Our vehicle crime research programme supports the Home Office in achieving its targets to reduce vehicle crime.

Statistics on vehicle crime are available from
The British Crime Survey and Crime in England and Wales 2006/07.


The Car Theft Index

The Car Theft Index shows which makes and models of car are most at risk of being stolen in England, Scotland and Wales, but does not attempt to highlight regional trends. It is based on data taken from the Police National Computer (PNC) and on information provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on the number of cars on the road. Not all models of car are included in the Index. Only those where there are sufficient numbers on the road to provide statistically reliable results are shown.

Please use the following links to obtain more information about the Car Theft Index:

Car Theft Index 2006 (using data from 2005)

Car Theft Index 2005 (using data from 2004)

Car Theft Index 2004 (using data from 2003)

Further information about the data used to compile the Indexes.

There is also a motorbike theft index.


Key publications


Vehicle theft

The extent of motorcycle theft (2005)
Approaches to intelligence-led vehicle crime reduction (2004)
Emerging methods of car theft – theft of keys (2004)
Intelligence-led vehicle crime reduction (2004)
Tackling abandoned and untaxed vehicles:an evaluation of Operation Cubit (2002)
Assessing the Police Use of Decoy Vehicles (2001)
The extent of motorcycle theft (2003)
Tackling organised vehicle crime: the role of NCIS (2004)


Traffic Policing

Drink-driving: prevalence and attitudes in England and Wales 2002 (2004)
The Criminal Histories of Serious Traffic Offenders (2000)