The UK’s most-stolen cars revealed

The Ford Fiesta was the most-stolen car in the UK last year, retaining its top position from the previous year.

In total, 3,392 Fiestas were stolen, up more than 1,000 on 2019. In second place was the Range Rover, with 2,881 stolen, followed by the Volkswagen Golf with 1,975.

The overall figures were up considerably on those from 2019, with 74,769 vehicles taken last year, an increase of almost 20,000. That figure represents 205 thefts per day.

The figures came from a Freedom of Information request by vehicle leasing firm Rivervale Leasing, which also found that nine of the top 10 most stolen cars in 2019 were the same as last year, indicating there are particular cars that are more appealing to criminals.

With the Ford Fiesta being the UK’s best-selling car, it’s perhaps not surprising that it is a long way ahead of the others, but a look down the list shows a mixture of high value premium models and more mainstream hatchbacks and saloons.

However, premium vehicles do tend to be slightly more favoured by criminals when looking at the number of cars stolen per 1,000 examples on the road. In this case the Range Rover is top, with seven stolen for every 1,000 licensed in the UK. This is followed by the BMW X5 (6) and Mercedes-Benz GLC (5).

According to the latest Office for National Statistics report, 72 per cent of stolen vehicles are not returned, the highest figure in 10 years.

Keyless car theft has become a big problem in recent years. Criminals can now boost the signal of a key left inside a house to steal a vehicle that’s parked on the driveway. The best way to avoid this is to keep your key as far from the vehicle as possible.

If you have access to a garage you should use it, as 76 per cent of thefts happen in the street. Furthermore, 80 per cent happen at night, so try to park in a well-lit area.