TRACKER figures reveal the most stolen and recovered car models of 2012

According to TRACKER, the leading stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert, the BMW X5 was the car most frequently stolen and recovered in 2012. The BMW X5 was also top of TRACKER’s table in 2011, making it a hot favourite among thieves. Luckily owners of this type of car, who are savvy and invest in a TRACKER unit, see their chances increase of their BMW being recovered, if it is stolen. Last year TRACKER recovered over £12.5 million worth of stolen vehicles, returning them to their owners.

TRACKER’s 2012 figures show that the Land Rover Vogue and Sport are the second most stolen and recovered vehicles. This is a shift from 2011, when Land Rover was in seventh position on the most stolen chart. The BMW M3 has also moved up from sixth in 2011, to third place in 2012, showing how thieves’ tastes change too.

Back in 2011, BMWs occupied the top three spots, with the 1 Series and 3 Series taking second and third places, respectively. Today, the BMW 3 Series is in equal fourth with the Audi RS4, whilst the 1 Series has slipped out of the top 10 completely. Mercedes was a key target for thieves in 2012, with the SLK and ML in fifth and sixth place, followed by the CLS and E Class in joint seventh.

“It’s clear from our latest figures that thieves continue to target prestige models with the most expensive car recovered being worth £70,000,” says Stuart Chapman, Police Liaison Officer for TRACKER. “The average value of the cars we recovered in 2012 was just £25,500 and a number were below £5,000, confirming that you don’t have to own a luxury car to be at risk from thieves looking to make a fast profit.

TRACKER’s Mesh Network also contributed to the recovery of over £4,500,000 worth of stolen vehicles. The TRACKER Mesh Network takes tackling vehicle crime to a completely new level, by using other vehicles already fitted with TRACKER SVR units to identify stolen vehicles also fitted with TRACKER. This brings drivers together to create a nationwide network of ‘listening vehicles’, similar to a social network, but designed to snare thieves

TRACKER stolen vehicle recovery systems work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t even know it’s there. Unlike other tracking systems, the device works even if the vehicle is hidden in a garage or taken abroad. TRACKER is the only vehicle tracking system operated by all police forces in the UK, offering car owners the ultimate in security.

TRACKER’s Top Ten Most Stolen and Recovered 2012

  2011
Top ten cars by make
and model most frequently
stolen and recovered
1. BMW X5
2. BMW 1 Series
3. BMW 3 Series
4. Audi  RS Series
5. Volkswagen Golf
6. BMW M3
7. Land Rover Range Rover
8. Mercedes C Class
9. Audi A4
10. Porsche 911

2012
1. BMW X5
2. Land Rover – Vogue/Sport
3. BMW M3
4. BMW 3 Series / Audi RS4 =
5. Mercedes SLK
6. Mercedes ML
7. BMW M5/X6 =
8. Mercedes CLS/E Class =