Crime explosion adds £630 to car cover
Catalytic converter theft increases five-fold
2 May 2021 • 5:00am
Victims of car theft face a rise in insurance premiums amid an epidemic of motor crime across the country.
Nearly 75,000 vehicles were stolen in 2020, a 33pc rise on the previous year, according to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and victims of these crimes have seen their insurance premium rise by as much as £630 a year, according to GoCompare, the price comparison service.
Hybrid vehicle owners are particularly vulnerable after a five-fold increase in catalytic converter thefts. In London alone nearly 15,000 such thefts were investigated in 2020, compared with 9,500 the previous year, according to the Metropolitan Police.