Thatcham Research investigation exposes reasons behind illegal export of stolen UK vehicles abroad

Thatcham Research has revealed the global scale of the UK’s stolen vehicle problem in a joint investigation with the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service.

The Thatcham based automotive risk intelligence company said a vehicle was stolen every five minutes in 2024 — despite the UK boasting the highest levels of on-vehicle security in the world.

Its new data suggested the reasons driving the illegal export of luxury cars from the UK to abroad by organised criminal gangs, include the scarcity of vehicle parts, desirability of certain makes and models, geopolitical events and even natural disasters.

It identified the top five countries for stolen vehicle export as the Democratic Republic of Congo, The United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Jamaica and Georgia.

Chief research and operations officer Richard Billyeald said: “Thatcham Research has played a pivotal role in establishing security standards and conducts testing of vehicles for vehicle manufacturers, which has resulted in the UK having the highest levels of standard security equipment fitted to new vehicles.

“The result is that the casual theft and joy riding of the 80s and 90s has all but disappeared, with vehicle manufacturers having succeeded in making it very difficult for amateurs to steal modern vehicles.

“However, the organised criminal gangs who have replaced them are well-funded and sophisticated in their approach, combining specialist electronic equipment with an international logistics network.

“Raising vehicle security alone will not prevent thefts. We believe that beating these criminals requires cooperation between government agencies, vehicle manufacturers and ourselves to reduce the value of stolen assets and the incentive to steal them.”

The company has called for manufacturers to develop methods for remotely disabling vehicles, as well as making stolen parts more difficult to reuse.

Thatcham Research wrote the first widely-adopted vehicle security standards in 1993.

It has been conducting security impact testing and repair assessments for the insurance industry and vehicle manufacturers for more than 50 years.