Having your car stolen is a harrowing experience. Many of us have a personal connection with our vehicles, and dealing with their theft can be tough. If your car has been stolen, you may wonder what the next steps are, and if your insurance covers it.
Thankfully we have all the information you need right here. We’ll look at who you need to contact, whether you’ll be covered, and what you can do to help with the search for your car. Let’s get started!
Steps to Take If Your Car Has Been Stolen
Here are the steps to take if you have been a victim of theft.
1. Contact the Police
The first step to take is an obvious one, and that is to report the theft. Not only do you want the police to start looking for your car, but this is also important for insurance. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that most cars don’t get recovered.
To increase your chances, you want to give the police as much information as possible and report it as soon as possible. Along with the standard details, be sure to mention anything that makes your car unique or if you have any suspicions about who may have stolen it.
2. Contact Your Insurance Company
Once you’ve finished with the police, you should speak with your insurance company. Whether you’re covered for theft or not will depend on the specific details of your policy. Therefore, your first step should be ensuring you’re covered for the loss of the vehicle.
Most policy types will cover theft, so hopefully that’s not an issue. Following this, your insurance company will provide guidance on the next steps. You’ll usually need to wait three days until a claim can be processed to give time for your vehicle to be found. We’ve provided more detail on the process below.
3. Check Security Footage
While the police will investigate the crime, they won’t dedicate many resources to the search. Therefore, it’s best to do as much work as possible to help with the search. This includes checking any security footage in the area.
While this may seem obvious, there are more cameras around now than ever before. For example, check to see if any neighbours have video doorbells on their doors that may have captured any footage. This can give you more accurate details about their appearance and the exact time of theft.
4. Spread the Word
It can also be a good idea to spread the word about the loss of the vehicle. This includes letting your friends and family know that they should keep a lookout. Posting on social media can also be useful, especially on local Facebook groups.
After this, there’s not much you can do. As mentioned earlier, you’ll have around three days from the theft of the vehicle until an insurance policy can be enacted. Until then, you just have to hope that your car will be found.
The chances of your car being recovered can vary, but most areas report around a 25% to 50% chance of recovery. However, even if you get it back, it may have been damaged. If so, then you can discuss this with your insurance company.
Am I Covered by Car Insurance?
It is essential to know if you are covered for your stolen car. If you have a comprehensive cover, then you will be. For other types of coverage, you’ll need to check with your insurance company.
The Insurance Process
As above, the first step is to contact the police and file a report. Your insurance company will need this to process a claim. Once you’ve done this, you can have that initial call with your insurance company, and they’ll advise you on what comes next.
It’s likely that the insurance company will ask you to provide a list of details and policy documents. This usually includes the police report, your driving license, your car registration certificate, your insurance policy documents, and any other relevant documents requested by the insurance company.
Once you have submitted all the required documents, the insurance company will review your claim and decide whether to accept or reject it. The decision will depend on several factors, including the policy terms and conditions, the coverage limits, and the circumstances of the theft.
The insurance company may also conduct an investigation to verify the details of your claim. As mentioned above, they will have their own policy on how long they wait from the time of the theft until accepting a claim.
If your claim is accepted, the insurance company will provide compensation for the loss of your stolen car. The compensation amount will depend on the coverage limits of your policy and the value of your vehicle.
Final Thoughts
If your car is stolen, call the police right away and then contact your insurance company. Hopefully, your car is soon found, but the sad reality is that the chances of getting your car back in the condition you left it in are low.
Hopefully, you have a car insurance policy to cover the loss. If you do, the claim should hopefully be processed quickly, and you can start to move on from your traumatic experience.
