Places where you're most likely to have your car stolen

The latest car theft figures have been used to show where in the country you're most likely to be a victim of car theft. The statistics compare the number of reported thefts with the number of registered vehicles.

Areas of London and Birmingham top the chart, while Leicester - at 39 thefts per 10,000 cars - is the worst area in Leicestershire but is a safer place to leave your car than Coventry (82) or Nottingham (58). Derby, at 35 thefts per 10,000 cars, does a little better than Leicester.

Harborough is the safest district in Leicestershire, with just 12 thefts per 10,000 cars, closely followed by Melton at 14.

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The map below shows the rates of car thefts around England and Wales, based on crime figures from police forces.

The map shows that the odds of your car being stolen varies greatly depending on where you live. In the 12 months up to July 2024, crime figures show that more than 133,000 cars, vans, motorbikes, and other vehicles were reported stolen.

Newham in London had the worst rate, with 217 thefts per 10,000 registered vehicles. All 18 of the riskiest locations to own a car or other vehicle were in London.

At the other end of the scale, Suffolk Coastal had just three thefts per 10,000 vehicles. Drivers in Ceredigion and Powys in Wales were also at a low risk of losing their vehicles to thieves, with each having four thefts per 10,000.

Birmingham saw more vehicle thefts than anywhere else in the Midlands, with 118 thefts per 10,000 cars. Other parts of the West Midlands also had high rates, including Sandwell (110), Walsall (112) and Wolverhampton (100).

The 133,000 vehicles reported stolen in the year up to July 2024 were down slightly on the previous year but up by 12,000 compared to the figures from July 2022, when there were 121,300 crime reports of stolen vehicles. While there have been advances in car security, thieves have been adapting to them.

To avoid becoming a victim of car theft, the RAC advises drivers to:

• Always ensure your car is locked

• Place electronic signal keys inside a metal box at home

• Park somewhere well-lit and open to public view

• At the shops park close to other cars.

• Use a car alarm, immobiliser, or tracking device and use a steering wheel lock.

• Don't leave keys hanging near your front door - thieves can use wire to snatch keys through a letterbox

• 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