UK sees 350 vehicles stolen daily as ‘harsh reality’ of crimes continues to impact drivers
Almost 130,000 vehicles were stolen across the UK last year
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Nearly 350 cars were stolen every day last year as thefts reached an all-time high in the UK, with official figures showing that 129,159 vehicles were stolen between April 2023 and March 2024.
In response to figures from the Office of National Statistics, experts have warned that vehicle theft remains “stubbornly high” with urgent action needed.
While vehicle thefts remain high, the number of cars being broken into and having items stolen has dropped by 12 per cent.
The ONS recorded 193,023 crimes for vehicles being broken intolast year while during the same period in 2022, 218,431 people reported a car break-in.
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More than 218,000 vehicles were broken into last year
However, the data did flag a two per cent increase in vehicle interference or tampering with a motor vehicle, from 52,268 reported incidents to 53,369.
Gus Park, managing director of AA Insurance Services, warned that despite the year-on-year reduction in offences, “the figures are simply too high”.
The expert said: “Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that every stolen car increases the cost of claims and pushes premiums up for everyone.
“A simple way to help reduce the cost of insurance is to target vehicle crime and do everything possible to eliminate vehicle theft.
“While there is no one single thing to completely protect your vehicle, our advice to drivers is to install approved alarms, immobilisers, or steering locks and to never leave valuables on display in the car.”
In the AA’s Motoring Manifesto, the organisation called for more police officers to help tackle motoring-related crime.
The rise in vehicle thefts has meant that car insurance premiums skyrocketed last year and are still high, with average prices now hitting £882, based on data from Confused.com.
Commenting on the findings, RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “After falling steadily during the 2010s, the last few years have seen an alarming rise in the number of recorded crimes where vehicles are stolen with an average of 356 being taken every day of the year."
He added that its a "real cat-and-mouse situation" between vehicle manufacturers and criminals, in which carmakers tighten security, only for thieves find more ways to break into the cars.
“We would like to see the new government take steps to tackle car crime by re-establishing the vehicle theft task force that was set up in 2019, or at least engaging heavily with police forces, manufacturers and the insurance industry to map out a way forward," Dennis stated.
In January, the London Assembly responded to the vehicle theft rises and the impact on insurance by stating that there are a variety of factors that lead to pricing of insurance premiums, one being the rise in car thefts.
The assembly said: The Met has recently completed two months surge activity funded by the Mayor’s Office which resulted in a 136.8 per cent increase in crimes solved, 59 arrests for theft of motor vehicle, and 100 additional stolen vehicles recovered.
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The average car insurance premium now costs Britons around £882 per year
PA"The Met are building on these results and undertaking further activity to tackle car crime."