Ford owners could be at risk of having their car stolen by criminals with the American giant topping the list of thefts in 2023.
New data from the DVLA, supplied by LeaseLoco and published in the Daily Mail, shows the Ford Fiesta is the car most taken by thieves.
A total of 5,976 Fiesta models were taken from owners last year but the figure is down 0.1 percent on last year.
However, it still works out at a staggering 16 Fiestas stolen every day or one taken every 88 minutes.
But, the Fiesta is Britain’s most owned vehicle with an estimated 1.5 million registered in the country.
Research by Go Compare found the Fiesta was the most stolen car across 48 percent of police forces it contacted in 2022.
This was a sizeable increase with the car making up just 30 percent of thefts back in 2019.
However, John Wilmot, CEO of car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco warned the Fiesta could become an even bigger target in the next few years.
Ford has now ended production on the popular car meaning it is likely there could be a surge in demand for spare parts.
He explained: “The Fiesta was unable to shake off the title as the UK’s most stolen car despite being axed by Ford in the summer of 2023.
“Logically, with fewer new Fiestas on UK roads, we might have expected to see thefts fall significantly last year. However, Ford’s decision to discontinue the popular small hatchback could well have sparked an increase in demand for second-hand parts, making them a hot target for thieves.”
The Ford Focus finished second on the list with 2,120 cars taken, a decrease of three percent compared to 2022.
The VW Golf was the third most stolen car of 2023 with 2,038 taken from owners last year.
Range Rover owners can be more relaxed in 2024 after sky-high crime rates appear to have declined.
Range Rover Sport vehicle thefts were down a whopping 28.6 percent last year after the luxury SUV brand invested heavily in security updates.
Just 1,631 models were taken compared to 2,283 vehicles the year before. Range Rover Evoque thefts have also dropped from 1,532 to 1,489 over the course of 12 months.
Express.co.uk have contacted Ford for comment
