What cars were stolen most in 2020 according to DVLA data?

Car thefts accelerated by a third last year, according to new data, despite two national lockdowns and more drivers being indoors to keep a closer eye on their motors.  

There were 74,769 vehicles pinched from their owners last year – this is a 33 per cent leap up from 56,288 in 2019, according to Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency figures.

The question is: is your car one of the top 15 that is being most-targeted by criminals?    

Vehicle leasing firm Rivervale Leasing has submitted Freedom of Information requests to the DVLA regarding the most stolen cars on two consecutive years.  

The latest statistics provided by the Government agency show that 18,481 more cars were nicked from their rightful keepers last year than in 2019.

Shockingly, that equates to 205 motor thefts per day, with keyless car crime at the heart of the growing problem.

As well as the increasing rate of stolen cars in Britain, fewer owners are likely to see their motors again than before – with almost three quarters never returned to their owners, says the latest official figures.

According to the most recent Office for National Statistics report on vehicle-related theft, 72 per cent of pinched cars are not handed back to the keeper.

A return rate of just 28 per cent in the year ending March 2020 is the lowest return vehicle rate for a decade, the ONS stats say.   

There is also a high chance that the smaller percentage of motorists who are likely to get their car back will receive it with some form of damage.

Ford Fiesta is most commonly pinched but high volume of Range Rover thefts suggest keyless car crime is rife

In terms of the motors that are being targeted most by thieves, the Ford Fiesta tops the charts with 3,392 reported cases to the DVLA in 2020.

This comes as no surprise, given the Fiesta is the UK’s most popular motor, being the most-registered car in the UK for 12 consecutive years.

However, the disclosed records show that 1,008 more Fiestas were pinched last year than the 12 months prior.

And proving that it isn’t just the most common cars on the road that are most frequently taken from owners, the Range Rover was second on the list again.

There were 2,881 reported cases of the expensive SUVs being stolen from keepers last year – up 50 per cent on 2019.

This is a clear reflection of the ongoing crime wave involving criminal gangs using keyless technology to target high-value premium cars – a problem that has been worsening in recent years.

There is further evidence of luxury vehicles being taken using ‘relay devices’ in the list of the top 15 most nicked motors.

While common cars like the VW Golf, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Nissan Qashqai all featured in rankings for models that are commonly stolen, there were plenty of expensive, premium-brand vehicles among them.

These include the BMW 3 Series, 5 Series and X5 SUV, Land Rover Discovery and Mercedes-Benz E-class and GLC SUV. Audi’s A6 also rounded out the top 15. 

A separate report from Global Telemetrics, a leading vehicle tracking device provider, provided further evidence that Range Rovers are high on criminal gangs’ lists.

Understandably, most of its customers are owners of high-end motors looking to protect their valuable assets.

It found that Land Rover’s Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Vogue and Discovery are the three vehicles that triggered its tracking systems last year.

Next most common were the Fiat Ducato and Ford Transit, with thieves also likely to be going after expensive tools locked inside.

Pricey Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes models also featured high on its list, with most being big SUVs. 

This is Money revealed in 2019 that gangs are sharing shopping lists of easy-target models using keyless relay attacks.

Communication between criminals via messaging apps like WhatsApp include details of how to steal them, their sell-on value and where examples are located.

Vehicle protection and management technology provider, AX, told us that thieves aren’t just focusing on expensive models but are stealing some of Britain’s most in-demand mainstream cars and selling them on the black market for between £1,000 and £3,000 – which could also explain why the list is a mix of luxury and common vehicles.

What are car makers doing to prevent keyless theft? 

A recent report from insurer LV= suggested that vehicle theft claims in London have increased by 265 per cent between 2016 and 2019, most notably due to the rise in keyless car crime.

Birmingham, Nottingham and Greater Manchester seeing individual increases of over 100 per cent in recent times.  

Richard Billyeald, chief technical officer at independent automotive research company, Thatcham Research said that while motor crime is back on the rise across the UK, it is still a long way short of the record highs seen three decades ago. 

Speaking to This is Money, he said: ‘Although any increase in vehicle thefts will be a concern to car owners, we are still a long way off from the endemic car crime seen in the early 1990s – where upwards of 600,000 cars were stolen in a single year, with thieves mostly using equipment found in a toolbox.’ 

He warns that the majority of thefts today are predominantly the result of keyless tactics that are the ‘preserve of sophisticated criminal gangs, using digital kit to navigate mechanical security’ and, while vehicle manufacturers are trying to combat it, there is yet to be an established means of preventing cars from being nicked remotely.

‘Keyless entry systems have been problematic and can be exploited by thieves using a technique known as the relay attack,’ he explained.

‘Many carmakers do now offer countermeasures with new vehicles, such as motion-sensor enabled fobs. However, all new cars with keyless systems should have a solution to this long-standing vulnerability in place.

‘It’s also important to remember that the motion-sensor fob, while a good short-term fix, is not the ultimate solution to the keyless vulnerability, which should be designed-out of new vehicles completely in the future.

‘Drivers should go into the dealership with their eyes open to keyless security and if they do intend to specify the system, ask if a fix has been introduced. 

‘Your dealer is there to help with any queries or concerns and will know about system fitment and which type of fob is available.’