What Happens to Stolen Motorhomes, Caravans and Campervans?

 

Every year, around 4,000 caravans, campervans, and motorhomes are stolen in the UK. In this post, we'll delve into what happens after your motorhome is stolen and provide tips to help prevent theft and aid recovery.

Specialist campervan insurance can protect you against theft and other unforeseen events. We partner with insurance companies to advise them on the best security products so their customers can be well informed of the different classified and accredited products on the market and what solution best fits their needs.

What Happens if My Motorhome or Campervan is Broken Into?

If thieves break into your campervan or motorhome looking for valuables, the outcome is straight forward yet unfortunate—you'll lose some possessions and likely need to replace locks.

Moving Intelligence want to help you to create deterrents and barriers such as alarms to reduce this risk.

What Happens When a Motorhome or Campervan is Stolen?

In more severe cases where thieves steal the entire vehicle, one of two things usually occurs:

1. Stripping for parts: With the rise in campervan conversion projects, there is a growing market for parts. Some parts available might come from stolen vehicles.
2. Selling to an unsuspecting buyer: Thieves may sell the stolen campervan on social media, making it difficult to trace. The new owners often have no idea they’ve purchased stolen property.

Do Police Ever Find Stolen Motorhome of Campervans?

Yes, should the campervan or motorhome have a tracker, police have been successful in recovering stolen motorhomes using GPS, GSM or Radio Frequency to locate and return to the owner. Should a stolen vehicle be resold unknowingly, the Police often collaborate with the new owners to trace the original owners and return the vehicle. This also helps in tracking down the thieves through the sellers. If the original owner cannot be found, the police will auction off the campervan or motorhome, leaving the unwitting buyer with nothing. While this is harsh, it aims to reduce future thefts by discouraging the purchase of stolen vehicles.

How to Help Prevent Motorhome and Campervan Theft

To reduce the risk of theft, our experts advise investing in a tracker like Moving Intelligence’s iTrack S5 or S7 solution. Although a tracker won't prevent theft, unless it has immobilisation and ADR (Advanced, Driver, Recognition iTrack Ultimate, iTrackS5 ) it significantly increases the chances of recovery—up to 95% of tracked campervans or motorhomes are recovered.

Installing a tracker can also lower your insurance costs as it lowers the potential risk of needing to claim on your insurance. We also recommend that you park your Motorhome and Campervan in a secure location, ideally a locked garage or an off-road driveway, which both reduces insurance premiums and provides that extra level of protection. Other deterrents include alarms like the Vanguard Alarm, automatic floodlights, immobilisers, and security cameras.

Our specialist Leisure vehicle tracking team are always available to advise on which solution would be best for you and your beloved Motorhome, Campervan or Caravan. Simply call us on 0161 476 4050 to discuss today. sales@movingintelligence.co.uk