Vehicle Crime
Car Car Theft Index 2004 Theft Index 2004
The Home Office have produced the Car Theft Index for 2004. This report indicates which models of cars are most likely are at most risk of being stolen throughout England, Scotland and Wales based on information for 2004 provided by the Police National Computer (PNC), and on information provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on the number of cars on the road.
Title: The Car Theft Index 2004
Author: The Home
Office
Number of pages: 50
Date published:
January 2005
Availability: Download full report 
PDF 846Kb
The index only includes the models of cars with sufficent numbers on the roads to be statisticaly significant. The Car Theft Index uses colours to put car models into catagories that relate to how many are stolen each year.
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Red |
Models in this category are at least 4 times as likely to be stolen than the lowest risk cars. More than 16 for every 1,000 cars on the road are stolen. |
Amber |
This group has between 4 and 17 cars in every 1000 on the road stolen. |
|
Green |
The lesser risk green category has less than 4 cars in every 1000 on the road stolen. |
Key Findings
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Vehicle related theft has fallen by 40% since 1997 according to the authoritative British Crime survey 2003/04.The risk of having your vehicle stolen is very low – about once every 77 years.
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This Car Theft Index shows that older cars (thos e aged 13-14 years old) are at the highes t risk of being stolen. Cars aged between 11-15+ year account for 54 per cent of all cars stolen.
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New cars are at least risk of being stolen – those aged 0--3 years old account for only 13 per cent of stolen cars. Sophisticated security measures now fitted as standard to new cars mean some criminals are turning to other methods to steal vehicles (for example stealing car keys).
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Cars are less likely to be stolen if they have a car alarm or some kind of immobiliser.
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Theft from a vehicle is the larges t category of vehicle theft according to the British Crime Survey 2003/04, accounting for 63 per cent of all vehicle-related theft .
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A consistent finding of the British Crime Survey is that around 65 per cent of vehicle crimes occur around the home. The clear message to motorists is to remember to remove all possessions from their car when parked, particularly at night.
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In 2003,282,816 cars were stolen in England, Scotland and Wales. This is 31,900 fewer thefts than in 2002.
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Small saloons are stolen most frequently at around 12 per 1,000 registered on the road. People Carriers and 4x4s had less than half that risk of theft with only 6 stolen per 1,000 registered.
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The car with the overall highest risk of theft in 2003 was the Vauxhall Belmont with 99 stolen per 1,000 registered.
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Cars that were between 13 and 14 years old (registered in 1989 and 1990) faced the greatest risk of being stolen, with a theft rate of 31 cars per 1,000 registered.
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Cars aged between 1-5 years old (2002-1997) all had the same rate of theft with 5 stolen per 1,000 registered.
Insurance groups
The risk of theft in this Index will not necessarily match the insurance rating for a given car as the insurance rating also takes a vehicle's accident repair costs into account. Individual insurance premiums also depend upon other factors such as a driver's history and the area they live in.
The insurance industry have turned the assessments that give a car its insurance group into a 5-star rating for that car's ability to prevent criminals stealing it or stealing from it.
The New Car Security Ratings (NCSR) can be found at www.ncsr.co.uk for many makes and models of car and is worth looking at in conjunction with The Car Theft Index. The Index also provides safety tips for motorists as well as a comprehensive analysis of safety products that can prevent vehicle
Last update: 27 January 2005