What to Do if Your Car Is Stolen
By Samuel Pfeiffer, Founder of SafeOrStolen · Updated September 24, 2026
Short answer: First make sure the car wasn't towed or repossessed by calling the local police non-emergency line or the property's towing company. Then report it stolen to police with your VIN, plate number, and description, call your insurer, tell your lender or leasing company, and use any connected-car app or tracker to share its location with police. Do not try to recover it yourself.
Where to find your VIN and plate details
Police need the VIN, plate number, year, make, model, color, and any distinguishing features.
- Your registration card or title.
- Your insurance card, policy documents, or insurer app.
- Your loan or lease paperwork, or the lender's online account.
- Service receipts, the purchase contract, or the manufacturer's connected-car app.
Steps to take now
Work through these in order. Speed matters for tracking, blocking, and insurance, and the identifier is what police, carriers, registries, and insurers ask for.
1. Rule out towing or repossession
Cost: Free
Call the local police non-emergency line, check posted tow-away signs, and ask the property manager. If you have a loan, ask the lender whether it was repossessed.
What it tells you: Whether the car was lawfully removed, which saves a false theft report.
2. Report it to police
Cost: Free
File a stolen-vehicle report with the VIN, plate, description, when and where you last saw it, and any tracker information. Police can enter stolen vehicles in law-enforcement systems.
What it tells you: You get a report number your insurer and lender will need.
3. Share connected-car or tracker location with police
Cost: Free if already set up
If your car has a manufacturer app, a subscription service, or a tracking tag, give the location information to the officer instead of going there.
What it tells you: Where the car last reported its location.
4. Call your insurer
Cost: Depends on your policy
Comprehensive coverage typically handles theft. Your insurer will ask for the police report number, keys, and ownership documents.
What it tells you: What your policy covers, including any rental reimbursement.
5. Tell your lender or leasing company
Cost: Free
If the car is financed or leased, notify the lender. Keep making payments unless your lender or insurer tells you otherwise.
What it tells you: How the lender and insurer will handle the claim together.
6. Log the item on SafeOrStolen
Cost: Free with an account
Add the item, its identifier, and your police report number at /report-stolen. SafeOrStolen checks its own stolen-item reports whenever someone runs that identifier.
What it tells you: Anyone who checks that identifier on SafeOrStolen sees that it was reported stolen. It does not notify police, carriers, insurers, or other registries.
Mistakes to avoid
- Going to the car's location or confronting anyone in it.
- Paying someone online who claims they can return the car for a fee.
- Delaying the police report, which can hold up the insurance claim.
- Leaving spare keys, the title, or ID documents unaccounted for.
Keep records and follow up
- Keep a single file with the police report number, officer or agency name, identifier, photos, receipt, and every call reference number.
- Write down dates and times of each call, claim, and report.
- Watch marketplaces for your item and send any listing to the investigating officer instead of contacting the seller.
- Update your report and registries if the item is recovered, so it is no longer shown as stolen.
Do not try to recover an item yourself or confront anyone who has it. Give the information to police. Call emergency services only if someone is in immediate danger.
Log it on SafeOrStolen. Add the item and its identifier to SafeOrStolen's stolen-item reports, so anyone who checks that identifier on SafeOrStolen sees it was reported stolen. This does not replace a police report.
Report a stolen itemWhere SafeOrStolen fits
SafeOrStolen is a stolen-item verification hub for buyers and sellers covering phones, vehicles, license plates, serial-numbered electronics and power tools, firearms, and bicycles. For theft victims, the useful part is the report: once your item is logged, a buyer who checks its identifier on SafeOrStolen sees it was reported stolen. SafeOrStolen does not file police reports or contact carriers or insurers for you.
SafeOrStolen checks its own stolen-item reports, public web results, and AI notes. Guns are also checked against police theft and loss reports from 34 states plus live Ohio records, bikes against a national stolen-bicycle registry, and paid phone checks search the lost and stolen phone blacklist. It does not search NCIC, DMV or insurance records; those are separate checks described in this guide.
Buyers can save the result with their other due-diligence records. After a clean check, sellers can share a Proof of Clean Purchase: a permanent, timestamped verification record. It is not a title, guarantee of ownership, or legal document.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call first if my car is stolen?
Call police first. If there is any chance it was towed, the local police non-emergency line can often tell you. Then call your insurer.
Does insurance cover a stolen car?
Theft is usually covered under comprehensive coverage. Liability-only policies generally do not cover theft of your own car. Check your policy or ask your insurer.
Should I keep paying my car loan?
Generally yes, until the insurer settles the claim, unless your lender tells you otherwise. Ask your lender and insurer directly.
Does SafeOrStolen report my car to the police?
No. Logging it on SafeOrStolen adds the VIN to SafeOrStolen's own stolen-item reports so buyers who check that VIN see it. File a police report separately.