Rising vehicle thefts in the UK: why having a tracker is a smart choice

With vehicle crime affecting thousands of drivers in the UK every year, what can you do to stop you being the next victim?

From keyless entry hacks to targeting specific makes and models of cars, drivers need a robust way of protecting their vehicles.

For vehicle owners in 2025, robust theft prevention has never been more important.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its latest data on car crime in September 2024, where it revealed that in the 12-month period leading to the report, almost 130,000 vehicles had been stolen in the UK.

This is almost the same number of thefts as the period from 2022 to 2023.

In fact, further analysis from ONS in its Crime Survey for England and Wales 2024 found that the majority of vehicle thefts happen during weekdays, and during the night when most people are asleep.

Thefts mostly occur on people’s driveways or private parking areas.

Common tactics include signal manipulation from keyless entry fobs, cloned keys/fobs, and forced entry.

Shocking new data has revealed the UK's top 10 car theft hotspots in 2024. 

Data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) earlier this year stated that car thefts were more than twice the number recorded in 2015.

Analysis of the data from This is Money highlighted the worst affected area in the UK.

Top 10 car theft hotspots in the UK were as follows:

1. London
2. Birmingham
3. Manchester
4. Leeds
5. Sheffield
6. Coventry
7. Wolverhampton
8. Leicester
9. Walsall
10. Bristol

So, how can you avoid becoming a part of the statistics? Get a tracker.

Data from Thatcham reveals that vehicles equipped with trackers can lead to vehicle recovery in just eight minutes after the crime is reported.

Also, by having a tracker, you are 96% more likely to have your vehicle recovered by the police.

Benefits of hard-wired vehicle trackers

Although steering locks and immobilisers can deter thieves, savvy criminals will often be undeterred by more traditional security devices.

This is where hard-wired trackers (linked to your smartphone) that are integrated into your vehicle, can use real-time GPS to monitor your vehicle’s location at all times.

Unlike plug-in trackers, these can be harder to find (and remove) and give you extra piece of mind that your vehicle is protected.

As they are less visible and harder to remove, it means that police will be able to find the vehicle a lot easier.

They also have continuous power supply, meaning that they are connected to the vehicle’s battery – so that even when the vehicle is off, it can still be tracked.

Many hard-wired trackers also come with back-up batteries and even have tamper alerts that give the owner an extra layer of protection.

Track your car effortlessly with RAC’s DB2 Self Install tracker – a compact, antenna-free GPS tracker that delivers real-time location, speed, and safety alerts straight to GPSLive. Access your vehicle’s data anytime from any device, no software installation required.