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Catalytic converter theft: how to protect your car

By TOYOTA UK

Catalytic converter theft from cars isn’t a new crime, but it has increased significantly in recent times.

Police forces around the UK are advising owners of any car fitted with a catalytic converter to take precautions. In Toyota’s case it is second and third-generation Prius models (2004-2009 and 2009-2016 respectively) and second-generation Auris Hybrids (2012-2018) which have been particular targets for thieves.

Below we’ve gathered the best advice for Toyota owners who may be concerned.

What is a catalytic converter? 

The catalytic converter is part of the car’s emissions control system. It cleans up the exhaust gases before they are expelled from the car through the exhaust pipe. Its internal elements react with the gases, breaking them down into less harmful substances and water vapour. All new cars sold in Europe since 1993 have had to be fitted with a catalytic converter by law.

Why are they a target for thieves?

Clearly the police are best placed to offer advice on the motives behind this crime. But we understand that the value of the catalytic converter for recycling is the main attraction to thieves, because it contains precious metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium.

What can owners do to stop their cars being targeted?

Some owners have chosen to tag their catalytic converters with an invisible yet traceable forensic marking solution, such as that provided by SmartWater. This means that a stolen catalytic converter can be traced to a specific crime, helping police in their attempts to fight the organised gangs responsible. It also raises the risk to all those handling the devices along the criminal chain, from theft to eventual disposal and recycling. Mechanical theft prevention products such as Catloc devices can also deter thieves.

However, it must be noted that catalytic converter theft is a criminal operation and the scope of owners is therefore limited. Police forces are taking action, so it is important for anyone who is a victim of this crime to report it as quickly as possible.

In the main, older cars are more likely to be targeted. This is because advances in efficiency and technology mean the latest generations of catalytic converters contain vastly lower amounts of precious metals, while still doing their job just as well or even better. This means their value for recycling is very low and they are not attractive to thieves.

Does a mechanical lock give my car 100% protection from thieves?

Sadly not. It can make theft more difficult but thieves are using high-powered cutting tools to remove catalytic converters and because of this it is not possible to make them ‘unstealable’. A mechanical locking device makes it harder to steal a catalytic converter because it slows down thieves and therefore acts as a deterrent.

If I’m worried about my Toyota model, what should I do?

If you are worried about potential catalytic converter theft from your Toyota, we recommend you use our locator tool to find your nearest Toyota centre and contact them to discuss the best way to protect your car.

This article was last updated on 2 November 2024, so some of the responses to reader comments below have been superseded by more recent information.

2,452 comments

    1. Hi Nick,
      Thanks for your comment. We’re so sorry to hear that you’ve been a victim of this crime, and we appreciate how distressing this must be.
      As for any theft, we would recommend reporting this to the police.
      Regarding securing a new catalytic converter, our Toyota centres are best placed to help.
      Finally, if you would like to raise your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team, who are on hand to offer support and advice.
      They can be contacted here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/help-centre/email-us
      Once again, we are so sorry that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.
      Thanks.

      Reply

    2. I am the new victim in two days ago. I reported to police and informed my insurance. They quickly react on this. Now my insurance company has found a new Catalytic converter to fit it to my Auris. But they can only offer a new convenional one. I asked them to add “Carloc”. They said they cannot do it. May I know if ToyotaUK will help to add something, such as Catloc, to make my new catalytic converter better secure.

      Reply

  2. Hi, we’ve had CCs stolen on both an Auris and a Prius. Its pathetic that Toyota hasn’t come up with an effective retrofit design that can prevent this.

    And the insurers and garages are almost as much part of the problem – for the insurers, its a chance to use their own garages and hire cars (and probably push the costs on to their reinsurers), and for the garages its more work. And for Toyota, it’s more spare sales.

    The insurer’s own garage in our last case even refused to fit a very simple marking device provided by the Metropolitan Police, which might have helped catch the thieves at work.

    Reply

  3. Hi Jeremy,
    Thanks for getting in touch. We’re so sorry to hear this.
    CatLocs are available for both the Auris and the Prius, and we have also produced bolt caps, component etching and tilt alarms to try and prevent further attacks.
    If you would like to raise your specific situation further, you can contact our customer relations team here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/help-centre/email-us
    They are best placed to offer further support and advice.
    Thanks, and once again we are so sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.

    Reply

  5. After suffering the theft in October, I have been waiting for the stolen Catalytic Converter (CC) and Catloc to be fitted for our Auris by a local Toyota centre for nearly a month. Their estimate is about £1455 incl. £270 Labour £245 VAT.

    Meanwhile, we have asked local garages for an estimate for replacing the CC and Catloc device, and their estimate is lower.
    Toyota is saying publicly and through their web site that they are working closely with the police and government to change law and that their first priority is customers who have been victims of crime and moved to reduce the prices of replacement catalytic converters and Catlocs to a level where Toyota GB does not make any profit from supplying them to customers. If this is true, why is their estimate more expensive than others and why do we still have to be charged VAT to replace the stolen material?

    My CC was stolen shortly after Toyota informed me by letter of an outstanding recall for my vehicle for software upgrade. I wonder why Toyota never informed me as an owner of this model which is a specific and known target for the criminals, and the thousands of other people who are or will be victimised with advice about this this crime and their dealings with the police and government as they are saying. Surely this needs to be elevated to the seriousness of a safety or service recall, and the company really needs to take more action.

    In summary it is clear that criminal organisations are the perpetrators of this crime, but with the limited actions by the police and the company, it seems that only the car owners are suffering and with little responsibility taken from others.

    Reply

    1. Hi J Wood,
      Thanks for getting in touch. We are truly sorry that your Auris has been targeted by thieves and appreciate the distress that this must have caused.
      If you would like to discuss your particular situation in more detail, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team, who are best placed to offer further advice and support.
      You can reach them here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/forms-v2/forms?tab=pane-dealer
      Once again, we are truly sorry that you have been a victim of this awful crime.
      Thanks.

      Reply

  6. My CC was stolen today, broad daylight, Sainsburys car park, Cambridge, UK. I had no idea of the risks of CC loss – thought it was a thing of the past. Maybe it’s time to sell my car after this has been fixed. Not buying one which is gonna attract petty thieves. Bye bye Prius. 🙁

    Reply

    1. Hi Jon,
      Thanks for your comment.
      We are truly sorry that you’ve been affected by these criminals and apologise for the distress that this must have caused.
      Thanks.

      Reply

    1. Hi Shaun,
      Thanks for your comment.
      Thieves tend to target older vehicles due to the higher content of precious metals in the catalytic converter. Over time, we have improved our hybrid system and our petrol engines have come cleaner, hence the significant reduction in precious metal content in fourth generation hybrid models, like the Corolla.
      Thanks.

      Reply

      1. Hi SG,
        Thanks for your comment.
        We have reduced the precious metal content of our catalytic converters by up to 84% in our newer hybrids, meaning that these are less attractive to thieves.
        CatLocs have been produced for vehicles considered to be most at risk, and this does not include the Corolla.
        Thanks.

      2. Just been told by a mechanic there is no point fitting a cat loc as thieves just use power tools to cut out the cc. They also said that this is a problem for ALL hybrids including the Corolla.

      3. Hi SG,
        Thanks for your reply.
        As previously mentioned, our newer hybrids contain a lower precious metal content, making them less appealing to thieves.
        Thanks.

  9. Just had the cc stolen from a Toyota Auris 2015. So cross as we’ve only just taken it in for a recall to update some software – why didn’t they fit a cat loc at the same time? We’ve also been told that there is a wait of 6 months for a Toyota specific CC and that there are 1000 on back order so we’ll end up with a generic CC. Toyota and the garages and insurers are making a fortune from this. Not impressed.

    Reply

  10. I have been victimise on this as well two week ago. Toyota is not helping us in this matter. We need to start making complaint consumer direct and see what right we have. I have totally lost confidence with Toyota and will not be purchasing their vehicle anymore

    Reply

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