Crime explosion adds £630 to car cover
Catalytic converter theft increases five-fold
2 May 2021 • 5:00am
Victims of car theft face a rise in insurance premiums amid an epidemic of motor crime across the country.
Nearly 75,000 vehicles were stolen in 2020, a 33pc rise on the previous year, according to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and victims of these crimes have seen their insurance premium rise by as much as £630 a year, according to GoCompare, the price comparison service.
Hybrid vehicle owners are particularly vulnerable after a five-fold increase in catalytic converter thefts. In London alone nearly 15,000 such thefts were investigated in 2020, compared with 9,500 the previous year, according to the Metropolitan Police.
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image captionBoomtown Fair was postponed until next year because it could not get Covid cancellation insurance
Most of the music festivals still due to take place this year could be scrapped without the safety net of government-backed cancellation insurance, organisers have warned.
A quarter of UK festivals have already been called off, but 76% of the rest are at risk, according to the industry.
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has called for urgent intervention to save the season.
The government said it was exploring what further support it could provide.
The AIF said events had been scrapped because of government inaction on insurance .
Car use is returning to normal with the easing of lockdown
Motorists who took advantage of free extended insurance cover during lockdown have been urged to check their policies as the scheme comes to an end.
Drivers who use their own car for commuting or work purposes need to check that they still have the appropriate level of cover after the Association of British Insurers (ABI) confirmed that temporary measures put in place during the first UK-wide lockdown would come to an end on 30 April.
The measures introduced in March 2020 saw insurers offer cover for commuting and work use to drivers whose policy did not usually cover such purposes. The additional cover was applied automatically and free of charge by members of the ABI in an effort to help those who faced transport difficulties at the height of the pandemic.