The UK’s most stolen cars and vehicle theft hotspots
A look at the 10 car models most targeted by thieves, and the areas where you're most likely to fall victim.
The Ford Fiesta is the car most likely to be reported stolen, new research suggests.
Price comparison site Confused analysed the number of motorists who indicated they'd had a car stolen when comparing insurance quotes on the site since 2018.
It found that Ford Fiesta topped the list with a total of 10,346 cars reportedly stolen.
Given that it is the most sold car of all time in the UK that is perhaps unsurprising, although the manufacturer did discontinue the model more than a year ago.
In second on the list was the Volkswagen Golf with 9,526 reported thefts since 2018, followed by the BMW 3 Series with 9,148 reported stolen.
You can see the top 10 in full below, according to Confused figures.
Car model |
Number reported stolen since 2018 |
Ford Fiesta |
10,346 |
VW Golf |
9,526 |
BMW 3 Series |
9,148 |
Ford Focus |
6,664 |
BMW 1 Series |
6,286 |
Mercedes C Class |
5,698 |
Audi A3 |
5,551 |
Range Rover Sport |
5,472 |
Vauxhall Corsa |
4,992 |
Vauxhall Astra |
4,357 |
8 premium cars that are shockingly unreliable
How is your car likely to be targeted?
The price comparison site also included some interesting data on how and where cars are stolen.
The most common location was being stolen on the street outside the victim's home, with more than a quarter (28%) targeted in this way.
In terms of the thieves' modus operandi, hot-wiring was the most common method (23%), followed by smashing a window in (22%) and breaking into the home to steal the keys (10%).
Does your motor's age and colour matter?
Tesco Bank has looked at its own claims data for the year to August 2024 to work out the colour and age of cars likely to be targeted by thieves.
Its research revealed that black cars are most frequently stolen, making up 27% of all thefts, while grey cars represent 18% of claims and white cars account for 17% of thefts.
While we might assume that new cars are most attractive to thieves, vehicles between five and nine years old represent 52% of claims made to Tesco Bank.
Similarly, cars between 10 and 14 years old made up 23% of thefts.
Surprisingly, however, cars under four years old accounted for just 15% of claims.
Buy cheap new tyres online with Protyr
Where is your car most likely to be stolen?
As we all know, drivers in certain areas are also at greater risk.
According to research from valuation specialists HPI, Greater London has the highest incidence of this type of crime, with 760 thefts per 100,000 cars.
Shockingly, the region recorded almost 20,000 car thefts last year.
Next up were the West Midlands and Yorkshire & The Humber, which experienced rates of 760 and 401 thefts per 100,000 cars.
In contrast, Northern Ireland is the safest county in the rankings, with just 23 out of 100,000 cars being stolen.
Car thefts by county
Ranking |
County |
Number of cars on the road |
Number stolen |
Stolen per 100,000 |
1 |
Greater London |
2,451,620 |
18,624 |
760 |
2 |
West Midlands |
2,955,660 |
11,865 |
401 |
3 |
Yorkshire & The Humber |
2,533,630 |
6,357 |
251 |
4 |
North West |
3,347,918 |
6,742 |
201 |
5 |
East of England |
3,339,208 |
5,761 |
173 |
6 |
North East |
1,193,581 |
1,724 |
144 |
7 |
East Midlands |
2,325,913 |
2,955 |
127 |
8 |
South East |
4,888,945 |
5,578 |
114 |
9 |
Wales |
1,627,203 |
1,448 |
89 |
10 |
Scotland |
2,514,893 |
1,891 |
75 |
11 |
South West |
2,988,477 |
1,790 |
60 |
12 |
Northern Ireland |
1,079,477 |
244 |
23 |
Source: This is Money/HPI
As well as being hugely distressing for victims, this type of crime can have a significant impact on your insurance premiums.
If you live in an area with a higher-than-average number of car thefts, your insurance is going to cost you more as the provider will view you as more likely to make a claim.
It’s a similar story with where you keep your car overnight. If it’s kept in a locked garage, it’s obviously going to be less accessible to thieves than if it’s parked on the street.
Save up to £578 on your car insurance with Confused.com
Will the thieves be caught?
Having your car taken is a complete nightmare. But once you report it to the police, will the thieves be brought to justice?
Sadly, the chances don’t look good.
Data from the Home Office has found that just over 3% of car thefts were solved in 2023, which is down from just over 4% in 2018.
Likewise, analysis from Rivervale Leasing, which went through the figures dating back to 2010 from the Office for National Statistics, found that, on average, just two in five stolen cars are handed back to the owner.
Find parking quickly with JustPark
The worst regions for vandalism
Theft is, of course, not the only type of car crime drivers need to worry about.
According to data from insurer Churchill, more than 3,000 cars are subject to vandalism every week in England and Wales.
With incidents surging by 26% over the six months to September 2023, Cornwall and Devon are the worst-affected regions for vandalism.
The top five vandalism hotspots
Rank |
Police force |
October-March 2023 |
April -September 2023 |
Percentage change |
1 |
Devon & Cornwall |
1,692 |
2,134 |
+ 26% |
2 |
British Transport Police |
375 |
447 |
+ 19% |
3 |
Bedfordshire |
643 |
758 |
+ 18% |
4 |
Avon & Somerset |
2,441 |
2,813 |
+ 15% |
5 |
North Yorkshire |
723 |
795 |
+ 10% |
Source: Churchill
Protecting yourself from car crime
There is far more you can do to keep your car safe than simply parking it in a garage.
If you would like to learn more, check out our advice on how to beat hi-tech car thieves.
By following these tips, you can reduce your risk of being among the thousands of motorists each year who have to report a stolen or vandalised car to the police.
*This article contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission on any sales of products or services we write about. This article was written completely independently.
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature