We sat down with Tony Rollins, Chief Executive of Atlantic Pacific Insurance Group, to discuss how fleet vehicle theft is changing in the UK and how the insurance market is reacting. With nearly 30 years in the industry, Tony has a front-row seat to how theft has evolved, and what new technology is doing to combat it.
Fleet vehicle thefts in the UK have risen by 75% in the last decade, bringing the number of stolen vehicles up to about 130,000 a year.
“Theft within the industry has really become a pandemic,” Tony explains. “Land Rover thefts have been in the news, but they’re not the main story when it comes to vehicle theft.”
High-end vehicles like Range Rovers, everyday models like Ford Fiestas, and commercial vehicles are all high on the target list.
Van crime, in particular, has risen significantly in the last few years and shows no signs of slowing down. Experts predict that 20,000 vans will be stolen in 2030, averaging 56 vans per day.
Tony confirms, “We’ve seen commercial transit vans and sprinters getting hit heavily in the last 2-3 years, with or without keys.“
What’s causing fleet vehicle theft?
There are three main forces pushing theft numbers up:
- The economy and rising interest rates
- A hardening insurance market where premiums are climbing across the board
- Specific vulnerabilities in how certain vehicles are built
The impact hits hard. A fleet operator who’s been claim-free for years suddenly faces tens of thousands in theft claims. Insurance premiums were already climbing, but now there’s an additional loading specifically for theft risk stacked on top.
Vehicles aren’t just being stolen for joyrides or quick cash anymore. They’re being stolen to fix other damaged cars, creating two markets: the salvage market and the second-hand parts market.
In the UK’s salvage market, insurers sell various types of damaged vehicles that end up at auctions. For some, it might be a cheap path to vehicle ownership; for others, it’s an opportunity to steal an identical vehicle and strip it for parts to repair the damaged one they just bought.
Then there’s the second-hand parts market. Someone clips their back bumper, thinks “I need a replacement but don’t fancy going through insurance,” and heads to eBay to find a used part. That everyday demand for affordable second-hand components creates a market that thieves are happy to supply.
How vehicle theft is getting smarter
Thieves often steal vans using devices specifically designed for this purpose, readily available on the market. Several transit vans share their engine and computer systems with two or three other vehicle types, meaning the same theft device can work across multiple models.
“I have seen firsthand one of these pieces of theft technology,” Tony explains. “They smash the window, the alarm starts going off, but they only need 10, 15, 20 seconds to plug a device into the footwell. They don’t even need a key to the vehicle.”
The methods are getting more sophisticated, too. Criminals use Wi-Fi jammers to knock out entire streets, disabling Ring doorbells and other connected security devices. They silently push cars out of their parking spot and then drive them away, avoiding CCTV cameras.
Once a vehicle is stolen, it is typically parked in a public, inconspicuous place, such as a car park next to a playground or just around the corner from where it was taken. The vehicle gets left there for a couple of days while thieves check if it has a tracker. If the vehicle’s still there after 48 hours, they know it’s safe to move and come back to collect it.
Tony says, “Ultimately, criminals will always find a way around any kind of alarm system. At this point, the only thing that has any kind of proven solution is tracking.”
How the insurance industry is reacting to fleet vehicle theft
Previously, trackers were an optional add-on that reduced premiums by 5-10% when selected on comparison sites. That’s no longer the case. A growing number of vehicles now require a tracker as a mandatory condition of cover.
“For commercial vehicles and fleets worth £50,000 and above, we’re seeing ‘no tracker, no cover’ become standard,” Tony says.
It’s important to note that not every device on the market has the stamp of approval from insurance companies. Insurers still don’t fully recognise some newer immobilisation devices because they haven’t been around long enough, and there have been questions about the quality of their installation. Some insurers see them as a bonus. However, it’s the vehicle trackers that they’re paying the most attention to.
However, not all trackers are equal. Many work well for telematics and monitoring driving behaviour, however, Tony notes:
“If there’s a genuine theft problem, you need a security-focused tracking device. Something insurers trust because it gets results.”
Where this leaves fleet managers
The shift from prevention to recovery marks a turning point in the industry’s approach to vehicle security.
As theft methods become more sophisticated and insurance requirements shift from optional to mandatory, the focus has moved from prevention alone to guaranteed recovery. Tracking technology isn’t just about meeting insurance requirements. It’s about having a system that can locate your assets, even in the most challenging conditions, and do so within the critical window before vehicles disappear permanently.
For fleet managers, the question isn’t whether to invest in tracking technology anymore. It’s whether you can afford not to.
