With new data naming the most stolen cars, we look at the brand that is proving most attractive to thieves – and it's owned by almost 4.2 million Brits.
More than 350 vehicles are stolen every day in the UK, official data has found.
According to research from the Office for National Statistics, 129,159 cars were pinched between April 2023 and March 2024, which equates to an average of 354 per day.
Unsurprisingly, your risk of car theft can vary greatly depending on the type of car you drive.
With this in mind, Tesco Bank has looked at its own claims data for the year August 2024 to find the most stolen models.
According to the findings reported by Which?, Ford models accounted for 16% of all claims during this period, with Land Rovers taking second place and also making up 16% of thefts.
Next up were Mercedes and BMW, accounting for 8% and 5% of claims respectively.
The most stolen car brands
- Ford
- Land Rover
- Mercedes
- BMW
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Kia
- Vauxhall
- Nissan
- Jaguar
Source: Tesco Bank/Which?
It's worrying to note that research from Motorway has revealed there are 4.16 million Fords currently on UK roads.
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What about colour and age?
Tesco Bank's research also revealed that black cars are most frequently stolen, making up 27% of all thefts.
Meanwhile, 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.
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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 This Is Money and 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.
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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.
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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 insurance company 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
You can read the full list in our article Car vandalism hotspots revealed
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.
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