The true scale of vehicle crime is being masked because of how offences are recorded and a change in the way thieves are targeting cars, it has been claimed.

The latest figures published by the Home Office reveal a fall of between six and 10% for the three months to September 2008, based on police figures and the British Crime Survey.

But, according to a survey carried out by Cobra, the true figure is much higher and rose sharply in the run-up to Christmas.

It claims the discrepancy is down to thieves targeting homes to obtain car keys and then stealing the vehicle they belong to, which results in the offence being recorded as a burglary rather than a vehicle crime.

According to insurer esure, 90% of high value car thefts in 2008 involved the use of the original keys, with a high proportion of them stolen from the owner’s home.

And while the Home Office is reporting a fall in vehicle crime, it indicates a 4% rise in burglary, with 69,000 cases between July and September last year.

“Burglary is the easiest way to obtain vehicle keys,” said Andrew Smith, managing director of Cobra UK.

“Almost all modern vehicles are fitted with effective anti-theft systems as standard, but these do not stop a criminal unlocking your vehicle and driving away if they have the key.

“Due to the way crime is recorded, it could suggest that in cases where a vehicle is stolen after a burglary, this is only recorded as an offence against the home.”

However, Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Lambotte, from the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS), believes changes to the way police record such incidents will help.

He said: “While we record the offence as burglary, it will also be shown in the vehicle crime statistics.

"I hope that the new figures will give us a better overall picture when the annual statistics are released in April.”

Meanwhile, with vehicle crime still an issue for the industry, Audi scooped the Thatcham Security Award at the What Car? annual Car of the Year awards.