BMW X5 the UK's most stolen car for the 6th year in a row

The BMW X5 has made headlines, only this time for the wrong reason of topping the list of most stolen cars in the UK. That’s not all, recent figures indicate that this is not for just this year, but the X5 has managed to grab this position for the sixth year in a row. The remaining vehicles on this list consist of prestige sports models. Vehicle recovery firm Tracker revealed that it recovered more X5s than any other vehicle, and the average value of cars stolen last year was a staggering £25,000 compared to £23,000 the year before. This report from Tracker also revealed that other models such as Jaguar and Mercedes also witnessed an increase in stolen vehicles.

But these statistics are not to be misinterpreted, because the X5 is the most stolen vehicle in the country only because it tops the list of Tracker’s most recovered vehicles. Due to the BMW X5 being a premium vehicle, it is appointed with a tracking device and therefore can be tracked, whereas other economically priced vehicles cannot be tracked hence their stolen numbers could very well be higher. Apart from the BMW X5, the other vehicles that made it to the top 10 most stolen vehicles by Tracker include the Mercedes C-class, Range Rover Sport, Mercedes E-Class, Land Rover Discovery, BMW M3, Range Rover, Audi RS4, Mercedes ML and Mercedes C63. The brand that didn’t make it to this list this time round was Porsche so owners can sleep easy. This is why traders insurance for these models has been going up and up in recent years.

Head of police liaison at Tracker, Andy Barrs, said that these figures clearly indicate that prestigious models are still a treat for car thieves and this includes older and newer models. He further said that several 4x4s making it to this list indicates that these types of vehicles catch the eye of organised crime gangs. It was revealed last year that car thieves use a sophisticated method to get into these prestigious vehicles without even the owner knowing. This method includes obtaining the owner’s security code when they use their electronic key to gain access to the vehicle, and then make a copy of the signal.

With access to the signal, they then make a duplicate device, which enables them to gain entry into the vehicle and drive off without anyone having the slightest clue the theft. Theresa May Home Secretary of state revealed that more than a quarter of vehicles in London are stolen via this method.

There are several ways to prevent car theft apart from having an anti-theft alarm in place, starting with parking in a secure location. Next is to use other anti-theft devices apart from an alarm system, such as a steering wheel lock. This is simply one more layer of protection, which will require more time to crack and discourage thieves from stealing the vehicle.