Car theft and insurance claims
Would you know what to do if your car was stolen? Find out how to report a theft, recover your car, make a claim and ways you can keep your vehicle safe.
Reporting the theft and what to do
If you think your car has been stolen, call the police and report it.
The Police National Computer (PNC) will be updated and the police will give you a crime reference number, which you’ll need when you contact your car insurance provider.
Key points
- If your car's stolen, you need to get a crime reference number from the police
- You can’t make a claim with your insurer until you’ve reported it stolen
- What you can claim varies between policies, and you won’t be covered at all if you have third party only insurance
- As well as the cost of your car, think about cover for recovery, repair, courtesy cars and personal possessions
You’ll need to tell the police the registration number, make, model and colour of the vehicle, as well as details of any personal belongings that were inside the vehicle.
If your car's found
If your car's found, tell your insurer immediately. But don’t drive it away - you won’t know if the car’s damaged, unsafe to drive, or has been used to commit another crime.
If you’re covered for theft, tell your insurer as soon as possible to start the claims process - give them your crime reference number.
The police will arrange for a company to recover your car. You’ll have to pay a fee for it - usually around £150, but it depends on the vehicle and how difficult the recovery is.
Your insurer will assess the car and decide if it needs repair or is a write off. You can then claim back the recovery fee too, assuming it's covered by your policy.
Need-to-know
- Most car insurance companies won’t cover claims where the keys were left in or around the vehicle
- If there are no signs of a break in, your insurer might assume you weren’t careful with your keys
- Your insurer might also claim you haven’t taken enough care to secure your car
- If your car insurance claim is rejected and you don’t agree, you can dispute the decision. Get as much evidence as you can to prove your case
Insurance claims after a theft
The information your claim is based on must be accurate, otherwise it could slow the process down or invalidate your cover.
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Damage
If your car is only minimally damaged, your claim should be settled quickly, but it could take longer for heavily damaged cars.
Either way, your insurer needs to make a reasonable offer of settlement within three months.
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Write-offs and unfound vehicles
If your car isn’t found or it’s declared a write-off, your insurer will offer you the actual cash value (ACV), otherwise known as ‘market value’, of the car at the time it was stolen. As car value falls quickly, this figure could be a lot less than what you paid for it.
If you’re concerned the ACV won’t be enough to purchase a new car, or pay off any outstanding finance, consider getting Guaranteed asset protection (Gap) insurance. This cover tops up the amount your insurer offers if the ACV isn’t enough.
You can dispute the amount your insurer offers you if you aren’t happy with it, but you’ll need to prove that your car has been undervalued - for example, evidence of local car prices.
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Hire cars
If you’ve used a hire car while your claim is processed, your insurer doesn’t have to pay for it, unless you’ve got rental car reimbursement cover. Even then, the amount you’re covered for will be limited.
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Personal possessions
You can claim for compensation if you had personal possessions in the car that haven’t been recovered, so long as it’s included on your car insurance.
Alternatively, you could claim on your home insurance if you’ve got cover for your possessions away from home, but you can’t claim on both.
You might get a discount on your car insurance if you fit an anti-theft device
The harder it is to steal your car, the less likely it is thieves will try. That means less risk of a claim for your insurer
Car insurance guides and tools
[1]Last checked 27 August 2019