BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, Seat Leon - Lancashire car owners beware, here's some of the most stolen vehicles

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The most stolen cars in Lancashire have been revealed.

New research has shown that almost 1 in 5 (18 per cent) have experienced car theft and using data from Confused.com, a list has been compiled of the most targeted cars in the Red Rose county since 2018, based on customers who have made a claim for ‘theft of car’ on their insurance during this period.

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Most stolen

The subious title of most stolen car in the whole of Lancashire, according to Confused.com is the BMW 1 Series 118I SE. Thefts of these cars were most prevalent in Blackburn where 613 have been stolen in six and a half years.

Information has been gathered for towns and cities across Lancashire. Here are the top three stolen cars by area:

Preston:

1) Mazda MX-5 Launch Editon RF

2) Audi A3 Sport

3) Mercedes Benz C Class C200 SE

Blackpool:

1) Ford Mondeo

2) Ford Mondeo Titanium

3) Toyota Rav-4 Hybrid design

Blackburn:

1) BMW 1 SERIES 118I SE

2) Seat Leon FR Technology

3) Seat Leon FR

Lancaster

1) VW Golf R

2) VW Golf GTI Performance

3) Honda Civic Sport

Some of Lancashire's most stolen carsSome of Lancashire's most stolen cars
Some of Lancashire's most stolen cars | submit

Where are cars stolen from and how

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In total, more than 250,000 thefts of cars have been reported since January 2018, according to Confused.com’s data. And according to the research, thieves aren’t always being particularly cautious with their methods, which suggests anyone could be at risk. In fact, more cars were stolen from streets outside the victim’s home (28 per cent) than any other location, followed by their driveway (15 per cent). And it seems thieves are using a range of methods to successfully steal cars. Almost 1 in 4 (23 per cent) stolen cars were hot-wired, 1 in 4 (22 per cent) had their windows smashed and unfortunately 1 in 10 (10 per cent) had their house broken into to steal the keys.

Do people get stolen cars back?

Almost 9 in 10 (87 per cent) of those who had their cars stolen said it was retrieved. Almost 2 in 3 (62 per cent) said the police found it and 15 per cent said they found it themselves. And technology clearly plays a role. Over 1 in 10 (14 per cent) said they had security footage that showed the car being stolen, either from their own devices or their neighbours. A further 12 per cent said they had a tracker on their car when it was stolen, which enabled them to find where it had been taken to.

Car theft prediction tool

With so many drivers falling victim to car thefts, Confused.com has launched a new tool which shows the likelihood of a car being stolen. This is based on the make, model and variant. Users can input the car they own, or are considering buying, into the tool and receive an estimate of its theft risk. Armed with this knowledge, car buyers can make more informed decisions about their purchases.

Tips

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Rhydian Jones, motoring expert at Confused.com car insurance, said: “Having your car stolen is a stress on both your life and your living costs too. And with general car insurance costs at extreme highs, the impact of having your car stolen is proving to be a burden on drivers and the price they pay for their car insurance.

“That’s why it’s important that drivers do all they can to protect their cars from thieves. And there are many ways to do this. These include:

  • Checking your car is locked – This might sound like an obvious one, but this is especially important with more modern cars having keyless locking systems. It’s easy to forget to double check or lock your car in the first place. It’ll also impact your claim if your car is stolen and you’re not sure if you locked it or not.
  • Hiding valuables in your car – don’t leave any valuables like handbags, tech or money visible in your car. This could make it more attractive to break into and steal.
  • Investing in car security – steering wheel and handbrake locks are effective ways to protect your car from thieves. The brightly coloured locks also act as a visual deterrent.
  • Installing a tracking device – although this doesn’t prevent your car from being stolen, it can improve its chances of being recovered.

“Taking measures to protect your car can help ensure that it doesn't become a target. And if you’re changing your car, use our car theft probability calculator. This can help you work out how likely thieves in your area are to steal that car model."

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