December 22, 2006: Britain's Most Stolen Cars

The annual Home Office Car Theft Index shows that the numbers of car thefts has fallen. Overall, the number of cars stolen in England, Wales and Scotland dropped substantially in 2005 over the 2004 figures. The report indicates that 38,394 fewer vehicles were stolen in 2005 than in 2004, a drop of 16%.

Part of the reason appears to be improved anti-theft technology in newer models. In fact, statistics indicate that newer cars are much less likely to be stolen than older cars. The Index has named 2005's most stolen cars. It confirms that the Vauxhall Belmont is the car most likely to be stolen in the UK; of 5729 Belmonts on the road, 436 were stolen in 2005. The top ten stolen cars were identified by analysing 2005 theft data from the Police National Computer database, as well as information on the numbers of cars on the road provided by the Driving Licence Authority.

Home Secretary John Reid pointed out that the rate of car theft has fallen by 31% between 2003 and 2005, which he said was:

"a testament to the efforts of all those working with police and manufacturers to make cars more difficult to steal".

In particular, he stated, electronic immobilisers - which the government made compulsory in 1998 - have had a great impact on the numbers of car thefts.