Thieves stealing valuables from inside cars has been a problem since time immemorial. But in recent years, a new trend has emerged: theft of valuables from underneath your car.
Underneath? Believe it or not, yes, because your car’s catalytic converter could be as valuable to thieves as your phone or your wallet. And because it isn’t covered by your car’s security system, it’s also easier to steal.
It’s a widespread problem. We’ve seen reports suggesting that around 28,000 catalytic converters were stolen in the UK in the 12 months between December 2021 and January 2023.
The best way to avoid becoming a victim yourself is to be aware of the problem and put measures in place to deter the thieves. To enable you to do just that, our ultimate guide to catalytic converter theft will help you understand exactly what the problem is, and what to do about it.
Catalytic Converter Theft: What Cars are Most at Risk?
- Why Do People Steal Catalytic Converters?
- What Cars are Most at Risk of Catalytic Converter Theft?
- What is a Catalytic Converter?
- How Does a Catalytic Converter Work?
- Why are Catalytic Converters Important?
- How Do I Know if My Catalytic Converter has Been Stolen?
- How Can I Combat Catalytic Converter Theft?
- FAQs
Why Do People Steal Catalytic Converters?
There are two reasons why people steal catalytic converters. Firstly, they’re relatively easy to steal. And secondly, they contain precious metals (more on that in a minute), which are extremely valuable.
Because catalytic converters sit beneath a car, and aren’t covered by a car’s security system, they’re relatively easy for car thieves to take without alerting anyone. They can be removed quickly, either by unbolting them or by cutting the exhaust pipe on each side – the whole job can be done in a matter of minutes - were talking five to ten, here - by an experienced thief.
The damage left behind for the unfortunate car owner is considerable. Not only do they have to replace the catalytic converter itself, but they sometimes have to replace both sections of the exhaust pipe either side of the converter, depending on where the thieves have made their cuts.
What’s more, if the thief has jacked the car up, they may not have done so sympathetically, causing a potentially huge amount of damage to the underside or sill of the car's bodywork.
Catalytic converter theft is usually covered by your car insurance, provided there’s a theft element to your policy (so ‘fully comprehensive’ policies and ‘third party, fire and theft’ policies will probably be covered, but ‘third party only’ policies probably won’t) but it’s always worth checking with your insurance company to make sure. Bare in mind that repair bills can be hefty, and if your car isn’t worth that much, theft of the catalytic converter can result in your car being written off.
What Cars are Most at Risk of Catalytic Converter Theft?
All modern cars are at risk from catalytic converter theft. However, hybrid cars are most at risk. Thieves prize the catalytic converters from hybrids more highly than others, because they are less worn out. Hybrid cars spend more of their time running on, or with the aid of, electric power, and this reduces the workload on the catalytic converter.
As a result, catalytic converters from hybrid cars are more likely to yield a larger amount of usable or recyclable precious metal, which criminals can then sell on the black market.
Traditionally, owners of older Toyota Prius models have suffered quite a lot at the hands of catalytic converter thieves over the years, and because the same parts are used in Lexus models, these are often targeted, too.
Many manufacturers of more modern hybrid cars have attempted to tackle the problem by reducing the amount of precious metals in the catalytic converters they produce, to make them less appealing to thieves. Other manufacturers have taken a different route. For instance, the Honda Jazz from 2008-onwards was designed in such a way that thieves could not get access to the catalytic converter, and in later Honda models, the catalytic converters where concealed within the engine bay, making them even more difficult to get at.
What is a Catalytic Converter?
A catalytic converter is essentially a filter for pollutants that’s installed within the exhaust system of your car. It uses chemical reactions with precious metals to turn harmful substances into less harmful ones, so that the gases coming out of your car’s exhaust pipe are cleaner.
The idea of catalytic converters has actually existed almost as long as cars have, having been mooted by French chemist Michel Frenkel in 1909. But the idea didn’t come to fruition until the 1950s, when another Frenchman, Eugene Houdry, who had previously developed catalytic converters for industrial chimneys, patented the idea of a catalytic converter for a petrol engine in a car.
Catalytic converters really came to prominence in the 1970s, however. In 1973, engineers at the Engelhard Corporation in America revealed the first production catalytic converter, which was subsequently installed in a wide variety of cars in order to meet America’s stringent emissions regulations at the time.
It wasn’t until a little later that catalytic converters became mainstream in cars on the European market, but by 1993 they had become mandatory on all new petrol and diesel cars here in the UK as part of a drive to improve emissions standards so as to reduce air pollution.
How Does a Catalytic Converter Work?
A catalytic convertor takes the form of a metal box mounted at the front of your car’s exhaust system. Inside, there’s a honeycomb structure, usually made of ceramic and coated with precious metals, that the exhaust gases have to pass through.
What happens next depends on whether you’re driving a petrol or diesel car. Petrol cars use three-way catalytic converters, in which two reactions occur. The first of these is a reduction reaction, in which the metal (usually either rhodium or platinum) reacts with the nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the exhaust gases and splits them into nitrogen and oxygen.
The second, an oxidation reaction (usually palladium, but platinum can also be used for this phase), turns carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide (CO2), and also splits hydrocarbons to turn them into CO2 and water. It’s these three reactions which give the three-way converter its name.
Diesel engines use only two-way catalytic convertors, which only undertake the two oxidation reactions – there’s too much oxygen present in diesel exhaust gas to allow the reduction reaction to take place on its own.
However, newer diesel cars use a diesel particulate filter, or DPF, and a process called selective catalytic reduction, in which a urea-based fluid is injected into these harmful gases before they reach the catalytic convertor. The ammonia in this fluid acts as a reductant, setting off a chemical reaction that reduces the levels of NOx so that the catalytic converter doesn’t have to.
Why are Catalytic Converters Important?
The chemical reactions that take place inside catalytic converters reduce toxic fumes that can be harmful to the health of people in the vicinity of the car when it’s running. That means fewer respiratory problems caused by vehicle emissions, and cleaner air in towns and cities.
But catalytic converters aren’t a silver bullet. The CO2 they emit is a greenhouse gas, and not good for the environment, and therefore adds to the CO2 emissions that a car would otherwise produce without one fitted. Nevertheless, on balance, catalytic convertors have been a force for good in the fight to reduce harmful vehicle emissions.
How Do I Know if My Catalytic Converter has Been Stolen?
Unless you witness the theft in action, or someone draws your attention to it, you probably won’t notice that your catalytic converter has been stolen, at least initially. The first you’ll know of it is when you start your car up – at this point, the engine will sound extremely loud, much more so than usual, and you may be greeted by warning lights popping up on the dashboard.
You can verify if your catalytic converter has been stolen by looking underneath the car. If it’s been taken, you’ll notice a section of the exhaust appears to be missing toward the front of the car, just behind the front wheels.
If you suspect the catalytic converter has been stolen, you shouldn’t drive the car, because exhaust gases may now be coming out just beneath the air intakes for the interior ventilation. That means poisonous gases could be routed into the car’s cockpit, which could be bad for your health or even incapacitate you.
How Can I Combat Catalytic Converter Theft?
How Can I Combat Catalytic Converter Theft?
There’s no one sure-fire way to prevent the theft of catalytic converters, but there are a number of catalytic converter theft prevention measures you can take that should reduce the likelihood of it happening to you.
Buy a Locking Device
It’s not an entirely theft-proof solution, but you can drastically reduce the chances of your catalytic converter being stolen by fitting a locking device for it. These devices contain the catalytic converter within a tamper-proof cage, which clamps to the exhaust and sometimes to the car itself in order to stop it being removed. The downside is that they can be quite expensive. If you need to know where to start, there’s a company called Catloc that offers a wide range of such crime prevention devices.
Park in Such a Way as to Prevent Access
If you park your car on a driveway, you can park close up to walls or fences, the kerb, or even other cars, in order to hinder access to the underside of the car. Of course, you’ll also need to leave room to be able to get out, and be careful to avoid blocking rights-of-way for pedestrians, particularly those who might be wheelchair users. If you’re parking in a public car park, park nose-in – that way, if your car’s surrounded by others, it’s harder for thieves to get access to the catalytic converter.
Mark Your Catalytic Converter
You can now buy kits to mark your catalytic converter with a particular serial number. Not only with this give you a chance of recovering your catalytic converter if it is stolen, but it also acts as a deterrent, because the kit comes with a sticker you can put in the window of your car.
Get the Bolts Welded
If your catalytic converter is bolted on, you can ask your local garage to weld up the bolts to ensure they can’t be undone. This won’t prevent your catalytic converter being cut away, but if thieves are trying to remove it quietly by simply undoing the bolts, or they don’t have cutting equipment and power tools with them, it will thwart them.
Beef Up Your Home Security
Installing a security light or a CCTV system may well deter potential catalytic converter thieves. Not only that, but a security light might alert you to the theft while it’s taking place, while a CCTV system will capture images of the thieves, hopefully giving police forces more evidence to prosecute thieves should they get caught.
Park Your Car in a Locked Garage
Not everyone has access to a garage, but if you do, it’s worth your while to clear out or move some of the odds and ends you might be storing in there so that you can fit your car in instead. That way, thieves won’t even know it’s there, let alone be tempted to try and steal the catalytic converter. If you do this, always keep the garage locked to protect your car further still.
Use Lower Vehicles to Block Those with Easy Access
If you own several cars, or a fleet of company vehicles, park those with greater ground clearance behind those with less. Vehicles with more ground clearance - such as SUVs - are very tempting for thieves because access to the catalytic converter is much easier; lower vehicles aren’t theft-proof, but are less likely to be targeted, so if they’re in the way, thieves are more likely to move on to an easier target.
Install an Alarm with a Tilt Sensor
Standard car alarms don’t always include tilt sensors, which can tell when the car is being jacked up. If you install an alarm with a tilt sensor instead, it’ll go off should a miscreant try to lift your car using a trolley jack, which is one method thieves often use to improve access to the catalytic converter.
Report Any Suspicious Activity Locally to the Police
If you notice people loitering in your area, perhaps looking furtively at cars or underneath them, take note of their appearance and give the police a call. They might be sizing up potential targets for catalytic converter theft.
Park in a Well-Lit Area
If you’re parking away from home, always make sure you park somewhere where there’s plenty of light, and avoid shadows. Thieves will be put off from working in places where they can easily be identified by bystanders.
FAQs
How do I prevent catalytic converter theft?
There’s no one sure-fire way, but there are a variety of things you can do to make life harder for thieves, which will hopefully deter them from targeting your car. Where possible, always park in well-lit areas that are covered by CCTV, and park near walls, buildings or other cars to make getting underneath your car more difficult.
What are the most targeted vehicles for catalytic converter theft?
Older Toyota hybrid models such as the Prius have been heavily targeted over the years, and so have those from Lexus and Honda. But pretty much any car can be at risk.
What should I do if my catalytic converter is stolen?
You should inform the police and arrange for your car to be recovered to a repair shop. Do not attempt to drive the car because doing so could expose you to harmful fumes.