What are the odds of getting your car stolen where you live - check our interactive map

The odds of your car being stolen varies greatly depending on where you live - and our map reveals the riskiest places to park in the North East.

Based on police recorded crime figures, more than 133,000 cars, vans, motorbikes, and other vehicles were reported stolen in England and Wales in the year ending July 2024. That was around 3,000 fewer than the previous year but nearly 12,000 more than in the 12 months to July 2022, when there were 121,300 crime reports of stolen cars.

However, cars parked in some parts of the nation were far more at risk from car thieves than others. Using vehicle licensing figures showing the number of cars, vans, and motorbikes registered in each area, it’s possible to roughly estimate the likelihood of a vehicle being stolen.

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In the North East, County Durham saw the most vehicles stolen out of the seven local authority areas in the last three years. A total of 2,904 vehicles were stolen. The odds of having your vehicle stolen in the county are 313/1.

Sunderland had the second highest number of thefts at 1,838, with odds of 222/1 of your vehicle being stolen. Newcastle had the third highest number of thefts at 1, 782 but owners face the worst odds of having a vehicle stolen in the region at 196/1.

To find out the chances of your car being stolen in your area you can check our map below.

Elsewhere in the country, Birmingham saw more vehicle thefts than anywhere else in the country, with nearly 17,000 crime reports in the last three years. That amounted to over 1% of cars, vans, and motorbikes in Birmingham, or the equivalent of around one theft for every 85 vehicles.

But vehicles owned by people living in the London borough of Newham were most at risk from thieves. Owners in that area faced odds of 46/1 that their car, motorbike, or van would be stolen within three years.

All 18 of the riskiest locations to own a car or other vehicle were in London, where the congestion charge clearly did not deter thieves. Outside the capital city, car, van, and bike owners in Dartford and Gravesham in nearby Kent were most likely to see their vehicle stolen (76/1), followed by Birmingham (85/1), and Walsall (89/1).

Drivers and riders in Ceredigion and Powys in Wales were at the lowest risk of losing their vehicles to thieves, with odds of 2,500/1 in both areas.
You can see an odds estimate of how likely it is that your car could be stolen using our interactive map here.

According to the RAC, as technology has evolved and cars have become more capable, so have the criminals targeting them.

For example, rising numbers of car owners have fallen victim to a “relay attack”. This involves two thieves working together using electronic relay devices. One criminal uses a device to receive a key signal from inside a home, which is then transferred to a second box placed next to the car which tricks the car into “thinking” the key is there, allowing them to unlock the vehicle and drive it away.

The RAC advises drivers to:

• Always ensure your car is locked - but don’t simply rely on the key fob, as some thieves use “jammers” to intercept the signal between the fob and car, leaving the vehicle unlocked and vulnerable.

• Place keys inside a metal box at home, which will block the signal and protect your vehicle from a relay attack.

• Park somewhere well-lit and open to public view. If you use a car park, try to find one that’s security patrolled and covered by CCTV.

• At the shops or in a busy town centre car park, park close other shoppers rather than away from other cars.

• Add a car alarm, immobiliser, or tracking advice, and use a steering wheel lock.

• Take good care of your keys, keep them out of sight and never leave them unattended. Avoid keeping keys in the porch or hallway - thieves have been known to use wire to snatch keys through a letterbox.

• Close your windows and lock your doors if you are stuck in a jam or in slow-moving traffic.

• Don’t leave your logbook or service record in your car.

• Never leave your car running, for example, to de-ice windows on a frosty morning.