DRIVERS are being warned about a rise of “car cannibalism” by insurers as the parts most commonly stolen by thieves are revealed.
Car cannibalism is when criminals strip cars of their most profitable parts to sell them on for profit.
Bonnets, bumpers and headlights are among the parts often nicked by criminals running illegal “chop shops”.
The thieves will then sell on the parts, sometimes even shipping them overseas.
Insurers Admiral and Aviva have told The Sun they have seen an increase in the number of vehicle parts being stolen.
Ian Jones, operations manager for theft at Admiral, said: “Over the past two years, we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of car thefts, driven by a few different factors including the rise of illegal ‘chop shops’.”
Chop shops are places where stolen vehicles are dismantled so the parts can be sold or used to repair other stolen vehicles.
While some criminals will strip the car for parts where it is parked, he said others will steal the whole vehicle before “stripping and reselling the valuable parts across the country or if stolen to order, shipping overseas”.
Thieves can “act quickly” if they take the whole vehicle, he said.
“It also means they can get the vehicle up on a ramp in a ‘chop shop’ and take their time when dismantling for lucrative parts.”
Compare the Market said car cannibalism is now a “common crime” in the UK.
Meanwhile, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said vehicle crime is a “major issue” across the UK and the theft of car parts has been increasing.
“Insurers take theft of and from vehicles very seriously and work closely with the police to help tackle it,” it said.
Mr Jones said that when criminals steal the whole vehicle, they tend to strip out all parts of the car.
But when just the parts are taken, the most common ones to be stolen are:
Aviva also said its data revealed the most commonly stolen parts include those “bolted on”, such as headlights, grills and wings.
It said external sensors and steering wheels are usually taken because they are “in short supply or expensive”.
According to Admiral, the most commonly targeted area is Birmingham‘s B postcode.
This is closely followed by London‘s SW postcode, which covers largely wealthy areas including Chelsea, Fulham, Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth, Putney, Wimbledon and Streatham.
Mr Jones said car cannibalism rates are “quite high” across the whole of the capital.
“Historically most chop shops were set up near UK ports as cars were stripped and their parts shipped overseas,” he said.
“However, the increased value and scarcity of car parts in the UK has meant more cars are taken to chop shops in other parts of the UK, for example the West Midlands, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Nottinghamshire.”
There are some steps you can take to deter criminals from targeting your car.
Admiral says you should make your vehicle “as inconvenient to steal as possible”, such as by parking in an area that is well-lit and not too secluded.
If possible, try to find a secure car park.
Bollards, parking barriers or wheel locks may also deter thieves.
Another step you can take is to keep your vehicle’s software up to date in case its manufacturer rolls out a security update.
Aviva recommends installing a Thatcham-approved alarm system with tracking.
You could also try immobilisers or anti-grab sensors.
CAR insurance is an essential cost that you hope to never use but will need to cover the costs of theft or damage to your vehicle.
It’s a legal requirement to have car insurance, and going without it could land you with a £300 fine, six penalty points on your licence and even a criminal conviction.
But there are several ways to slash your premiums.
Pay upfront
Insurers give you the choice of paying for insurance monthly or upfront.
Paying monthly spreads the cost of your cover but the insurer adds interest charges which means the average motorist pays around ten per cent more overall.
If you pay for your car insurance annually you don’t pay any interest.
A typical motorist can save up to £225 a year by paying in one go, according to comparison site MoneySuperMarket.
Increase your excess
The excess is what you agree to pay each time you need to make a claim on your policy.
You can usually choose your own excess when setting up a policy and it can be as low as £100 and as high as £500 or more.
The higher your excess, the lower your premium and vice versa.
This means you could bring the cost of your insurance down by agreeing to pay more if you do need to make a claim.
But before you hike your excess, make sure you would be able to pay in the event that you do need to make a claim.
Tweak your job
Certain jobs are seen as more risky than others for insurance purposes.
Making small but accurate changes to your job title can save you money.
For example, swapping your role from “chef” to “caterer” can save you £20, comparison site GoCompare found.
And changing your role from “fast food delivery driver” to “delivery driver” could save you £40.
But lying about your job could invalidate your policy so make sure any changes are legitimate and accurate.
Shop around
Not all comparison sites have the same range of insurers so to get the best price it’s a good idea to check two or three from Go Compare, Comparethemarket, MoneySupermarket and Confused.com.
Insurer Direct Line is also not on comparison sites so check its prices directly.
You can also get a free cash bonus by going via a cashback site such as Topcashback or Quidco.
Save the date
Renewing your car insurance sooner rather than later could save you some cash.
New cover becomes more expensive the closer you get to the renewal date.
But you can buy your car insurance up to 29 days before the policy start date and ‘lock in’ the price you’re quoted on that day.
A typical driver can save up to £265 buying new cover at least 27 days before their current policy ends, according to Go Compare.
