Top three most stolen vehicles were vans in 2020/2019

Vans have made-up the top three positions for the most stolen vehicles in 2020/2019, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by Rapid Car Check has revealed.

Rapid Car Check submitted a FOI request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to find out which vehicles by make and model were stolen the most in 2019/2020 based on the total number of vehicles reported to the DVLA, and how many of the vehicles were recovered – the total number of vehicles notified to the DVLA as recovered, after being reported as stolen.

In both 2020/2019, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 313 CDI claimed the top spot for the most stolen vehicle with 1,169 vans stolen in 2020 and 1,466 stolen in 2019. In 2020, only 247 were recovered, in comparison to 362 vans recovered in 2019.

The second most stolen vehicle in 2020/2019 was the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 314 CDI with 860 vans stolen in 2020 – 112 recovered - and 1,135 vans stolen in 2019, with 204 vehicles recovered.

However, the Ford Transit 350 was the third most stolen van in 2020 with 756 vans stolen in the year and 220 recovered. In 2019, the Ford Transit 125 T350 RWD, was the third most stolen vehicle with 772 models stolen and 177 recovered.

The FOI request also revealed that more vehicles were stolen in 2019 than in 2020, with 100,369 vehicles stolen in 2019 and 78,563 vehicles stolen in 2020. The number of vehicles recovered in 2020 equalled 35,381 and 50,517 in 2019.

Logistics UK reported last year that more than a third of businesses had been hit by van theft.

Lewis Vernon, a spokesperson at Rapid Car Check, said: “When we made the FOI request to the DVLA we asked for information about "vehicles" which has revealed the top 3 stolen vehicles of 2020 to be vans.

“Seven out of the top 20 stolen vehicles of 2020 were also vans, you could take this as a warning if you are a van owner and take extra precautions.”

Rapid Car Check offers a free stolen vehicle check to registered users, where a search for a registration can be made to identify if the vehicle is recorded as stolen on the Police National Computer (PNC).

Top 20 most stolen vehicles by make and model in 2020

Top 20 most stolen vehicles by make and model in 2019