By ROB HULL, MOTORING EDITOR
Drivers of petrol and hybrid cars can breathe a sigh of relief after new figures showed the crimewave of hacking catalytic converters off the underside of vehicles has almost dissipated entirely.
During epidemic levels seen in 2021, over 7,000 motors were targeted for their catalytic converters and the precious metals they contained.
Just five years ago, gangs were regularly stealing catalytic converters in broad daylight by sawing and smashing them off exhaust systems while vehicles were parked on driveways, at the roadside and even in public car parks - often causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and writing off cars in the process.
However, the number of reported instances dwindled to around 150 last year as manufacturers and police forces across the country reacted to the spree by putting measures in place to tackle it.
Auto Express says catalytic converter theft 'may soon be a thing of the past' as a result.
But another reason for why the volume of catalytic converter thefts has declined is because criminals now have a new, more lucrative, target.
As revealed earlier this week by Daily Mail and This is Money, EV charging cables have become prime prey for thieves looking to make a quick buck - and, like catalytic converters, it's all down to a rising metal price...
During epidemic levels seen in 2021, over 7,000 motors were having catalytic converters stolen for their precious metals inside. But that number has shrunk to around 150 by 2024 as gangs switch focus to a new lucrative target...
Auto Express issued a freedom of information request to all 48 police constabularies across the UK requesting the volume of catalytic converter thefts reported over the past six years.
Following responses from 30 forces, it concluded that thefts of the vehicle part have fallen by 98 per cent when compared with 2021.
At the height of the issue four years ago, these 30 forces held records of 6,909 catalytic converter thefts.
But last year this figure shrunk to a mere 150 over the 12-month period.
In South Yorkshire, for example, there were 850 incidents of theft registered under the term ‘catalytic converter’ in 2021. However, this dropped to only five last year.
Criminals had been preying on the exhaust devices because they contain valuable metal parts that can be sold at a premium
2019: 3,008
2020: 5,331
2021: 6,909
2022: 5,442
2023: 1,991
2024: 150
Source: Data provided to AutoExpress following FOI request to all 48 UK police forces (30 responding with figures)
Criminals had been preying on the exhaust components because they contain valuable metals that can be sold at a premium.
Catalytic converters are designed to trap harmful toxins from being emitted out of the exhaust pipe of petrol and hybrid models. Diesel cars do not have them, instead using diesel particulate filters (or DPFs).
One of the metals found inside catalytic converters is palladium.
The price of this commodity more than doubled between 2019 and 2021, eventually peaking in early 2022. At the time, it was more valuable than gold.
Values have since dropped back, but palladium prices have been on the rise again since April this year.
Rhodium - another precious metal used in catalytic converters - followed a similar rise and fall in value as palladium over the same period.
The third metal inside the exhaust part is platinum. Prices for platinum are currently soaring at a 10-year high.
The price of palladium and rhodium - precious metals used in catalytic converters - rose dramatically post-pandemic, which saw the exhaust devices become easy targets for thieves
The catalytic converter is part of a vehicle's exhaust system. Criminals during the peak of the crimewave would hack them off the underside of the car in seconds, causing irreversible damage even write offs
During the epidemic of thefts, gang even created a shopping list of models known to have the best quality devices.
All were hybrid cars, which were ripe due to their higher concentration of the precious metals.
Insurer Admiral told us at the time that the most susceptible hybrids were the Honda Jazz, Toyota Prius, Toyota Auris and Lexus RX of all generations and ages.
Speaking to Auto Express about why there has been a decline in catalytic converter thefts - particularly in the previous two years - assistant chief constable of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), Sarah Grahame, said forces across the country had effectively 'worked with partner agencies to tackle the issue'.
This included the implementation of a database to register and track stolen catalytic converters.
Manufacturers - including Toyota - also took to forensically marking the parts to help trace the major gangs behind the crimewave.
To tackle catalytic converter thefts, the police implemented a database to register and track the stolen parts. Manufacturers also took to forensically marking the parts to help trace the major gangs behind the crimewave
With catalytic converter thefts in decline, thieves are instead turning their focus to electric car charging points - and, more importantly, the copper-laden cables.
The price of the metal has climbed 3.7 per cent between September and October as global supply contracted following production losses at Indonesia’s Grasberg mine.
As such, charging cables have moved up thieves' pecking order of easy - and lucrative - targets in recent months.
EV charging cables have become the new prize target for thieves now that copper prices are rising
Data gathered from police forces has revealed there have been more than 200 attacks on EV chargers across the UK costing millions of pounds.
Public charging operator Allego UK this week warned that this is just the 'tip of the iceberg' as many incidents go unreported and many police forces do not hold relevant records linked to charging cable thefts.
InstaVolt, one of the country's biggest charging providers, exclusively told This is Money and Daily Mail that it has started to use state-of-art security measures to stay ahead of organised crimes to protect their assets.
CEO Delvin Lane told us it has introduced a patent-pending EV cable protection system called CableGuard - a sheath that encases the cable and is forensically traceable, upgraded its CCTV to 24-hour coverage and rolled out real-time live tracking GPS.
