Vehicle theft is down, but are fleets any safer?
The reduction in vehicle theft reported in the latest figures is undoubtedly positive. Around 55,000 vehicles were stolen across the UK last year, an 11% fall on the previous year and a welcome change after several years of rising theft levels.
But for fleet operators, the headline figures only tell part of the story.
For Rodger Sutcliffe, Senior Operations Manager at Ayvens in the UK, it’s not just vehicle theft, but the knock-on effect that theft has on the business as a whole.
At Ayvens, a leading fleet services company, experience managing thousands of vehicles shows that national trends do not always reflect the risks businesses face day to day. While the overall number of thefts may be moving in the right direction, the nature of vehicle theft continues to evolve, with important implications for organisations operating modern fleets.
The question for fleet managers is no longer simply whether vehicle theft is rising or falling. It is whether their own fleet is exposed to the types of theft that are becoming more prevalent.
Falling theft figures do not necessarily mean falling fleet risk
Modern fleets look very different from the wider vehicle parc. Company cars and salary sacrifice vehicles are typically newer, higher specification and increasingly fitted with keyless entry and start systems.
They are also often parked at employees’ homes overnight, which is simply the reality of how many fleets operate today. This does, however, create a different risk profile.
Industry estimates suggest that between 60% and 70% of vehicle thefts now involve relay attacks, where criminals capture and amplify the signal from a key fob inside a property to unlock and start a vehicle. The process can take less than a minute.
The important point for fleets is that vehicle theft is becoming less opportunistic and more organised. Criminals are using technology to target specific vehicles, meaning businesses need to think beyond overall theft numbers and consider how their own vehicles are exposed.
Theft accounts for 15% of total loss cases
Vehicle theft understandably attracts headlines. Keyless crime has become more widely understood, and many businesses are rightly asking what more they can do to protect their vehicles.
While the methods used by criminals are evolving, it is also important to keep the risk in perspective.
At Ayvens, theft accounts for around 15% of total loss cases reported through its Accident Management service, with the remaining 85% being due to the vehicle being damaged beyond repair. Conversations with fleet customers continue to focus much more heavily on issues such as driver safety, collisions and liability following road traffic incidents.
That does not make theft unimportant. Rather, it reinforces the need to treat it as part of a wider fleet risk strategy, recognising that different risks require different approaches.
The most effective fleet operators do not necessarily focus on the risks that generate the most attention. They understand where disruption is most likely to occur and put proportionate measures in place to manage each risk effectively.
Fewer than one in 40 vehicle thefts result in a charge
For fleet managers, that statistic reinforces a straightforward point: prevention will always be more effective than relying on recovery after the event.
Once a vehicle has been stolen, businesses have limited control over what happens next. Even where offenders are identified, recovering losses directly from them is unlikely.
Insurance forms part of the conversation, but it should not be mistaken for a security strategy. Some larger fleets choose to operate on a third-party basis, meaning they absorb the replacement or lease settlement cost of a stolen vehicle themselves.
Even comprehensive cover cannot remove the wider operational impact. There is still vehicle downtime, driver disruption, administration and the potential impact on future insurance costs.
That is why conversations with customers rarely focus solely on what happens after theft. The emphasis should be on reducing the likelihood of theft happening in the first place.
Awareness has improved, but consistency remains a challenge
One positive change in recent years is that awareness of relay theft has grown significantly.
Most fleet managers understand the risk, while many drivers are aware of Faraday pouches and the importance of protecting key signals.
Where organisations can still improve is in maintaining that awareness and reflecting it in their behaviour over time.
Security guidance is often shared when a vehicle is first handed over, but without regular reinforcement, habits can slip. Drivers stop using Faraday pouches, keys end up closer to doors and windows, and security features already available within the vehicle may go unused simply because drivers do not realise they exist.
The fleets managing theft risk most effectively tend to recognise that security is not a one-off conversation at handover. It is an ongoing part of fleet management.
There is no silver bullet for vehicle security
The right approach to vehicle security is not to rely on a single solution. Reducing risk comes through a combination of practical measures, including encouraging secure or off-street parking and using garages where possible.
Visible deterrents such as steering wheel locks can also be considered for higher-risk vehicles, while drivers should understand the full extent of their vehicle’s security features. Organisations should also regularly reinforce good habits around key storage and locking.
None of these measures is revolutionary in isolation. Together, however, they can make vehicles less attractive targets and reduce the likelihood of theft occurring.
It should go without saying, but above all, no vehicle is worth putting a driver at risk. If a theft is taking place, personal safety must always come first.
Better fleet risk management, not panic
The reduction in vehicle theft reported in the 2025 figures is positive news, and the industry should welcome that progress.
But falling national theft levels should not lead fleets to assume the challenge has disappeared.
As vehicles become newer, more connected and increasingly reliant on technology, the nature of the risk is changing. The fleets best placed to manage that risk will not necessarily be those investing in the most complicated security solutions.
Instead, they will be those that understand where their exposure sits, reinforce good habits and treat theft prevention as part of everyday fleet management.
Ultimately, good fleet risk management is not about reacting when something goes wrong. It is about reducing the chances of it happening in the first place.
