Range Rover Sport retains top spot of most stolen and recovered cars

The majority of stolen cars recovered by Tracker in the first half of 2023 were Range Rover and Land Rover models with the Range Rover Sport top of the table again.

Having entered Tracker’s top ten table for the first time in 2022, taking sixth position, the Lexus RX 450H, meanwhile, is now the second most stolen and recovered vehicle.

The latest vehicle recovery data analysis from stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert, Tracker Network UK, has revealed a continuing trend of rising vehicle thefts, with overall recoveries increasing by a third, year-on-year.

Motorcycle thefts demonstrated the most significant increase, rising by 113% compared to the same six-month period a year earlier.

The highest value motorcycle recovered by Tracker was a £9,000 Honda CRF1000L, whilst the lowest was a £1,600 Yamaha 125, confirming it’s not just prestige models that are being targeted by criminals.

In 2022, the Lexus RX450h became the first hybrid vehicle to enter Tracker’s most stolen and recovered cars league table - appearing in sixth position - with thefts increasing rapidly in the second half of that year.

That trend continued into the first half of 2023, taking the model up to second place in the table.

In joint third place are the Range Rover Vogue, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Mercedes-Benz S-Class – all models that are familiar sights in the league table.

The highest value stolen car recovered by Tracker in January to June 2023 was a Mercedes-Benz AMG with a retail price of £182,000 and the lowest value car recovered was an Audi A4, valued at just £1,000.

Keyless car theft and ‘relay attack’ continues to grow, having increased steadily for many years, says Tracker.

In 2017, 80% of all vehicles stolen and recovered were stolen without using the owner’s keys, and the latest data reveals that 93% of thefts are carried out without the keys.

“The ongoing shortage of new and used vehicles as well as spare parts is still having an impact on thefts, even though the supply chain challenges have eased slightly in recent months,” said Clive Wain, head of police liaison at Tracker. 

“However, zero emissions ambitions and the growing number of clean air and zero emissions zones, as well as the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone are driving a surge in sales of electric and hybrid vehicles.

“Unfortunately, when we see a trend in car sales, we know that will very quickly be reflected in car thefts, as demonstrated by the Lexus RX450h moving rapidly up to second place in our most-recovered table.

“Professional criminals steal to order, and to meet market demand, so it is unsurprising to see a hybrid being stolen so often. We expect to see an even greater number of low and zero emissions vehicles in our list of recoveries, taking more of the top spots.”

Tracker’s vehicle tracking systems that are supported nationwide by UK police forces. Its detection units are fitted in more than 2,000 police patrol vehicles and throughout the national fleet of Police helicopters that comprise the National Police Air Service (NPAS).