UK’s most stolen cars in 2022 revealed including Ford, Volkswagen and Audi - full list

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The research was conducted by Riverdale Leasing following a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA.

Ford Fiestas have been named the most stolen car of 2022 with over 5,000 nicked by thieves. Also in the top 15 most at risk are Land Rover Range Rovers and the Ford Focus, according to a study by Riverdale Leasing.

Information for the study has been collected through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and official DVLA data. This was to find out the models that are the most sought after by thiefs, as well as the total number of cars stolen.

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According to the data, the Ford Fiesta has been stolen a total of 5,724 times in 2022, which is an average of 17 Fiestas pinched per day. Despite the decision for the model to come off the market in mid-2023, it was named the best-selling car in October 2022.

The Focus was stolen a total of 2,048 times compared to 1,912 in 2021. While Range Rovers were nicked on 5,209 occasions, up from 3,754 last year.

In total, there were  more than 58,000 vehicle thefts in 2022  which works out as an average of  159 cars pinched a day and 1,117 per week. This is a stark increase of 18%  and 9,590 compared to last year’s statistics. Though not as high as that of 2020, where an astounding 74,769 were stolen.

UK’s most stolen cars in 2022

  1. Ford Fiesta - 5,724 
  2. Land Rover Range Rover - 5,209 
  3. Ford Focus - 2,048 
  4. Volkswagen Golf- 1,959 
  5. Land Rover Discovery - 1,778 
  6. Vauxhall Corsa - 1,268 
  7. Vauxhall Astra - 1,215 
  8. Mercedes-Benz C Class - 981 
  9. Audi A3 - 805 
  10. Ford Ecosport - 656 
  11. Volkswagen Polo - 623 
  12. Nissan Qashqai - 580 
  13. Ford Kuga - 569 
  14. Toyota Yaris - 558 
  15. Audi A4 - 534

How to protect your car from being stolen

If your car is on the list of the most at-risk models of being stolen this year, there are a number of assurances that you can make to protect it.

  • Ensure you have locked your car
  • Do not keep your keys by your door
  • Leave your car in gear with the wheel on the curb
  • Fit a tracker
  • Carefully choose where you park
  • Don’t leave your documents in the car
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