The average value of a stolen vehicles recovered by Tracker in 2016 was £16,000, a drop in value of 13% compared to 2015.

More than £11.5 million worth of stolen vehicles were returned by Tracker. Around a third of these were valued at less than £5,000, which Tracker says should serve as a stark warning to the average car owner.

Andy Barrs, head of police liaison at Tracker said: “Understandably, many vehicle owners think that organised car thieves typically target high-end prestige cars.

"Yet our data tells us that criminals continue to target more affordable, popular brands, such as Ford, Vauxhall, and Volkswagen models.

"Indeed, these were stolen in record numbers last year, with the lowest value car stolen and recovered being a Volkswagen Golf worth £400.

“If people think their car isn’t worth enough for thieves to steal it, think again. Three out of four stolen cars we recovered were worth less than £20,000.

"The message for all motorists is to protect their car from thieves.”

 

Percentage of vehicles stolen and recovered by Tracker, by value

£1,000 or less             3%

£1,001-£5,000             29%

£5,001-£10,000          17%

£10,001-£15,000       11%

£15,001-£20,000       11%

£75,000-£120,000     0.8%

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