Filenews 23 October 2025 - by Ioanna Kyriakou
Cyprus is among the top five destination countries for stolen vehicles from the UK. This is revealed by an investigation conducted by Thatcham Research, in collaboration with Britain's National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Agency (NaVCIS). Specifically, in the period 2021–2024, the main destination countries were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (38.5%), the United Arab Emirates (20.1%), Cyprus (6.7%), Jamaica (5.7%) and Georgia (5.1%).
The research records the main routes used by organized criminal networks to traffic a wide range of luxury SUVs, cars and parts around the world. This illicit market is fuelled by factors such as a shortage of spare parts and delays in deliveries, an increase in the value of SUVs on the black market, geopolitical events affecting supply and demand, and natural disasters.
The case of Cyprus and the routes of the stolen vehicles
In the case of Cyprus, according to the same research, its geographical location plays an important role, as an intermediate station, for the transport of vehicles and parts to the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, both Cyprus and Jamaica are countries that drive on the left, an important factor for their movement. At the same time, the high standards of British vehicles make them particularly attractive to the Cypriot market, where the availability of used right-hand drive vehicles is limited. Cyprus is also a gateway country for reselling parts or re-exporting them to other destinations in the Mediterranean, while Jamaica has imposed tariffs on imported cars, which has made trade more profitable.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the number one destination for stolen vehicles, due to its central location on the African continent, its port and its borders with nine other countries. The floods in the United Arab Emirates last April are believed to have led to an increase in thefts of a popular SUV model, with criminal organizations exploiting the shortage of vehicles and parts through official channels.
Georgia is also a major destination, likely due to strict sanctions and the departure of official delegations from the country, which are driving demand for vehicles and parts in neighbouring Russia. The conflict in the region has also altered the types of vehicles targeted by robbers, with truck thefts rising to 16.78% in 2024, up from 4.71% the previous year.
A theft every five minutes
Despite the UK having one of the highest vehicle safety standards in the world, in 2024 a vehicle was stolen every five minutes. 52% of the seized vehicles were from premium and luxury manufacturers, while 79% were SUVs. In fact, in 2024, insurance companies in Britain paid £640 million in compensation for stolen vehicles. Thatcham Research's head of research, Richard Billield, said criminal gangs now have better funding, specialized electronic equipment and international connections. He stressed that increasing vehicle safety will not address the problem on its own, underlining that cooperation between government agencies, vehicle manufacturers and insurance companies is needed to combat the phenomenon.
