New data has revealed that motor vehicle theft in the UK has risen sharply in the past ten years.
In fact, to the year ending March 2025, 121,825 vehicles were reported stolen – compared with just over 70,000 in 2015. While there have been small reductions more recently, theft volumes remain well above pre-2015 levels, with numbers not seen since 2008.
Overall, that’s a rise of 74% in the last decade, highlighting a clear issue that is affecting fleets, businesses and private car owners alike.
The recovery rate of stolen vehicles is much lower than in previous years, too…
Fewer than one in three stolen vehicles were returned to their owners last year, leaving more than two-thirds unrecovered which is a sharp rise from the year before, when around 56% weren’t recovered.
‘Aggravated vehicle taking’, which is where vehicles are stolen with the use of force or left badly damaged, also remains a significant problem. Police data highlights Bedfordshire, North Yorkshire and Surrey as some of the worst-affected areas, though they also highlighted it as a countrywide issue.
Are Fleets Impacted By Vehicle Thefts Rising?
For fleet operators, these trends create both financial and operational challenges. A rise in theft brings increased costs, insurance implications and potential disruption to day-to-day business, while the drop in recovery rates only compounds the problem, as fewer vehicles are returned to service.
Not only that, but the failure to return vehicles also impacts insurance costs in the longer term as it requires more vehicles to be replaced rather than returned and repaired.
Technology is a constant battle too, with modern criminals increasingly using high-tech devices to bypass keyless entry systems which can make vehicles more vulnerable than they’ve been in the past.
We all know the issues with commercial vehicles and break ins, but factoring in new technology and issues with safety makes it even more important that fleets remain vigilant and diligent.
How Can Fleet Owners Keep Their Vehicles Safe?
Fleet owners are being urged to review all of their safety measures and protocols to ensure that wherever they’re parked during the day and at night, they’re monitored and secure.
Additional safety measures include steering-wheel locks, immobilisers and telematics tracking – as you may well know!
Keeping your fleet safe requires a lot of work, which we know only too well. That’s why if you need to monitor driver behaviour, vehicle performance AND help reduce insurance costs and reduce accidents, our Telematics Monitor is the perfect solution.
And if you’re looking for an all-encompassing solution that ensures you take care of all of your driver compliance with a simple to use Manager Dashboard, we’ve got you covered.
That way you know you’ll never miss any of your driver checks again, all covered with our robust secure cloud system.
Staying safe, compliant and reducing both risk and costs is a task in itself, which is why we’re here to help!
If you’d like to book a FREE demo today, simply click HERE and find out more.
