Britons’ cars remain under threat from organised gangs sourcing high-end motors to break down for spare parts or ship overseas in containers, according to latest data shared with the Daily Mail.
Stolen vehicle recovery specialist Tracker has revealed the annual increase in number of stolen vehicles it has reclaimed on behalf of rightful owners.
In 2024, it returned over £24million worth of vehicles to their keepers after they were pinched from outside their homes and places of work.
But new figures for 2025 show last year’s numbers have already been surpassed, with more than £31million worth of stolen vehicles recovered between January to September – a 15-year high.
It comes as collaboration to tackle the ongoing car crime epidemic has seen dealer groups, premium car brands, insurers and the police take a ‘more cohesive approach to disrupting organised vehicle theft’.
Britons’ cars remain under threat from organised gangs sourcing high-end motors to break down for spare parts or ship overseas in containers, new figures show
Mark Kameen, lead for the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership (NVCRP) set up in November to tackle the rise in car theft, said a ‘stronger partnerships between law enforcement and the private sector has delivered a more effective response to those engaged in organised vehicle crime’.
The success of this strategic alignment between police and industry is evident in Tracker’s most current 2025 recovery statistics.
As of 30 September, it has successfully located and recovered 1,286 stolen vehicles, resulting in 113 arrests.
It has also played a pivotal role in getting 61 illegal chop shops shut down.
This has also seen the recovery of an additional 164 vehicles which did not have Tracker devices fitted to them but were found on the premises where criminal units were breaking down pinched motors.
All of these achievements surpass those recorded in 2024, it said.
Tracker’s recent partnership with Toyota GB alone has seen more than 50,000 Tracker units installed in new Toyota vehicles, resulting in £18.3million worth of vehicles successfully recovered and returned to their owners.
This came after Toyota and Lexus cars were found to be high on the shopping list of criminal gangs sourcing these brands for foreign markets, namely Africa, where cars produced by the Japanese company are extremely popular due to their strong reliability track record.
A BMW car being stripped down for spares in an illegal chop shop identified by Essex Police earlier this year
Greg Culshaw, general manager for customer and network support at Toyota GB, said: ‘For the past few years, there has been an industry-wide issue of vehicle theft in the UK, and Toyota GB has invested millions of pounds in a variety of solutions that help protect cars from theft.
‘Indeed, following a highly successful trial with Tracker in 2024, in which we achieved a successful recovery rate of 95 per cent, we have been rolling out Tracker installation as an option for buyers of the most targeted models to help add a level of customer reassurance.’
Clive Wain, head of police liaison at Tracker, added: ‘The majority of vehicles we’ve recovered have been found within just a few hours, some from chop shops and others on their way to being shipped abroad.
‘Not only are we collectively getting ahead of the criminals, but we’re also disrupting their networks, protecting industry and safeguarding motorists.’
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