A former car salesman has named the five ‘most stolen’ cars in the UK.
Some models are more prone to theft than others, according to an expert in the field, who has shared which stolen the most based on figures from last year. Known online as Capturing Cars, the car salesman turned car photographer gives recommendations and advice about vehicles, as well as sharing motoring news across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
He recently posted a video on TikTok about the five ‘most frequently stolen cars in the UK’. The list can be found below.
Coming in at first place is the popular Ford Fiesta. According to Moving Intelligence, 4,446 of these cars were stolen last year.
As the Ford Fiesta has been the UK’s best-selling car for many years, there’s a huge number of them on the road. More cars means they are naturally more targeted by thieves.
Figures show that 1,731 Volkswagen Golfs were stolen last year. This is another popular car in the UK so more of them on the road provides a larger pool of theft for parts and whole vehicle theft.
Thieves steal this car for its high value components, including cruise control sensors and premium LED and xenon headlights. As these are pricey, they often fetch a good price on the used market.
Speaking in the TikTok video, the former car salesman said he wasn’t very surprised that the Ford Focus was the third most stolen car last year. Data by Moving Intelligence reveals that 1,700 of these cars were stolen in 2024.
RS Connect, a fleet tracker and telematics installer, notes that the Ford Focus is a popular car with some versions that are affordable and desirable for consumers. It believes there is more chance of this car being stolen because of its volume and keyless entry as thieves can use electronic devices to strengthen the signal from your key fob, allowing them to unlock your car without having access to your key.
The motoring specialist continued: “The car in fourth place is the Toyota Rav 4. I found this one a bit surprising, not that it’s not a good car, because it is, I just didn’t think it would be one that thieves would necessarily target.”
In total, 1,260 of these cars were taken by thieves last year. There have been reports online of Toyota Rav 4s being stolen by bridging the wiring loom connections which tricks the Controller Area Network into thinking that a key is present when it isn’t.
5 most frequently stolen cars in the UK
The BMW 3 Series was the fifth most stolen car in 2024 with 1,207 thefts. This car can often be stolen because of its high resale value and desirable parts that are easy to sell to ‘chop shops.’
Car dealer Carwow explains that some car models are more tempting to thieves than others as they can be stripped for parts that fetch a good sum. Also, luxury cars or those with strong resale potential are attractive targets and older models or cars without modern anti-theft technology, like immobilisers and alarms, are easier to steal.
The company has given some tips on how to protect your car from theft, including always parking in well-lit, busy areas, preferably under CCTV, using physical deterrents like steering wheel locks or pedal clamps, and storing your key in a Faraday pouch or RFID blocker cases to block signals if you own a keyless entry car.
Concluding his TikTok video, the former car salesman expressed his surprise at the small difference in the numbers for the stolen cars in second, third, fourth and fifth place compared to the Ford Fiesta in first place. He branded the amount of stolen Ford Fiestas in 2024 “unbelievable”.