An analysis of the DVLA’s ‘stolen’ car data set for the years 2023 and 2024. The records include recoveries.
This is not a definitive account of all LoS records. It almost certainly understaes the ‘taken’ number and is tainted by various issues, some of which, the ‘data caveats’ are provided here. However, assuming year on year recording/submission consistency by the police and the DVLA, the records give an indication of changes.
Totals
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| Taking (LoS) | 65,905 | 62,980 |
| Recovered | 26,765 | 27,015 |
| Recovery% (average) | 40.61 | 42.89 |
The average recovery rate improvement variance over all constabularies (below) was 2.28%. Army NIS Liaison & ColP (Ciry of London) were excluded from the calculation due to the lack of data (no taking records).
2,925 fewer LoS records were recorded in 2024 than in 2023.
The 2024 average constabulary reduction in vehicle taking was 4.44%.
Recovery rates have improved. While diminishing returns will apply, many vehicles stolen in 2023 and 2024 are still being recovered. For a fair comparison, the recovery figures shown only count cars found in the same year they were stolen.
The figures display:
Taking – the number of vehicles recorded by the DVLA as ‘stolen’ that year
Found – the number for which there is a recovery (police) date
% found – the recovery rate based upon the ‘taking’ & ‘found’ numbers
Recovery rate variance – the difference in recovery rates between 2023 and 2024. A ‘-ve’ conveys a reduction (worsening) in the number found.
Taking Difference – the difference in the number of vehicles taken between the two years – a ‘-ve’ conveys a reduction in taking records, an improvement in 2024
% taking variance – the difference in numbers regarding the 2023 & 2024 taking numbers. A ‘-ve’ indicates a reduction in taking, i.e. an improvement.
The columns can be re-ordered by use of the header arrows.
| CARS | 2023 Taking | 2023 Found | 2023 % Found | 2024 Taking | 2024 Found | 2024 % Found | Recovery Rate Variance | 2024 Taking Difference | % taking variance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Army NIS Liaison | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | |||||||
| 42 | Nottingham | 580 | 171 | 29.48% | 517 | 152 | 29.40% | -0.08% | -63 | -10.86% | |
| 35 | Norfolk | 120 | 50 | 41.67% | 138 | 57 | 41.30% | -0.36% | 18 | 15.00% | |
| 56 | WMP | 9,512 | 3,994 | 41.99% | 9,356 | 3,887 | 41.55% | -0.44% | -156 | -1.64% | |
| 46 | S Yorkshire | 2,407 | 593 | 24.64% | 2,217 | 532 | 24.00% | -0.64% | -190 | -7.89% | |
| 11 | Derbyshire | 720 | 292 | 40.56% | 563 | 221 | 39.25% | -1.30% | -157 | -21.81% | |
| 54 | Warwickshire | 716 | 282 | 39.39% | 806 | 304 | 37.72% | -1.67% | 90 | 12.57% | |
| 41 | Not Known | 1,408 | 386 | 27.41% | 1,174 | 300 | 25.55% | -1.86% | -234 | -16.62% | |
| 29 | Lincolnshire | 248 | 127 | 51.21% | 253 | 124 | 49.01% | -2.20% | 5 | 2.02% | |
| 47 | Staffordshire | 1,027 | 489 | 47.61% | 1,197 | 534 | 44.61% | -3.00% | 170 | 16.55% | |
| 48 | Strathclyde | 836 | 523 | 62.56% | 735 | 435 | 59.18% | -3.38% | -101 | -12.08% | |
| 55 | W Mercia | 815 | 374 | 45.89% | 914 | 385 | 42.12% | -3.77% | 99 | 12.15% | |
| 7 | Cheshire | 413 | 213 | 51.57% | 399 | 185 | 46.37% | -5.21% | -14 | -3.39% | |
| 43 | PSNI | 225 | 131 | 58.22% | 240 | 124 | 51.67% | -6.56% | 15 | 6.67% | |
| 4 | BTP | 50 | 12 | 24.00% | 70 | 11 | 15.71% | -8.29% | 20 | 40.00% | |
| 19 | Gloucsetershire | 156 | 86 | 55.13% | 219 | 95 | 43.38% | -11.75% | 63 | 40.38% | |
| 8 | City of London | 3 | 2 | 66.67% | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | -3 | -100.00% | ||
| 34 | NCA | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 1 | |||||
| 44 | Police Scotland | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | 1 | 1 | 100.00% | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | |
| 57 | W Yorkshire | 2,886 | 1,390 | 48.16% | 2,715 | 1,314 | 48.40% | 0.23% | -171 | -5.93% | |
| 26 | Kent | 1,258 | 380 | 30.21% | 1,429 | 451 | 31.56% | 1.35% | 171 | 13.59% | |
| 38 | Northampton | 367 | 149 | 40.60% | 386 | 163 | 42.23% | 1.63% | 19 | 5.18% | |
| 21 | GMP | 4,105 | 2,072 | 50.48% | 3,005 | 1,566 | 52.11% | 1.64% | -1,100 | -26.80% | |
| 28 | Leicestershire | 934 | 440 | 47.11% | 879 | 429 | 48.81% | 1.70% | -55 | -5.89% | |
| 36 | N. Wales | 79 | 28 | 35.44% | 59 | 22 | 37.29% | 1.85% | -20 | -25.32% | |
| 17 | Essex | 3,109 | 926 | 29.78% | 2,865 | 907 | 31.66% | 1.87% | -244 | -7.85% | |
| 15 | Durham | 288 | 119 | 41.32% | 287 | 124 | 43.21% | 1.89% | -1 | -0.35% | |
| 20 | Grampian | 71 | 47 | 66.20% | 95 | 65 | 68.42% | 2.22% | 24 | 33.80% | |
| 58 | Wiltshire | 196 | 87 | 44.39% | 234 | 111 | 47.44% | 3.05% | 38 | 19.39% | |
| 51 | Sussex | 709 | 346 | 48.80% | 632 | 328 | 51.90% | 3.10% | -77 | -10.86% | |
| 24 | Hertfordshire | 1,087 | 318 | 29.25% | 1,175 | 384 | 32.68% | 3.43% | 88 | 8.10% | |
| 32 | MPS | 19,131 | 7,206 | 37.67% | 18,528 | 7,655 | 41.32% | 3.65% | -603 | -3.15% | |
| 52 | Tayside | 151 | 105 | 69.54% | 147 | 108 | 73.47% | 3.93% | -4 | -2.65% | |
| 30 | Lothian & Borders | 477 | 269 | 56.39% | 474 | 286 | 60.34% | 3.94% | -3 | -0.63% | |
| 31 | Merseyside | 874 | 114 | 13.04% | 671 | 115 | 17.14% | 4.10% | -203 | -23.23% | |
| 3 | Bedford | 666 | 210 | 31.53% | 800 | 286 | 35.75% | 4.22% | 134 | 20.12% | |
| 53 | TVP | 1,687 | 728 | 43.15% | 1,593 | 755 | 47.39% | 4.24% | -94 | -5.57% | |
| 50 | Surrey | 834 | 281 | 33.69% | 644 | 249 | 38.66% | 4.97% | -190 | -22.78% | |
| 37 | N. Yorkshire | 248 | 130 | 52.42% | 240 | 138 | 57.50% | 5.08% | -8 | -3.23% | |
| 2 | Avon & Somerset | 859 | 483 | 56.23% | 876 | 538 | 61.42% | 5.19% | 17 | 1.98% | |
| 23 | Hampshire | 852 | 491 | 57.63% | 765 | 483 | 63.14% | 5.51% | -87 | -10.21% | |
| 5 | Cambridgeshire | 563 | 229 | 40.67% | 506 | 234 | 46.25% | 5.57% | -57 | -10.12% | |
| 40 | Northumbria | 598 | 232 | 38.80% | 572 | 257 | 44.93% | 6.13% | -26 | -4.35% | |
| 6 | Central Scotland | 92 | 59 | 64.13% | 66 | 47 | 71.21% | 7.08% | -26 | -28.26% | |
| 13 | Dorset | 239 | 122 | 51.05% | 270 | 157 | 58.15% | 7.10% | 31 | 12.97% | |
| 49 | Suffolk | 137 | 46 | 33.58% | 164 | 67 | 40.85% | 7.28% | 27 | 19.71% | |
| 25 | Humberside | 525 | 300 | 57.14% | 477 | 308 | 64.57% | 7.43% | -48 | -9.14% | |
| 18 | Fife | 168 | 101 | 60.12% | 116 | 79 | 68.10% | 7.98% | -52 | -30.95% | |
| 33 | NaVCIS | 746 | 395 | 52.95% | 576 | 355 | 61.63% | 8.68% | -170 | -22.79% | |
| 45 | S Wales | 972 | 435 | 44.75% | 1,069 | 574 | 53.70% | 8.94% | 97 | 9.98% | |
| 22 | Gwent | 241 | 65 | 26.97% | 187 | 68 | 36.36% | 9.39% | -54 | -22.41% | |
| 12 | Devon & Cornwall | 288 | 164 | 56.94% | 370 | 246 | 66.49% | 9.54% | 82 | 28.47% | |
| 10 | Cumbria | 69 | 43 | 62.32% | 68 | 50 | 73.53% | 11.21% | -1 | -1.45% | |
| 27 | Lancashire | 819 | 440 | 53.72% | 952 | 623 | 65.44% | 11.72% | 133 | 16.24% | |
| 9 | Cleveland | 281 | 62 | 22.06% | 208 | 72 | 34.62% | 12.55% | -73 | -25.98% | |
| 16 | Dyfed Powys | 40 | 16 | 40.00% | 52 | 28 | 53.85% | 13.85% | 12 | 30.00% | |
| 39 | Northern | 19 | 10 | 52.63% | 25 | 23 | 92.00% | 39.37% | 6 | 31.58% | |
| 14 | Dumfries & Galloway | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 3 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 1 | 50.00% |
