How to Find Out If Your Car Was Towed or Stolen [Updated 2024]

According to the NICB, more than one million vehicles were reported stolen last year. No one wants to be caught in the difficult situation of searching for a stolen vehicle, so it’s important to be sure if your car was stolen or just towed.

It could have been driven out by a friend, family member, or someone you share the vehicle with. In any case, you don’t need to panic. This article explains how to find out if your car was towed or stolen and what to do afterward.

Signs Your Car Was Towed

If you cannot find your vehicle where you parked it, some simple signs just tell you it was towed, and you have nothing to worry about. If you parked your vehicle in an area with a “no parking” sign – or other similar signs – chances are it got towed away.

The towing company that took your car away probably left a sign or card with their address and contact number. You can usually find out what to do next by contacting them. 

Additionally, you should also look around for broken glass or signs of forced entry into your vehicle. If you find broken glass or other car parts, your vehicle may have been stolen. 

Unlike a stolen vehicle, a towed car usually shows no signs of damage around the parking area. You can also ask if anyone saw your car being towed. Neighbors or nearby business owners might have noticed the tow truck and can tell you what to do.

How to Check If Your Car Was Towed

If you’ve seen the signs that suggest your vehicle was towed, you need to verify. How? You can easily:

Check for a Plate from the Towing Company

Towing companies often leave a plate or card indicating where your car has been taken. This notice can usually be found near where your car was parked. If you cannot find a plate, you must contact local authorities.

Contact Local Authorities

If you don’t find any notice, your next step should be to contact local authorities. Provide them with your vehicle’s information (make, model, license plate number, and VIN) to see if they can verify whether your car was towed or not.

Check with Towing Companies

You can also compile a list of local towing companies and their contact information. Call them and provide your vehicle’s details to check if they have towed your car.

Online Towing Information

Many cities have online resources or towed vehicle locator websites where you can check towing records. Enter your vehicle’s information to see if it appears in their records.

Still can’t find your vehicle? It means there’s a high chance that your car was stolen. Yikes!

READ ALSO: How To Get a Salvage Title Check Report for Vehicles

Signs Your Car Was Stolen

When your car is stolen, if you look closely, specific indicators can help confirm your suspicion. One of these signs is broken glass. If you find broken glass around the area where your car was parked, there’s been a car theft.

You can also check for signs that your vehicle was broken into, such as tampered locks.

There’s a high chance that an alarm went off while you were away. It’s possible you heard one but didn’t think it was your vehicle. If that happened, you can confirm that it was a theft and that your car was stolen.

Check around for security cameras and see if you can find any information from them. Asking witnesses or neighbors can also help a lot, as they can provide as many details as possible about the thieves to authorities.

Checking if Your Car Was Stolen

When a vehicle is stolen, it may be parted out and sold in bits, sometimes exported, abandoned, and resold. If you suspect your vehicle has been stolen, you must:

File a police report

Your first step should be to file a police report immediately at your local police department.

You may not have much details on everything and how it happened, but you have to provide as much information as possible about your car, including its make, model, color, license plate, and VIN. This information is crucial for the authorities to help track down your vehicle.

You may not have all the details about how your car was stolen. However, you still need to provide as much information as possible to the authorities – including its: 

• Make and model
• Color
• License plate
• Vehicle Identificaiton Number (VIN)

All of this will help the authorities to be on the lookout for your car while on patrol. Your license plate will also be flagged, so the police will try to stop it should they ever spot it on the road. 

Check surveillance footage

Look around for any security cameras near where your car was parked. Local businesses or homes might have cameras that capture the theft. Reviewing footage can provide evidence of the theft or show suspicious activity.

REAL ALSO: How to Spot a Stolen Vehicle: Tips and Tricks for Protecting Yourself

What to Do if Your Car is Towed

If you parked where you shouldn’t have, its important to contact the towing company as soon as possible. Some lots charge an hourly or daily storage fee, which means your charge will keep multiplying the longer your vehicle sits in the lot.

So what are the steps to take?

1. First, you need to find out where your vehicle was taken. Typically, the towing company will leave a signature where your car was parked. Otherwise, contact the police or any other local authority to find your vehicle’s location.
   
2. Next, call or visit the impound lot and determine how much you owe for their tow charge. You’ll need your driver’s license, insurance card, and vehicle registration information.
3. Pay the fine associated with the towing. Note that many impound lots do not accept credit cards, so it’s best to pay the charge in cash or a cashier’s check.
4. If you have outstanding traffic tickets or fines, they may ask you to pay them before getting your car.

In some states, if a vehicle is impounded and not retrieved after a few weeks, it may be taken to auction. So you have to move fast.

What to Do if Your Car was Stolen

Now if your vehicle was stolen, you also need to act fast. To increase the chances of finding the stolen car in good condition, you need to follow these steps:

1. Contact the police immediately. You need to provide the car’s make, model, color, license plate, VIN, last location the vehicle was seen, features of the car, safety features, and other distinctive features.
   
2. After the police create a report, ask for a copy. You’ll need a police report for the next step.
   
3. Contact your insurance company. After the police, make sure your insurance company is informed as soon as possible and file a claim. Submit the police report and any other information required.
   
4. Inform the DMV. The Department of Motor Vehicles also needs to be informed of the theft. They can update the VIN in their records to show that it belongs to a stolen vehicle.
   
5. Next, contact your home or renters insurance companies. More often than not, their policies may cover items in your vehicle; like your laptop, mobile phone, jewelry, and more.
   
6. You also need to contact your lender or bank to inform them of the theft. There’s a possibility of thieves using your personal information from your vehicle to access your bank accounts or commit fraud.
   
7. Check around your local area for your car. It may not have gotten so far. You can check nearby streets, parking lots, and impound lots. Some thieves abandon stolen cars after using them for some time. So you just may be lucky enough to find yours around.
   
8. You can also use VIN check services like Detailed Vehicle History to track your car’s history and any changes in its status.
   

Now you know how to find out if your car was towed or stolen.

Run a VIN Check for Stolen Vehicles

If you’re buying a used car, it’s very important to check if a vehicle was stolen in the past. A car that was once stolen may have all sorts of negative implications for you as the next owner – including risks of being the target of another auto theft. 

A VIN decoder gives you access to the full history of a vehicle – including if it was ever reported as stolen before.

It is especially important to run a VIN check if you are buying from a private seller. There can be fraudsters looking to deceive car buyers into buying damaged cars, and you can spot this early on with a VIN check.

Conclusion

Determining whether your car was stolen or towed is crucial for taking the appropriate steps to recover it. Quick action, whether it’s contacting authorities, checking with towing companies, or filing a police report, increases the chances of retrieving your car.