What To Do If Your Car Is Stolen

Having your car stolen is a sad and very unfortunate situation to be placed in. Not only can this be incredibly upsetting and frustrating but it may also hinder your current daily routine. With so many people and families relying on the use of a car to move around and get tasks done, having a car be stolen is incredibly disruptive to life.

With car theft on the rise in a wide number of areas across the UK, you may be wondering what should happen if your car is stolen. Or if you have recently been a victim of car theft, this article will explain everything you should do immediately and within days and weeks of the theft to ensure you are all the necessary steps are carried out.

Report The Car Theft To The Police

First things first, the authorities must be informed of the theft. The sooner the police are notified of a car theft the faster they can get to work to retrieve the vehicle and catch the criminals responsible. Not only is this an important step for increasing your chances of finding your car but it also means the police systems can be updated, marking your car’s number plate as being stolen, increasing the chances of the vehicle being picked up by ANPR cameras on main roads. Therefore, if your car is later sold, anyone found driving it will be pulled over and alerted to the fact that it is indeed a stolen vehicle.

The police will also inform the DVLA, both about the vehicle being stolen and if it is successfully retrieved and returned to you, so you do not have to do this.

Inform Your Insurance Company

Once the police have been informed and you have received a crime reference number, you must also let your insurance company know.

They will then be able to update their systems but also help you begin the process of filing an insurance claim for a stolen vehicle. Once your insurance claim has been filed and approved, if your insurance company is paying out for a stolen vehicle, you must alert DVLA to the change in ownership of your car, despite it being stolen.

Once the DVLA are aware that you do no longer your own vehicle and then vehicle tax will be cancelled. If you currently pay this by direct debit this will be cancelled immediately.

Hand Over Any Tracking Information If Available

If you do have a GPS tracking device fitted to your vehicle, it is important that you alert police to this and hand over any data you may have to help locate your car. The faster you do this, the easier it will be for police to use this information to potentially locate and retrieve your vehicle.

If you are lucky enough to get your car back after being stolen, the police will suggest a number of ways to reduce the chances of this happening again. This would include the use of security devices, cameras on your home, and tracking devices (if you do not already have one).

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