Where you're most likely to have a car stolen in Britain - how does your town fare?

New information shows that determination were much than 133,000 vehicles stolen successful the UK implicit the people of a twelvemonth - arsenic good arsenic the areas of the state wherever you are astatine overmuch greater hazard of having it taken

A caller interactive representation shows however apt are you to person your car stolen with information showing the hazard precise overmuch depends connected wherever you are successful the country.

Based connected constabulary recorded transgression figures, much than 133,000 cars, vans, motorbikes, and different vehicles were reported stolen successful the twelvemonth ending July 2024. That was astir 3,000 less than the erstwhile twelvemonth but astir 12,000 much than successful the 12 months to July 2022, erstwhile determination were 121,300 transgression reports of stolen cars.

But cars parked successful immoderate parts of the federation were acold much astatine hazard from thieves than others. And utilizing conveyance licensing figures showing the fig of cars, vans, and motorbikes registered successful each area, it’s imaginable to astir estimation the likelihood of a conveyance being stolen.

Birmingham saw much conveyance thefts than anyplace other successful the country, with astir 17,000 transgression reports successful the past 3 years. That amounted to much than 1% of cars, vans, and motorbikes registered successful Birmingham, oregon the equivalent of astir 1 theft for each 85 vehicles.

But vehicles owned by radical surviving successful the London borough of Newham were astir astatine hazard from thieves. Owners successful that country faced likelihood of 46/1 that their car, motorbike, oregon van would beryllium stolen wrong 3 years. You tin spot an likelihood estimation of however apt it is that your car could beryllium stolen utilizing our interactive representation here.

All 18 of the riskiest locations to ain a car oregon different conveyance were successful London, wherever the congestion complaint intelligibly did not deter thieves. Outside the superior city, car, van, and motorcycle owners successful Dartford and Gravesham successful adjacent Kent were astir apt to spot their conveyance stolen (76/1), followed by Birmingham (85/1), and Walsall (89/1).

Drivers and riders successful Ceredigion and Powys successful Wales were astatine the lowest hazard of losing their vehicles to thieves, with likelihood of 2,500/1 successful some areas.

Meanwhile, according to the RAC, arsenic technology has evolved and cars person go much capable, truthful person the criminals targeting them. For example, rising numbers of car owners person fallen unfortunate to a “relay attack”. This involves 2 thieves moving unneurotic utilizing physics relay devices.

One transgression uses a instrumentality to person a cardinal awesome from wrong a home, which is past transferred to a 2nd container placed adjacent to the car which tricks the car into “thinking” the cardinal is there, allowing them to unlock the conveyance and thrust it away.

The RAC advises drivers to:

• Always guarantee your car is locked - but don’t simply trust connected the cardinal fob, arsenic immoderate thieves usage “jammers” to intercept the awesome betwixt the fob and car, leaving the conveyance unlocked and vulnerable.

• Place keys wrong a metallic container astatine home, which volition artifact the awesome and support your conveyance from a relay attack.

• Park determination well-lit and unfastened to nationalist view. If you usage a car park, effort to find 1 that’s information patrolled and covered by CCTV.

• At the shops oregon successful a engaged municipality centre car park, parkland adjacent different shoppers alternatively than distant from different cars.

• Add a car alarm, immobiliser, oregon tracking advice, and usage a steering instrumentality lock.

• Take bully attraction of your keys, support them retired of show and ne'er permission them unattended. Avoid keeping keys successful the structure oregon hallway - thieves person been known to usage ligament to snatch keys done a letterbox.

• Close your windows and fastener your doors if you are stuck successful a jam oregon successful slow-moving traffic.

• Don’t permission your logbook oregon work grounds successful your car.

• Never permission your car running, for example, to de-ice windows connected a frosty morning.