Car theft in Germany: 2024 trends and prevention tips

Germany has seen a rise in the number of cars officially recorded as irretrievably lost in 2024. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, over 16,000 passenger cars remained on the wanted list beyond the reporting year. This figure is 1.3% higher than the previous year. However, the overall number of vehicles reported stolen actually fell by 6.5%, to approximately 48,000 cases.

Cases of car appropriation have risen notably. In 2024, over 3,700 vehicles were lost this way, representing a 31.2% increase from the year before. This method now accounts for nearly a quarter of all irretrievably lost cars. Criminals frequently use forged documents when purchasing vehicles on credit or leasing them, only to resell them illegally.

The primary transit and resale regions remain Eastern Europe, the UAE, and West Africa. In 2024, around 5,200 matches were recorded in foreign databases, an 11% increase. France, in particular, saw a significant rise in cases.

Criminals employ various methods, including tampering with the CAN bus, intercepting key signals, and jamming GPS. Vehicles with keyless entry systems are especially vulnerable.

Despite a growing fleet of electric vehicles—up to 1.65 million units, a 17.2% increase—the number of thefts involving them has slightly declined. A similar trend is noted for hybrids. Nevertheless, law enforcement warns that as these models become more common, they may increasingly attract the attention of organized crime groups.

The overall financial damage remains substantial. Insurance payouts for stolen vehicles reached 312.2 million euros in 2023.