Whether at home, at work, or at the mall, you expect to find your car where you last parked it. However, a thief can steal your car and leave you stranded and surprised, wondering what to do next. Car theft occurs more often than many people realize. In fact, thieves steal more than 700,000 cars every year according to FBI statistics. If your car is stolen, you can do some simple things to help get your life back on track.

Call the police

First, call the police as soon as you discover that your vehicle is missing. Police have a better chance of finding your car before thieves take it to a chop shop or move it out of state. This call is very important if you have comprehensive coverage on your vehicle because insurance companies usually require a police report before they will process a claim for a stolen vehicle.

Call your insurance company

You should contact your insurance company to file a stolen-vehicle claim as soon as possible after you complete your police report. This call will activate a process that will document, investigate, and pay your claim based on your coverage. You should call your insurance company even if you do not have comprehensive coverage, since insurers have valuable tools that can assist with vehicle recovery. When you report a theft, insurers will usually ask for details about the theft of your car as well as questions about the whereabouts of the title and keys that belong to the vehicle. You may also have to provide service records, odometer mileage, and optional equipment to help adjusters accurately calculate the value of your missing car.

Call your finance company

If you owe money on your car, you should report the theft of your car to the bank or financing company that issued your loan. When you call, you should provide the contact information for your insurer and the adjuster assigned to your claim. Your finance company and your insurance company can work together to produce the best possible outcome for your claim.

Report vehicle contents

You may have to include a list of possessions that were in the car at the time of theft if you want to receive compensation for that loss. Although auto insurance policies may not pay for everything that was inside your car, you can always contact your homeowners’ insurance company to see if they will cover your claim.

Check Government Data

The NHTSA maintains a stolen-vehicle database that reports the rate of theft for various vehicles sold in the United States. You can search this online database for free to find cars that have a low risk of theft. Doing this could lower your car insurance premiums and give you more confidence the next time you leave your car in the lot.