► X5 is UK’s most stolen/recovered car
► 10 most targeted cars revealed
► BMW tops list for sixth year in row
The BMW X5 has come top in the wrong kind of chart: it’s the UK’s most stolen car for the sixth year on the trot, according to a vehicle tracking specialist.
Tracker, which fits tracking devices to upmarket vehicles to help police retrieve stolen cars, says it has tracked down more stolen X5s than any other type of model.
On track: BMW X5’s most stolen crown
It’s the sixth year the BMW has come top (bottom?) of this most undesirable of charts…
Don’t misinterpret the statistic. This doesn’t mean that the X5 is the UK’s most stolen car overall, merely that it tops Tracker’s list. Only more upmarket vehicles are typically fitted with tracking devices, so this is an indication that premium car owners are more at risk than lesser models.
And Tracker claims to have returned vehicles worth £11 million in 2014. The average cost of car recovered? A chunky £25,600.
The top 10 cars stolen and recovered in 2014
The list of shame reads like this:
1) BMW X5
2) Mercedes C-class
3) Range Rover Sport
4) Mercedes E-class
5) Land Rover Discovery
6) BMW M3
7) Range Rover
8) Audi RS4
9) Mercedes ML
10) Mercedes C63
It’s pretty grim reading for many premium brands; four of the top 10 models stolen and recovered are Mercs – and the light-fingered brigade still clearly have a penchant for hot saloons like M3s and C63s. Porsche owners can sleep easy; it fell out of the top 10 last year.
It’s increasingly difficult to steal modern cars without the key – although specialist steal-to-order gangs can lift cars whole using cranes and low-loaders. Worryingly, the latter made up 43% of thefts reported to Tracker in 2014.
Keep your keys safe, folks.