Overview

• Vehicle thefts in Italy rose 3% in 2024 to 136,201 incidents with commercial vehicle thefts soaring 112%, yet only 45% of stolen vehicles were recovered.
• Campania, Lazio, Sicilia, Puglia and Lombardia accounted for 78% of thefts, feeding organized networks that disassemble vehicles or export them abroad.
• Criminals are deploying electronic jammers, cloned keys and ECU-reprogramming tools to bypass modern anti-theft systems and steal cars in minutes.
• The theft of hybrid and electric vehicle batteries is escalating due to prolonged replacement bottlenecks and high black-market demand.
• Authorities, automakers and security firms are discussing tougher legal penalties and upgraded immobilizer and radio-frequency systems to improve deterrence and recovery rates.