Recovered stolen vehicles are most likely to be found within two weeks of the theft; and after that, the chances of recovering stolen cars is slim, according to new industry statistics.

Research by the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) – an initiative between governments and the insurance industry – has found 74% of the 78,604 vehicles stolen in the 12 months to December last year were recovered by the end of the year.

Almost half of these recoveries occurred within a day of the theft, and more than 80% were recovered within a week of the incident. Nearly 90% were recovered within two weeks of the theft.

“The figure shows that if the vehicle is not recovered within this time period, it is unlikely to be recovered at all,” the NMVTRC said.

Passenger/light commercial and heavy vehicles were the most quickly recovered, with 81% of recoveries occurring within a week of the theft.

Motorcycles were slower to be recovered than other vehicles, with 75% of recoveries occurring in the first week.