The UK's Most Stolen Cars and How to Protect Yours

Car theft is no longer just a problem for owners of expensive Range Rovers, Ferraris or supercars.

The latest figures show that some of the UK's most frequently stolen vehicles are ordinary cars seen on almost every street: Ford Fiestas, Volkswagen Golfs, Ford Focuses and Nissan Jukes.

Police-recorded vehicle offences in England and Wales fell by 11% to 312,250 in the year ending March 2026, but vehicle crime remains a serious problem. The latest figures are published by the ONS in its Crime in England and Wales report.

For owners in London, Essex, Kent and Surrey, particularly those keeping valuable classics, prestige cars and modern performance cars at home or in public parking, security is therefore something worth thinking about before a theft happens.

What Are the Most Stolen Cars in the UK?

The latest full-year model figures are based on vehicles reported stolen during 2025, using DVLA data obtained through Freedom of Information and analysed by What Car?. The figures were also reported by Fleet News.

The Ford Fiesta remains well ahead of every other model by total number stolen.

But there is an important qualification.

These figures tell us how many examples of each model were reported stolen. They do not tell us the percentage chance that an individual Fiesta, Golf or Range Rover will be stolen.

A model with hundreds of thousands of examples on UK roads naturally gives thieves far more opportunities than a rare supercar.

That distinction matters when interpreting any "most stolen cars UK" ranking.

Why Is the Ford Fiesta Stolen So Often?

The Fiesta's position does not mean thieves necessarily value it more than a Ferrari.

There are simply huge numbers of Fiestas in circulation, and there is continuing demand for parts from one of Britain's most widely owned cars.

Cars can be stolen for several reasons:

• to be dismantled for parts;
• to be exported;
• to be sold using another vehicle's identity;
• to commit other crimes;
• because a particular electronic security system can be exploited; or
• because the vehicle itself has strong resale demand.

That is why both everyday hatchbacks and expensive SUVs appear in theft statistics.

A common car can be valuable to a thief because its parts are easy to sell. A prestige vehicle can be attractive for completely different reasons.

Why Are Toyota and Lexus Models Appearing Near the Top?

One noticeable feature of the 2025 figures is the presence of the Toyota RAV4, Toyota C-HR and Lexus NX.

That does not mean every Toyota or Lexus is inherently insecure.

It does show how the theft market changes.

As the UK vehicle population changes, organised theft groups also change what they target. Modern vehicles contain expensive electronics, hybrid components and other parts with strong resale value.

What was considered a particularly vulnerable car five years ago may therefore be very different from the cars targeted today.

This is one reason security advice should not be based entirely on an old list of supposedly high-risk marques.

What About Range Rovers?

Range Rovers have attracted enormous attention for vehicle theft, particularly in London.

The latest model-level figures show the Range Rover Evoque in ninth place with 895 recorded thefts during 2025.

That is still significant, but it is worth looking at the numbers rather than assuming every theft league table is dominated by Range Rovers.

Manufacturers also continually update vehicle security, while thieves change their methods in response.

Car theft is a moving target.

Are Classic Cars Commonly Stolen?

Classic cars are slightly different from the modern cars dominating the national theft table.

A 1960s Porsche, Jaguar or Aston Martin does not have a keyless-entry system for somebody to relay.

But that does not make it theft-proof.

Older cars may have relatively simple original locks and ignition systems compared with modern vehicles. Their value can also make individual cars attractive targets even though classics do not appear near the top of national theft totals.

Provenance can make the consequences particularly serious.

A stolen modern production car can theoretically be replaced with another example. An original classic with decades of history, matching numbers or unusual specification may be effectively irreplaceable.

That changes the security calculation.

How Are Modern Cars Being Stolen?

Modern vehicle theft is increasingly electronic.

The government has specifically identified devices such as signal amplifiers, jammers and equipment used to gain access to vehicle wiring as tools used in vehicle crime.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduced offences covering the possession, importation, manufacture, adaptation or supply of electronic devices intended for vehicle theft. The government's serious crime factsheet specifically refers to devices such as signal jammers and signal amplifiers.

The same government factsheet states that the Metropolitan Police estimates electronic devices are used in approximately 60% of vehicle thefts in London.

What Is Relay Theft?

Relay theft targets cars with passive keyless entry.

The car is designed to recognise when its key is nearby. Normally, that allows the owner to walk up, open the door and start the car without manually pressing the key.

Criminals can attempt to extend or relay the radio signal between the key and the vehicle.

The result is that the car can be fooled into behaving as though the genuine key is next to it.

Current Police.uk vehicle-crime guidance advises owners of keyless vehicles to keep keys away from doors and windows and use appropriate signal-blocking protection.

Keep Keyless Keys Away From Doors and Windows

Keep both the main key and spare key away from the vehicle, front door and windows.

For keyless vehicles, use a signal-blocking pouch or Faraday pouch.

Do not simply buy one and assume it will work forever.

It is sensible to test it periodically by placing the key inside, standing beside the car and checking whether the vehicle still responds.

If the door opens, the pouch is not blocking the signal properly.

Some manufacturers also allow the wireless function of the key to be disabled when the vehicle is not being used.

Old-Fashioned Physical Security Still Matters

Modern electronic security does not make mechanical security pointless.

A visible steering-wheel lock creates another obstacle even if somebody manages to defeat the electronic locking system.

Police guidance recommends additional physical security measures such as steering-wheel locks, pedal locks and other approved immobilisation products.

The objective is not to make a car literally impossible to steal.

It is to add enough layers that attacking your vehicle becomes slower, more difficult and less attractive than moving on to another target.

Protect the Diagnostic Port

Many modern cars contain an onboard diagnostic, or OBD, port.

It exists so technicians can communicate with the vehicle's electronic systems.

Access to vehicle electronics can also form part of some theft methods.

Owners of relevant vehicles can therefore consider a lockable cover for the diagnostic port and should ask the manufacturer or a reputable vehicle-security specialist whether model-specific security updates or additional immobilisation systems are available.

Does a Tracker Stop a Car Being Stolen?

Not necessarily.

A tracker is primarily useful for locating or recovering a car after it has moved.

Some systems can alert an owner when a vehicle moves unexpectedly, while more advanced systems may include additional immobilisation functions.

A tracker should not be treated as the only defence.

The stronger approach is layered: secure location, protected keys, physical security, immobilisation and tracking.

Each layer deals with a different part of the theft problem.

Where You Park Matters

Where a vehicle is kept can be as important as what security equipment is fitted to it.

For occasional parking, a well-lit, busy or supervised location is preferable to an isolated one.

Long-term parking is different.

Leaving a valuable car in the same public car park, street or exposed driveway for weeks can reveal a pattern: where the vehicle lives, when it moves and how often somebody checks it.

For collectors and owners who use a particular vehicle occasionally, discretion is part of security.

That is why a serious storage operation does not publish its access points or advertise which cars are inside.

Protecting Valuable Cars in London and Essex

Whether the car is a valuable classic, modern performance car or prestige vehicle, where it sits between drives matters.

For owners looking for classic car storage in London, indoor storage is a controlled alternative to underground parking, a shared garage or a driveway. The same building serves owners searching for car storage London, with collection and covered transport available where required.

The facility itself is in Essex. Classic car storage in Essex and car storage in Essex are handled from one private indoor unit on a gated estate, with humidity targeted at 55 percent relative humidity, battery conditioning, a breathable indoor cover and condition recorded at check in.

We also work with owners looking for classic car storage in Kent, car storage in Kent, classic car storage in Surrey and car storage in Surrey.

Good classic car storage is not simply parking a car indoors. Tyres, batteries, humidity, fluids and the general condition of the car all keep changing while it stands, which is what happens when a car is stored incorrectly.

More generally, proper car storage provides a private place for a vehicle during periods when the owner is not using it rather than leaving it exposed simply because there is nowhere else to keep it.

How to Make Your Car Harder to Steal

There is no single product that guarantees a car will not be stolen.

The practical approach is to make several things more difficult at the same time:

• Lock the car and physically check it has locked.
• Keep all keys away from doors and windows.
• Use and regularly test a Faraday pouch for keyless vehicles.
• Disable passive keyless entry where the manufacturer allows it.
• Use a visible, security-rated steering-wheel or other physical lock.
• Consider an additional approved immobiliser.
• Secure the OBD port where relevant.
• Fit an appropriate tracking system.
• Use a locked garage or private storage where possible.
• Avoid leaving a valuable vehicle in the same exposed public location for long periods.
• Do not publish its regular location, storage arrangements or movements unnecessarily.

None of those measures makes theft impossible.

Together, they make the vehicle a considerably more complicated proposition.

The Numbers Need Context

The Ford Fiesta being Britain's most frequently stolen car does not mean a Fiesta is automatically at greater individual risk than every Range Rover, Lexus or supercar.

The theft tables count vehicles.

They do not adjust for how many of each model are actually on the road, where they are kept, their age, specification or the security fitted to an individual example.

That is why theft rankings should be treated as useful evidence of what criminals are targeting, not as a personalised insurance-risk calculator.

What matters to an individual owner is the combination of the vehicle, where it is kept and the layers of security surrounding it.

For valuable classic, prestige and collector cars, the objective is simple: make the car difficult to find, difficult to access, difficult to start and easier to recover if somebody does manage to take it.

The vehicle-ranking figures in this article are based on 2025 DVLA data obtained through Freedom of Information and reported by Fleet News and What Car?. The crime figures are from the ONS, and security guidance has been checked against current UK government and Police.uk information. Checked 23 September 2026.