Cars targeted by thieves and vandals revealed
Owners of Smarts, BMWs or Maseratis are the most likely to be targeted by thieves and vandals new research has revealed.
But, Bentley drivers might also want to pay special attention to the safety of their vehicles too.
Car insurance specialist Admiral looked at over 700,000 claims and found that Smarts were the make of car most likely to have something stolen from them, BMWs were the most likely to be stolen and Maseratis the most likely to be vandalised.* But Bentleys appear to be a risk across the board, appearing in the top five on the lists for having something stolen, being stolen, and being vandalised.
The top five lists are as follows:
Makes most likely to have something stolen from them
1. Smart
2. Bentley
3. Land Rover
4. SsangYong
5. Peugeot
Makes most likely to be stolen
1. BMW
2. Bentley
3. Audi
4. Land Rover
5. Mercedes
Makes most likely to be vandalised
1. Maserati
2. Bentley
3. Ferrari
4. Dodge
5. Porsche
Admiral managing director, Sue Longthorn, commented, "Our research shows a real mix of makes being targeted, however, there's particularly bad news for owners of Bentleys which appear in second position in all three lists; it certainly suggests they are attractive to both thieves and vandals.
"When specifically looking at the vandalism list, all the makes in the top five are expensive prestige vehicles, so the acts of vandalism could be down to envy against those cars and owners."
When turning to specific models, it's the quirky Nissan Figaro that's most likely to have something stolen from it, the BMW X6 that's most likely to be stolen and the Kia Soul that's most likely to be vandalised.
Sue continued, "Due to its retro look the Nissan Figaro is sure to attract attention, but it also doesn't have the same security features as more modern cars, so that could make it more attractive to smash and grab thieves. It's important to remember to never leave anything on show in your car that could tempt a thief to break in.
The BMW X6 is a prestige 4x4 which makes it a desirable car, but the Kia Soul's popularity with vandals is baffling as unlike the makes in our other list, you wouldn't necessarily expect them to attract the attention of jealous vandals."