A whopping 32% of all stolen vehicles recovered by TRACKER in 2016 were valued at less than £5,000. The age, mileage and even brand of a vehicle doesn’t appear to matter to vehicle thieves as much as motorists may think, which should serve as a stark warning to the average car owner, advises stolen vehicle recovery expert, TRACKER.
Interestingly, confirming the demise of the prestige car as the thieves’ number one target, the average value of cars stolen and recovered by TRACKER in 2016 was just over £16,000, down from over £19,000 in 2015 – a 13% drop in value. Over £11.5 million worth of stolen vehicles were returned by TRACKER to their rightful owners last year, a notable 10% year-on-year increase for TRACKER.
Whilst the most expensive car recovered by TRACKER in 2016 was a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG worth £120,000, the reality is that less than 1% of stolen vehicles TRACKER recovers are worth between £75,000-£120,000.
Andy Barrs, Head of Police Liaison at TRACKER and a former Chief Superintendent for South Yorkshire Police, comments, “Understandably, many vehicle owners think that organised car thieves typically target high end prestige cars. Yet our data tells us that criminals continue to target more affordable, popular brands, such as Ford, Vauxhall, and VW models. Indeed, these were stolen in record numbers last year, with the lowest value car stolen and recovered being a VW Golf worth £400.
“If people think their car isn’t worth enough for thieves to steal it, think again. 3 out of 4 stolen cars we recovered were worth less than £20,000. The message for all motorists is to protect their car from thieves or as we say at TRACKER – if you love it, track it!”
Unlike other devices, TRACKER’s unique technology can locate stolen vehicles anywhere, even when they are hidden in a garage or shipping container. TRACKER has been reuniting car lovers with their vehicles for over 20 years, and it’s this expertise which makes TRACKER the leader in stolen vehicle recovery. TRACKER stolen vehicle recovery systems work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t even know it’s there.
| Percentage of vehicles stolen and recovered by TRACKER, by value | |
| £1000 or less 3% | |
| £1001-£5000 29% | |
| £5001-£10,000 17% | |
| £10,001-£15,000 11% | |
| £15,001-£20,000 11% | |
| £75,000-£120,000 0.8% | |
| £10,000 or less 49% | |
| £20,000 or less 72% | |
| £20,001-£74,999 28% | |
