The Ford Fiesta Was 2023's Most Popular Car... For Thieves

The Ford Fiesta may have gone out of production last year, but it still lives on in our hearts and minds. Apparently, this is true for car thieves too, as DVLA data has revealed that the long-lived supermini was Britain’s most frequently stolen car in 2023.

According to the data, which was provided after car lease comparison site LeaseLoco filed a freedom of information request, 5,796 Fiestas were reported stolen in Britain last year - on average, 16 a day. Before you go rushing off to set up an array of heist-movie-style red laser beams around your Fiesta to foil any would-be thieves, just consider how many are around. It’s reckoned that there are still over 1.5 million Fiestas on the UK’s roads, so logically, it’s wholly unsurprising that it was the most-stolen overall, or that the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf were second and third, respectively.

The data also shows a bit of a mixed year for Land Rover, who, at one point, seemed to be making daily headlines for how stealable their cars were. The good news is that the entire Range Rover, erm… range - Evoque, Velar, Sport and the full-fat car - all saw significant reductions in numbers stolen versus 2022, with the Sport in particular dropping 28.6 per cent. On the other hand, the Sport and Evoque are still fifth and sixth overall on the list, and the Discovery Sport appears in tenth with an alarming 15.2 per cent increase in thefts.

Those who should perhaps be guarding their cars closer than anyone else, though, are owners of the Mercedes C-Class. Thefts of Merc’s compact exec rose by a staggering 29.6 per cent from 2022 to 2023, for a total of 1,786, putting it fourth overall. Seventh, eighth and ninth on one of the automotive world’s least desirable top 10 lists are taken up by the BMW 3 Series and Vauxhall Corsa and Astra respectively, although all three saw a drop in thefts.

Lots of thefts of modern, higher-end cars are now carried out by manipulating keyless entry systems, which leads us to wonder whether it’s really a worthwhile bit of tech. Is it worth putting cars at a significantly higher risk of theft just so the owner doesn’t have to reach into their pocket and press a button?