- Abarth and Lexus owners faced a proportionally higher risk of vehicle theft than any other brand during 2024
- Analysis of DVLA data compares reported thefts with registered cars to assess each model’s proportional risk of being stolen
- Five Lexus models appear in the top 10 cars most at risk of being stolen, with 1-in-30 ES300 saloons reported missing last year, and 1-in-39 RX450s
- Tesla and TVR models statistically the least likely to be taken
- Ford Fiesta remained the UK’s most stolen car of last year
Analysis of DVLA data has shown that while the Ford Fiesta was the UK’s most stolen car of 2024, Abarth and Lexus owners faced a proportionally far greater chance of becoming the unlucky victim of vehicle theft, with five Lexus models in the top 10 most at-risk. By contrast, Tesla and TVR owners can sleep the most soundly, as their vehicles were the least likely to be taken.
Last year, 4,719 Ford Fiestas were reported stolen to the DVLA, more than twice as many as the next hottest model, the Volkswagen Golf. While Fiesta STs may seem an obvious target, the data reveals that Zetec and Titanium models were actually more likely to go missing.
More Ford vehicles were stolen last year than any other brand, with 9,284 reported thefts during 2024 – 50% more than second-placed BMW. However, given there are around 4.3 million Ford vehicles on British roads, it’s perhaps not surprising that they should figure so highly in this rather unfortunate league table.
Abarth and Lexus proportionally most likely to be stolen
Once thefts are assessed as a proportion of the number of each make on our roads, Ford drops to 13th place with a 1-in-460 chance of being nicked. Considered in proportion, it’s Abarth that tops the chart of the brands most likely to be stolen, with a 1-in-116 chance of falling victim to the crime.
Following closely in second place is Lexus, with the Japanese manufacturer’s RX450 appearing to be particularly popular with the car-pinching fraternity, recording 717 thefts during 2024.
Five Lexus models most at risk
In fact, so prevalent was theft of RX450s that owners faced an incredible 1-in-39 chance of theirs going missing. Worryingly, by assessing the risk of theft at the individual model level, we can see that the top 10 vehicles most at risk of being stolen include five models from Lexus. Crowning this list is the ES300 saloon with an astonishing 1-in-30 examples stolen last year alone.
Tesla and TVR the brands least likely to be stolen
Least likely to be stolen is Tesla, with a 1-in-7,031 chance of owners opening their curtains in the morning to find an empty driveway where their car used to be. Just 33 thefts were reported for the electric brand last year, with the Model 3 recording as many losses as all other models combined.
Once we include vehicles out of production, however, that ultimate accolade falls to British brute-manufacturer TVR. Despite nearly 11,000 registered vehicles scattered across the country, only one was reported stolen during the whole of 2024 – a T350.
“Last year, the spotlight was on Range Rover as customers struggled to find insurance in the face of soaring theft rates. But when we look at the figures in proportion, we discover that it’s Lexus owners that are at a far greater risk of having their car stolen,” said Alex Kefford, Head of Editorial at automotive PR agency loop.
“Jaguar Land Rover has taken the issue very seriously, developing a software update for existing vehicles, rolling-out new ultra-wideband keys, and even going as far as to provide funding to police units dedicated to cracking down on organised gangs. Now it seems that more brands need to follow their example if they are to reverse this worrying trend.”
“The Ford Fiesta faces a different issue. It has spent much of the last decade at the top of the nation’s sales charts, and with nearly 1.5 million of them on our roads, that creates a huge demand for spare parts. Supply chain issues and the cost-of-living crisis have meant many owners have turned to second-hand parts, but unfortunately not all sources are as genuine as they’d like.”
“At the other end of the scale, spare a thought for the owner of at least one Ferrari Purosangue who was unlucky enough for it to be stolen before they’d had the chance to enjoy it properly. Statistically, there’s a roughly 1-in-4000 chance of a Ferrari going missing – not far off the odds of losing a Daewoo – but that’s likely to come as scant consolation.”