If there is evidence that a vehicle was used in crime, in addition to its theft, burning the car is a means by which a criminal can expect to destroy evidence, such as fingerprints and DNA.
But burnouts trouble me where there is no evidence of other crime, more so if the car is said to have been taken without a key … who steals a vehicle only to burn it out a short while later?
A possible answer may be the opportunist thief, meandering along a dark street, trying door handles, hoping to find one open, car keys and their ride home. But this is a ‘with-key’ loss, which possibly the insured may not wish to admit (though the police may assist – ‘fishing-rod theft’)
Or maybe the motive is as simple as unaffordable mechanical repairs required to the owner’s car. For example, reported 01/2019:
Woman’s fake burglary and stolen car scam exposed when police found this embarrassing CCTV[1]
A woman who lied to police about being burgled was exposed when officers found this CCTV of her car being towed away by a van. She went on to make a £2,000 claim with her insurance firm over the apparent ‘theft’. The Golf was later found ablaze by firefighters in a field a short distance from her home.
Barlow’s web of lies began to unravel when it was discovered the burnt out car did not have an engine. However, police then uncovered CCTV footage which showed the Golf being towed by a van with Barlow sat inside it.
What of key-less thefts, relay-interference or other alleged keyless removal? Acquiring the kit (see below), identifying the target vehicle and removing it is not the action of an opportunist but rather someone organised and out to profit from their actions. There is simply no point in then burning the car. The opposite is more likely, that these vehicles are rarely involved in collisions, or in any activity that would draw attention to the thief / car and cause their (criminal) business model to be adversely affected
[1] https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater–manchester–news/fake–burglary–carcctv–embarrassing–15721052