Car theft in the UK is on the rise, leaving insurers with more than £1.4 billion in pocket.
That is according to vehicle claim specialist CMAwho submitted a freedom of information request to the Ministry of the Interior.
The response to the FOI’s request read: “The latest police recording crime figures for England and Wales show a 7% increase in theft or unauthorized use of a motor vehicle from 94,601 offenses in the year ending December 2020 to 101,198 offenses in the year ending December 2021.”
The CMA went on to say, “It’s far too simplistic to say that car crime has dropped from 500,000 offenses in the mid-1990s to 100,000 today, so we’ve largely solved it.
“Even from 180,000 a year in 2006, when the Department of the Interior stopped publishing its annual car theft index, the picture has changed dramatically.
“Fifteen years ago, the typical theft was an old Ford Escort worth less than £5k that was confiscated for joyriding and later recovered, often burnt out.
“Now we often see nearly new Range Rovers worth £100k being stolen by professional criminals, and they are rarely found.
“The fact that 72% of stolen vehicles are never recovered is a staggering failure.”
But which cars are stolen the most?
A separate FOI request from car lease comparison site LeaseLoco found the answer and we have the top five most stolen models in 2021 for you.
5. Mercedes C-Class
number stolen: 1474
4.Volkswagen Golf
number stolen: 1755
3. Ford Focus
number stolen: 1912
2. Range Rover
number stolen: 3754
1. Ford Fiesta
number stolen: 3909