Less than 7 per cent of reported car thefts are resolved in the UK

11 December 2023

Police data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by Nextbase shows that less than 7 per cent of car thefts reported to the police result in a charge. In 69 per cent of unsolved cases, this is because no suspect can be identified.

According to the data accumulated from 39 police forces, in the period 2019 to 2022, just 6.7 per cent of a total 396,000 reported car crimes – including vehicle theft, theft of vehicle contents or interference with a vehicle – resulted in a suspect being charged.

This does not include data from police forces in Greater Manchester, Humberside, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands, who failed to respond to the FOI request.

Nextbase claims that a lack of video evidence contributes to this low solve-rate. The dash cam experts surveyed 2,000 UK drivers in a bid to better understand what security measures members of the public are using to ward off car thieves.

The results showed that:

• 51 per cent rely solely on their car’s alarm.
• 25 per cent park their vehicle in a place where it is visible from inside their home.
• 23 per cent keep their key fob away from windows or doors to prevent keyless car theft.
• 17 per cent have a dash cam.
• 16 per cent use a steering lock.
• 6 per cent do not take any measures to prevent their car from being stolen.

As you may be aware, keyless car theft has become a common issue in recent years and figures from the Home Office reveal that car theft has increased by 50 per cent over the past five years, with around 60,000 vehicles stolen in the UK each year. Find out more about how to protect your vehicle from keyless car theft here.

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