Car crime costs owners more than £2000 on average
Fri, 13 Jun 2025
1 in 8 motorists say they have suffered car crime in the past three years, with Londoners in particular believing car crime has been rising sharply.
It is costing motorists dearly too, with the average incident seeing them fork out £2300 in damage or loss.
They are being left out of pocket because more than a third of those surveyed by The Green Insurer say they don’t recover any costs from their car insurer.
This reflects understandable concerns about not wanting to make a claim for criminal damage through fear of it causing their renewal premiums to go up.
The most common incident was someone hitting their car and not leaving details. Almost a third had fallen victim to this.
A fifth had suffered break-ins or other malicious damage, such as keying of the paintwork, with 14% saying their car had been stolen from home.
While 15% believe car crime has got worse over the past three years, this figure jumps to 33% among Londoners. Overall, just 10% think car crime has decreased.
"The rise in car crime is a serious concern, not just for victims but also for other residents in the community," says The Green Insurer CEO Paul Baxter.
"The financial burden can be significant, with many victims struggling to recover their full loss from such incidents."
The survey also showed that over the past decade, 3% of motorists say they’ve had a car stolen. Almost half of them replaced it with the same make and model, while more than a third opted for a cheaper model in the hope that it would be less attractive to thieves.
Conversely, 11% bought a more expensive car, hoping that improved security features would prevent it from being stolen.
Will my insurance cover me for an accident caused by a car thief?
