What to do if your car is stolen

If your car has been stolen, it's a crushing experience, to say the least. It's easy to say not to panic, but acting quickly can help.

Here’s what to do if your car is stolen, step by step.

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 the theft is happening now, or you feel unsafe, call 999.

Otherwise, call the police on their non-emergency number, 101, as soon as you can. This should direct you to your local police. You’ll need to 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 it, as you’ll need to give it to your insurer.

After you’ve contacted the police, you can begin your insurance claim. Before you do, it’s helpful to have your policy number, documents and crime reference number to hand. The more details you can provide at this stage, the less you’ll have to do later.

If you need extra support with your claim, tell your insurer.

Located your car using a tracker or footage? Don’t try to recover it yourself. Give the location to the police.

If your insurer settles your claim, you’ll need to tell the DVLA that you no longer own the car. Once you’ve done this, you’ll no longer be the registered keeper, and the DVLA should refund 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 may pay out depending on your policy. You’ll typically receive the car’s market value at the time it was stolen, which you can put towards a replacement. This may not cover the full cost of a similar car.

Exactly how much you receive can depend on your policy and insurance provider. 

What might stop a claim being paid?

Even if your car insurance covers theft, your insurer may reduce or refuse your claim in some situations. The rules vary by policy, so check your policy documents.

Some reasons include:

Keys left in or near the car: If you leave your keys in the car or somewhere easy to find, your insurer may say you didn’t take reasonable care.

The car wasn’t locked: Leaving your car unlocked, or a window or sunroof open, could affect your claim.

You didn’t meet security requirements: Your policy may require you to have a specific alarm, immobiliser or tracker, or to park your car in a certain place overnight. If you don’t meet these requirements, your insurer may refuse your claim.

A waiting period may apply: Some insurers may wait before paying a claim for a car that hasn’t been found, to give the police time to search for it. Ask your insurer how long you’d need to wait.

You reported the theft too late: Your policy may set a deadline for reporting the theft to the police and your insurer. Missing this deadline could affect your claim.

Check your policy before making a claim. Look for the sections called “exclusions” or “conditions” to see what isn’t covered and what you need to do. If anything is unclear, ask your insurer for advice.

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

A GPS tracker is a small device that can help show where your car is, usually in real time. Because they’re small, you can hide one in your car.

Thieves sometimes use signal jammers, so a tracker may not always work. Some insurers only accept approved trackers, so check your policy before you buy one.

Only fit a tracker to a car you own or have the owner’s permission to track.

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.

If you still owe money on finance, your insurer will usually pay the finance company first. Any amount left over may be paid to you. 

The payout might not cover everything you still owe on your finance agreement. If it doesn’t, you may have to pay the difference yourself. Check your finance agreement, or ask your finance company, to see what applies to you.

Tips to help prevent car theft

There are a number of different ways to protect your car from thieves, including:

• Introducing security measures: Applying any form of steering wheel lock, handbrake lock or immobiliser can act as a deterrent to thieves. Crucially, it may also make your car harder to drive off with if it's broken into.
• Don't leave valuables lying 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.
• Check your car is locked and protect your keys: Don’t assume your car has locked. Check it, 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.
• Fit a tracking device to your car: A tracker won’t stop your car being stolen, but it may help you find it afterwards. How well it works depends on the device and where your car is.

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, monitors your driving habits to give you a personalised car insurance quote. Black boxes are mainly designed to assess how you drive, so not all of them help find a stolen car.

Some black box technology includes GPS tracking, which you may be able to use to find your car if it’s stolen. If so, your insurer may be able to help the police trace your car using the tracking data.

It’s worth comparing telematics insurance quotes and checking whether the policy includes GPS tracking, as not all do.

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 or not, 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.

Frequently asked questions