What are the most commonly stolen cars in the UK?

The Home Office reported 101,198 cars stolen in 2021. Find out if your car is in the top 10 stolen cars in the UK, and the steps you can take to secure it.

Michael Barlow
Manchester

While no car owner ever wants to think about it, there’s always a chance that your car might get broken into or even stolen; especially if it’s a model often sought after by car thieves.

The Home Office reported that 101,198 cars were stolen in the UK in 2021. That’s roughly 277 cars being stolen every day! On top of this, according to AutoExpress, only 28% of stolen cars were recovered by police last year.

Naturally, some cars are more likely to be stolen than others. So, to help you find out if your car is likely to be targeted by car thieves, we’ve pulled together a list of the 10 most stolen cars in 2021.

And be sure to stick around to the end to see our best tips on protecting your car from theft.

The 10 most stolen cars in the UK

The following are ten of the UK’s most commonly stolen cars:

1. Ford Fiesta

2. Land Rover Range Rover

3. Ford Focus

4. VW Golf

5. Mercedes-Benz C-Class

6. BMW 3 Series

7. Land Rover Discovery

8. Vauxhall Corsa

9. Vauxhall Astra

10. Mercedes-Benz E-Class

For most of these cars, it’s not hard to see why they are desirable. Mercedes and Range Rovers are stylish, perform well on most roads, and are pretty high value. As for Fords and Vauxhalls, while not overly expensive, they are some of the most sought-after cars on the market thanks to their economical MPG and easy driving style.

Steps to take to help prevent your car from being stolen

If you’re worrying that your vehicle is on the list of the top ten most stolen cars, don’t worry. While 100,000 thefts in the last year seems like a lot, there are well over 30 million cars in the UK, so the odds of yours being stolen are relatively low.

With that being said, here are a few steps you can take to minimise the chances of losing your car. While some of these touch on the basics, many are conscious things to bear in mind when parking up.

1. Always lock your doors

This might seem obvious, but not locking your car’s doors or windows properly every single time you get out is a surprisingly common reason for having your car stolen.

No matter how long you’re away from your car, even if you’re only nipping into pay for petrol, always lock your doors, windows, boot, and even your sunroof.

2. Park in a garage when possible

Again, an obvious step, but not one that’s suitable for everyone. If you do have a garage, then you should always be locking your car inside to deter opportunistic thieves. If you can’t do this, try to park in a well-lit area with CCTV cameras.

3. Buy a steering or handbrake lock

Sometimes the old methods are the best, and in the case of stopping someone making off with your pride and joy, you can’t get much better than a steering or handbrake lock.

After going all high-tech with immobilisers, keyless entry systems can be a big security risk, and that’s especially true for plenty of the motors on our top 10 list. This is why a physical block is the best way to protect against keyless entry issues.

4. Invest in an alarm or immobiliser

Investing in a Thatcham-rated alarm or immobiliser is another easy way to protect your vehicle. While they might not deter the most determined of thieves, they will likely put off those opportunist thieves.

5 – Fit a tracker to your car

A tracker might not prevent your car from being stolen, but it will make it much easier for emergency services to locate it after the fact. Not only that, but the addition of a tracker will also lower your insurance premiums.

6 – Keep your keys hidden at all times

Our last point is another simple one, but worth mentioning. Never leave your keys in plain view or near the door. Ideally, keep them upstairs with you in a bag or buried in a draw or safe instead.

All of these tips will help to deter would-be car thieves, but you need to bear in mind that while you can make your car less attractive to thieves, you’re never going to make it 100% steal-proof.

If you do find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to buy a new car because of theft, don’t worry. Here at Zuto, we work with car finance lenders to help you afford the car you want in manageable payments.

Get in touch with the team today for more information on how we can help you, and don’t forget to visit the Zuto blog for more informative articles like this one.