Ford Transit and Land Rover top the most stolen van list

HPI's latest league table of the most commonly stolen light commercial vehicles confirms that the Ford Transit is top of the thieves' shopping list, but close behind is the Land Rover, Mercedes Sprinter and Volkswagen Transporter.  HPI data also shows that the Ford Transit is the most likely van to have been in an accident or be on outstanding finance.

"It's not just owners that need to be concerned about which vans are most commonly stolen; used van buyers also need to consider the risks," explains Nicola Johnson, consumer services manager of HPI. "Thieves will be looking to sell vans on to unwitting buyers, so people must be on their guard.  Buying a stolen van or even one that is on outstanding finance means you could lose the van and the money you paid for it, when it's returned to the van's legal owner. 

"Used van buyers can avoid these risks by simply carrying out an HPI Check, which will uncover the vehicle's history and confirm if there is anything untoward about the vehicle that needs investigating." 

Outstanding finance continues to be a major risk with around 1 in 7 vans checked with HPI still on a finance agreement. 1 in 8 are likely to have had a plate change and 1 in 16 vans are likely to have been involved in an accident and have been written-off by an insurance company.   

"Our van hit rates tables show that the  Ford Transit is the most likely to have a history that's worth investigating further, but the Volkswagen Transporter and Mercedes Sprinter are also ones to research thoroughly," concludes Johnson. "No matter which vehicle you're shopping around for, it's essential that used buyers are aware of the risks and don't get taken in by criminals and dishonest sellers. The HPI Check will tell buyers whether their potential purchase has been stolen, written-off, had a plate change, might be clocked or is on outstanding finance, offering valuable peace of mind before they buy."

HPI STOLEN VAN HIT RATES 

HPI VAN TOTAL LOSS HIT RATES