Lambeth is the car crime capital of the UK and nine of the top 10 postcodes for vehicle theft are in London, a new four-year study has revealed.
Car insurance data since 2016 has been analysed to discover a vehicle theft frequency rate of 12.3 percent in Lambeth, the highest postcode rate in the country.
It is followed by Kensington and Chelsea, Ealing, Southwark and Lewisham.
The only area in the top 10 not to be located in London is Watford – while Slough and Preston are in the top 20.
“Car crime rates in London have remained continuously high,” said Paul Evans from Co-op Insurance, which carried out the analysis.
“But it’s interesting to see that places like Preston and Stockport are also emerging hotspots in the North.”
Among the lowest theft rates are Moray in Scotland, Mid Devon in England and Denbighshire in Wales.
Co-op Insurance has now launched a Park Smart tool, based on Home Office data, that allows users to search for vehicle crime hotspots by postcode.
Ford and Vauxhall targeted
Despite the desirability of premium cars, it is more affordable brands such as Ford and Vauxhall that are favourites to steal.
The Ford Fiesta tops the theft claim top 10 as a percentage of total claims, followed by the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Corsa.
The top premium brand for vehicle theft is the Range Rover Evoque in sixth.
“Don’t think it won’t happen to you,” said TV consumer champion (and former car dealer) Dominic Littlewood.
“Cheaper makes and models are becoming more attractive than ever to thieves.”
“People with smaller and perhaps less expensive cars need to be aware that these motor vehicles are hot property for car thieves,” added Mr Evans.
It is believed this is because such cars are less likely to attract the attention of the police – and may also be easier to clone and sell on, due to their sheer popularity.
Top 10 cars most likely to be stolen
1: Ford Fiesta
2: Ford Focus
3: Vauxhall Corsa
4: Vauxhall Astra
5: Volkswagen Golf
6: Range Rover Evoque
7: Land Rover Discovery
8: Audi A3
9: Mercedes-Benz C-Class
10: Audi A4
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