What to Do if Your Car Is Stolen

1. File a Police Report

As soon as you discover your car is missing, call your local police department's non-emergency number or use its online crime-reporting portal, if available. Be ready to provide the following information:

• Vehicle identification number (VIN): You can find this information on your insurance card or policy, your vehicle registration, the purchase contract or the vehicle title.
• Vehicle license plate number
• Vehicle make, model, color and year
• Other identifying features, such as custom paint, aftermarket sound systems or other modifications
• Your vehicle title or, if the car is financed or leased, the lender's or lessor's information
• The vehicle's most recent mileage and service records
• Any recent photos of the vehicle
• List of any personal possessions that were in the car
• Any GPS or anti-theft devices in the vehicle
• Whether anyone else (such as a friend or repair shop) recently had keys to the vehicle
• Where you last parked the vehicle and any potential evidence at that location, such as broken glass on the ground

Ask for a copy of the police report; you'll need it for the insurance company.

2. Call Your Insurance Provider

Comprehensive car insurance covers your car if it's stolen or damaged during theft, but even if you don't have comprehensive coverage, you should contact your insurance company as soon as possible. Alerting your insurer that the car has been stolen helps protect you from liability if the thief injures people, damages property or commits crimes using your vehicle.

If you have comprehensive coverage, file an insurance claim. You can generally do this by phone, online or using your auto insurance company's app. Have the following information handy:

• Your policy number
• A copy of the police report
• When and where the theft occurred

An insurance adjuster will be assigned to your claim and will guide you through the process. They may also help arrange for a rental car if your policy includes rental reimbursement coverage.

You may also need to file a claim for your belongings. If personal belongings, such as your phone or laptop, were in the stolen car, auto insurance won't cover them, but your homeowners or renters policy may. When deciding whether to file a claim, consider the amount of your deductible and the cost of replacing the items. If you have a $1,000 deductible and your laptop cost $800, for instance, it would be cheaper to replace it out of pocket.

If you don't have renters or homeowners insurance that covers items stolen from a vehicle, check to see if any of your credit cards include purchase protection. For instance, a stolen laptop purchased with a credit card may be covered if the card offers purchase protection.

Learn more: What Is Comprehensive Car Insurance?

3. Contact Your Lender

If you're still paying your car loan or are leasing the car, contact your lender or lessor to let them know about the theft. Give them your insurance claims adjuster's contact information so they can work together.

• For leased vehicles, full coverage auto insurance will pay out the actual cash value (ACV) of the vehicle as well the lease balance.
• For financed vehicles, your insurance settlement will go to the lender to pay off your loan.

If your insurance settlement is less than the loan balance, you'll be responsible for making up the remainder unless you have gap insurance to pay the difference.

Example: If your loan balance is $18,000 and insurance pays out $15,000, you owe the lender an additional $3,000.

If your insurance settlement is more than the outstanding loan amount, you'll receive a check for the overage.

Example: If your loan balance is $10,000 and insurance pays out $13,000, the lender gets $10,000 and you get the remaining $3,000.

Learn more: What Is Gap Insurance?

4. Alert the Department of Motor Vehicles

Contact your state's department of motor vehicles to report the theft of your car. They will record your VIN and license plates as stolen, which helps keep the thief from selling your car or applying for a title. It also alerts the police if your car is pulled over and prevents you from getting charged for tolls or registration fees. The motor vehicle department will also cancel your registration; you may get a prorated refund for your registration fees.

5. Protect Your Identity

Were personal items such as your wallet, purse, laptop, cellphone or mail in the stolen vehicle? If so, you could be at risk of financial fraud or identity theft. Safeguard your finances by freezing your credit cards, which you can typically do on the card issuer's website or mobile app. Then contact your card issuers to report lost or stolen credit or debit cards.

Monitoring your credit reports can help you spot signs of identity theft. You also have the right to request a free fraud alert at the Experian fraud center. A fraud alert instructs creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before processing credit card or loan applications in your name.

Placing a fraud alert with one credit bureau automatically applies alerts to your credit files at all three bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax).

Learn more: How to Check for Identity Theft

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Losing your car to theft is an emotional and financial blow, but car insurance with comprehensive coverage can ease the pain by paying for a new vehicle. Adding coverage to your existing auto policy may raise your premiums, but you can still find ways to save.

For instance, regularly comparing the cost of auto insurance from different providers could uncover a better deal. Experian's free car insurance comparison tool makes that easy to do. Provide your information and get quotes from top car insurance companies all in one place. It's a convenient way to explore all the options for protecting your car.