Official data has revealed that the Ford Fiesta is simultaneously the most owned car in Britain and the most stolen.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) showed that 5,979 Fiestas were reported stolen in 2022, compared to the 3,909 cars that were stolen in 2021. This means 53% more were stolen throughout the year, with one taken on average every 88 minutes.
It is relatively unsurprising that the most owned car in Britain is also the most stolen. With 1.5 million registered Fiestas on the road, the amount reported as stolen was only 0.4% of all Ford Fiestas. However, this may rise in the future due to Ford deciding to stop producing the car. This, in turn, will see prices for parts rise, making them a more desirable target.
Unsurprisingly, thieves continue to target high-value cars, with Range Rovers being the second most stolen car last year.
Here is a complete list of the 10 most stolen cars in 2022:
- Ford Fiesta
- Land Rover – Range Rover
- Ford Focus
- VW Golf
- Land Rover Discovery
- BMW 3 Series
- Mercedes C Class
- Vauxhall Corsa
- Vauxhall Astra
- Mercedes E Class
When looking at the list above, it is surprising that some of the cars featured are also some of the best electric cars to buy right now.
Unsurprisingly, no hybrid cars made the list due to the complexity of the vehicles, and they are more difficult to sell quickly.
In 2022, 61,106 cars were stolen in total compared to the 48,493 taken in 2021, which works out as a car stolen every eight and a half minutes in 2022. Of all the cars stolen in 2022, almost 10% were Ford Fiestas, which is expected to rise due to it being decommissioned.
Clive Wain, Tracker’s head of police liaison, said: “It is common for any vehicle to become in high demand when supply stops, and the price of parts will slowly start to increase.
“The end of the Fiesta doesn’t just signal the end of one of the most popular cars in the UK, but an even greater theft risk for those cars that are currently on the road.
“Over the last few years, we’ve already seen that a global lack of good quality used vehicles, alongside spare parts shortages, are increasing the desirability of older, lower value cars like the Fiesta.
“Vehicles are often stolen and stripped for their parts in chop shops or stolen to order to be shipped abroad to meet international demand.”
We spoke to one of our grade-A driving instructors, Sharon Gordon, who provides automatic driving lessons in London, who said, “When it comes to preventing your car from being stolen, it is always essential that you take relative precautions.
“Firstly, you must always lock your car and park in a safe place. If you can, we recommend purchasing a steering wheel lock, as it will allow you to add an extra layer of security whilst deterring car thieves from attempting to steal your car.
“The last thing you want is to spend your hard-earned money on automatic driving lessons in London and a car for it to then be stolen.”