Car theft is hovering with most stolen mannequin revealed – and no it isn’t a Range Rover

Car theft is more prevalent than ever and experts have revealed which cars are targeted the most – and it’s bad news for Ford owners.

129,159 motor vehicle thefts were reported in England and Wales in 2023/24, according to Statista. This remains around the same as the previous year’s report, showing criminals are targeting vehicles up and down the country. But some cars are more desirable than others, with certain models being specifically targeted for certain reasons, according to authorities.

The reliable Ford Fiesta topped the list for the most grabbed vehicle, and has been first since January 2018. Confused.com found 10,346 Ford Fiestas were reported taken during that time, with the Volkswagen Golf in second place, closely followed by BMW 3 Series in third.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, London was the most popular area for thefts, with around 30,000 cars reported stolen since January 2018. After that, Birmingham boasted 27,680, and Manchester took third with just over 10,000.

The insurance company also said there have been more than 250,000 thefts in that time. One in five motorists are said to have had their car nicked before, which stands at around 7.6million people.

The Ford Fiesta is the most likely to be stolen, but statistics say it’s the most common car model owned by motorists. Statista also added there are 1.5 million Ford Fiesta cars roaming the roads of Great Britain, with a Vauxhall Corsa claiming 1.1million drivers.

While someone stealing your car seems like it would be easy to spot, criminals have became more inventive with their methods. The majority of incidents take place outside the home of the driver. 28% of the crimes took place outside the home and a quarter were hot wired.

It is also said that many of the new Ford Fiestas have keyless entries, which could contribute to the high volume of thefts. The full list of top-stolen models is as follows:

1. Ford Fiesta – 10,346 reported stolen
2. Volkswagen Golf – 9,526 reported stolen
3. BMW 3 Series – 9,148 reported stolen
4. Ford Focus – 6,664 reported stolen
5. BMW 1 Series – 6,286 reported stolen
6. Mercedes-Benz C Class – 5,698 reported stolen
7. Audi A3 – 5,551 reported stolen
8. Range Rover Sport – 5,472 reported stolen
9. Vauxhall Corsa – 4,992 reported stolen
10. Vauxhall Astra – 4,357 reported stolen

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