Catalytic converter thefts have increased across England, according to new research from from CompareTheMarket.
It analysed police data which revealed London has the highest instances of catalytic converter thefts over the three-year period, and each individual year, with a total of 15,237 from 2017 to 2020.
Birmingham saw the second-highest amount of thefts, with 320, followed by neighbouring Coventry (287), Cambridge (166) and Luton (101).
The research revealed that Warrington has seen the biggest increase in catalytic converter thefts, with a jump from one theft in 2018/2019 to 28 thefts in 2019/2020 a 2,700% increase, although this is based on a small number.
Wolverhampton also saw a large increase (1,475%) as well as Coventry (652%), Middlesbrough (633%) and Cambridge (610%).
Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance at CompareTheMarket, said: “These statistics are high and the value of the metals within catalytic converters has increased significantly, resulting in a car part which was previously of little interest to thieves suddenly becoming very valuable, which explains the spikes.
“For those who are worried about falling victim to this type of theft, try parking your car in a way which would make it difficult for thieves to slide under the car to access the catalytic converter. There are also anti-theft devices you can buy and fit to your car to prevent unwanted attention.”
Top ten towns and cities with the most catalytic converter thefts
| Rank | Town/city | 2017/18 thefts | 2018/19 thefts | 2019/20 thefts | Total |
| 1 | London | 154 | 2,600 | 12,483 | 15,237 |
| 2 | Birmingham | 26 | 62 | 232 | 320 |
| 3 | Coventry | 23 | 31 | 233 | 287 |
| 4 | Cambridge | 4 | 20 | 142 | 166 |
| 5 | Luton | 5 | 33 | 63 | 101 |
| 6 | Peterborough | 11 | 8 | 56 | 75 |
| 7 | Derby | 7 | 14 | 50 | 71 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 2 | 4 | 63 | 69 |
| 9 | Manchester | 5 | 16 | 45 | 66 |
| 10 | Bristol | 5 | 9 | 44 | 58 |
Top ten towns and cities with the biggest increase in catalytic converter thefts
| Rank | Town/city | 2018/19 thefts | 2019/20 thefts | Year-on-year increase |
| 1 | Warrington | 1 | 28 | 2,700% |
| 2 | Wolverhampton | 4 | 63 | 1,475% |
| 3 | Coventry | 31 | 233 | 652% |
| 4 | Middlesbrough | 3 | 22 | 633% |
| 5 | Cambridge | 20 | 142 | 610% |
| 6 | Peterborough | 8 | 56 | 600% |
| 7 | Liverpool | 2 | 11 | 450% |
| 8 | York | 2 | 11 | 450% |
| 9 | Plymouth | 1 | 5 | 400% |
| 10 | Bristol | 9 | 44 | 389% |
You can view the full research on the CompareTheMarket website.
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Jessica is event and digital content co-ordinator for all our events.
She was the web producer at Fleet News, Commercial Fleet and Smart Transport until April 2023.
She started her career as a content writer for a digital marketing agency that specialised in financial services, where she worked for more than two years.
Jessica was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Multimedia Journalism in 2017.
Matt Burke - 15/12/2020 17:12
We continue to see interest in our Catalytic Alarm but as this is designed for Vans & HGV's we see the need to re design the product for the car market. Hopefully we will complete this is 2021 aide automotive