Thieves took an average of one car every nine minutes last year, or 154 per day
If you own any of these 10 motors the chances are it will be more appealing to thieves, according to new figures.
The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency has revealed the vehicles most commonly reported to them as stolen last year, as it states that 56,288 cars were targeted by thieves in 2019.
The big question is: is your car on this list?
The stats show that one vehicle was stolen from UK owners every nine minutes, or 154 per day.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the Ford Fiesta is the car that was most commonly reported as stolen last year, with 2,384 cases reported to the DVLA.
Given that it is the best-selling model in the UK - and has been every year for more than a decade - its appearance at the top of the list comes as no real shock.
However, the next most commonly pinched motor is a clear reflection of the increase in thieves targeted high-value premium cars with keyless technology.
The Range Rover was the second most stolen model in 2019, according to the DVLA's figures that it revealed to Rivervale Leasing following a Freedom of Information request.
Some 1,917 of the British-made luxury SUVs were taken from their owners last year.
In third spot was the Volkswagen Golf (1,331 cases), followed by the Ford Focus (1,200 reported thefts) and BMW 3 Series (1,042 pinched) - all of which are fairly popular mainstream models.
Other high-value cars to make it into the top 10 were the Land Rover Discovery, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series, all of which have keyless technology that could be targeted by criminals with expertise and technology to carry out relay thefts.
More than 14,000 premium models were stolen between January and October last year, according to an analysis of insurance claims by Direct Line.
That is more than double the amount over the same period in 2015 and means a luxury vehicle is stolen once every 38 minutes on Britain's roads.
This is Money revealed last year that gangs are sharing information about shopping lists of these premium models to target that they can steal using keyless relay tactics.
Vehicle protection and management technology provider, AX, claims that thieves aren't just focusing on expensive models; they are also stealing some of Britain's most in-demand cars and selling them on the black market for between £1,000 and £3,000, which could explain why the list is a mix of luxury and common vehicles.
Government stats also suggest there is less than a 50 per cent chance of a nicked car being returned to the keeper - and if it is, it's highly unlikely to be in perfect condition.
Rivervale Leasing said it studied 10 years of data from the Office for National Statistics and found that, on average, just two in five stolen cars are returned to the owner.
And those who are fortunate enough to get their vehicles back are likely to see it returned in a worse state.
Statistics suggest three quarters of pinched motors come back damaged, with a shocking 22 per cent being written off completely.
'Car theft doesn’t just have a serious financial impact,' the report added.
'Research shows that 84 per cent of drivers were emotionally affected by the robbery, according to the ONS data.
'Some motorists were even left with panic attacks, plus some experienced depression and difficulty sleeping.'
Article courtesy of thisismoney.co.uk
