 offences in the mid-1990s to 100,000 today, so we’ve largely solved it,” he said. “Even from 180,000 a year in 2006, when the Home Office stopped publishing the annual car theft index, the picture has changed dramatically. 15-odd years ago, the typical theft was an old Ford Escort worth less than £5,000 taken for ‘joyriding’ and later recovered, often burnt-out. Now, we commonly see nearly new Range Rovers worth £100k stolen by professional criminals, and they’re seldom found.”

Swift said the situation has worsened for both drivers and insurers, with the former less likely to be reunited with their stolen cars and the latter paying out far more than they used to.

He added: “Another piece of the puzzle is the changing method of theft, with keyless technology and electronic security bypass frequently and thoughtlessly blamed. Indeed, some point to the fact that around half of recovered vehicles are undamaged nowadays, compared to just 15 per cent a decade ago, as some sort of success. It isn’t. It’s a crumb of comfort at best. Unfortunately, the suspected method is often not recorded by constabularies now, either. Again, lack of data is disguising the true - frankly embarrassing - scale of the UK’s vehicle crime problem.”

Have you been a victim of car theft? Let us know about your experience in the comments section below and get your own car insurance quotes with our partner Quotezone...

Recommended

UK firm fitting ‘pop bang’ aftermarket exhausts fined in landmark court case
MINI Hatch exhaust
News

UK firm fitting ‘pop bang’ aftermarket exhausts fined in landmark court case

A successful court action against a workshop advertising and fitting non-standard exhaust parts is ‘a lesson for businesses’ from the DVSA
23 Nov 2023
Why is electric car insurance so expensive? EV vs ICE cost analysis
BMW iX3
News

Why is electric car insurance so expensive? EV vs ICE cost analysis

We look into claims that electric cars face higher insurance premiums than ICE equivalents
22 Nov 2023
No help for electric car buyers in Autumn budget statement
Parliament
News

No help for electric car buyers in Autumn budget statement

Chancellor resists calls from industry to fund EV purchase grants or reduce VAT on public charging
22 Nov 2023
What’s in the 2023 Autumn Statement for drivers? EV incentives, fuel duty or VAT on charging?
News

What’s in the 2023 Autumn Statement for drivers? EV incentives, fuel duty or VAT on charging?

We look at some of the options for chancellor Jeremy Hunt when he announces his plans on 22 November
21 Nov 2023

Most Popular

New 2024 Dacia Duster: third generation of Europe’s best-selling SUV revealed
Dacia Duster - front
News

New 2024 Dacia Duster: third generation of Europe’s best-selling SUV revealed

Dacia has taken the wraps off the latest Duster, which arrives with a new look and fresh technology
29 Nov 2023
The paper-thin speakers set to transform car audio
Auto Express editor-in-chief Steve Fowler holding a speaker developed by Warwick Acoustics
Features

The paper-thin speakers set to transform car audio

British firm is planning to shake up the in-car hi-fi world with its audio panels that replace traditional speakers. We sound them out
27 Nov 2023
New BMW X3 replacement to grow in size and feature a minimalist dash
BMW Neue Klasse SUV exclusive image - front
News

New BMW X3 replacement to grow in size and feature a minimalist dash

BMW’s first Neue Klasse electric SUV could carry the iX3 nameplate and our exclusive images preview how it might look
30 Nov 2023