BMW is second only to Ford in all three published make rankings for UK car theft in 2025. Some of that is probably volume: the more of a car there are, the more get stolen. But BMW also had the highest theft count among cars registered from 2022 to 2024, and recovery firms list it among the makes they get back most.

This guide covers the figures, the methods and what helps, including where a hidden GPS tracker fits. Other makes are in the full 2025 make and model table.

BMW is the UK's second most stolen make: the 2025 figures

Three published analyses of 2025 DVLA data rank thefts by make, and all three put BMW second. Each used its own extract, so the counts differ and each is quoted by name.

The loss adjuster QuestGates, in its analysis of DVLA FOI data, found private-car thefts fell 13.30%, from 61,857 in 2024 to 53,629 in 2025. Ford, BMW and Toyota were the three most stolen makes. Fleet World's report on the same analysis notes that Land Rover dropped out of the top three after almost 30% fewer thefts.

MotorEasy's FOI-based figures put Ford on 8,362, BMW on 6,176 and Toyota on 5,475. Treat these with caution. The same article estimates around 60,900 cars were stolen in 2025, a 12.8% rise, which conflicts with the falls the other two analyses report.

What Car?'s analysis of DVLA data, reported by Car Dealer Magazine, counts 54,830 vehicles stolen in 2025, down 11%, with Ford on 7,677, BMW on 5,489 and Toyota on 4,518.

Analysis (calendar year 2025)BMW rankBMW thefts3 Series thefts
QuestGates (DVLA FOI data)2ndNot givenNot given
MotorEasy (FOI data)2nd6,1761,131
What Car? (DVLA data)2nd5,4891,249

The 3 Series and other BMW models in the data

The 3 Series appears in both 2025 top-ten model lists: 1,249 thefts in What Car?'s count and 1,131 in MotorEasy's, where it is seventh. Both lists are led by the Ford Fiesta, VW Golf and Ford Focus.

DVLA data for 2024, requested by What Car? and Tempcover and reported by LBC, goes further down the table. Around 61,343 cars were stolen that year. The 3 Series was fourth with 1,371 thefts, behind the Fiesta (4,446), Golf and Focus. Two more BMWs made the top 20: the 1 Series with 753 and the 5 Series with 651. Neither has a 2025 count in these analyses, which stop at ten.

None of these analyses gives an X5 count. Tracker names the X5 among thieves' favourites, alongside the Toyota RAV4, Ford Puma and Nissan Juke, without figures.

Newer BMWs: the highest theft count among cars registered 2022-2024

A DVLA FOI response (FOIR12391) lists thefts of cars first registered between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2024, stolen within that same window. Our aggregation gives 11,668 stolen out of 5,600,649 registered, or 2.1 per 1,000. BMW had the highest count of any make, at 1,209, ahead of Kia (1,126), Toyota (1,018), Volkswagen (989), Audi (955) and Ford (881).

BMW's rate of 3.4 per 1,000 was well above that 2.1 national figure. Among makes with at least 10,000 cars registered, only Lexus (7.2) and Kia (3.5) were higher. Land Rover was 3.1.

These are our calculations from the DVLA spreadsheet, not DVLA's own figures. The measure is also cumulative: a car registered in January 2022 was exposed for the whole window, one registered in December 2024 for a few weeks. It compares makes over the same period rather than giving an annual risk.

BMW theft in the West Midlands

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner publishes theft rates by make. In 2024, 883 BMWs were stolen in the force area, or 11 per 1,000 registered. Mercedes had a similar count (893) but a higher rate, at 13 per 1,000. Toyota (1,021, also 13 per 1,000) and Ford (2,948, at 18) were higher on both measures. Land Rover had the highest rate, at 32, and Audi was lower than BMW, at 8.

So per car, a BMW there was less likely to be stolen than a Ford, Toyota or Land Rover. In the West Midlands, at least, part of BMW's high count reflects how many there are; nationally, among newer cars, its rate was still above average. The two sets of rates use different bases, so do not compare them directly.

How BMWs are stolen

None of the sources here breaks BMW thefts down by method, so the figures below cover all makes. Data from Admiral, the UK's largest car insurer, reported by Which?, shows 60-70% of cars stolen in the 12 months to July 2024 were keyless models.

In the Crime Survey for England and Wales, the offender relayed or jammed a remote locking signal in 46.7% of thefts of vehicles in the year to March 2025, down from 57.6% the year before. That figure rests on only 51 survey incidents, so treat the change with caution.

Keyless relay

BMW calls its keyless entry Comfort Access: the car unlocks when the key is close and starts at a button press. In a relay attack, one thief holds a receiver near the house to pick up the key's signal and an accomplice by the car passes it on. The car acts as if the key is beside it, with nothing broken and little noise.

How well a car resists this varies by model. In Thatcham Research's March 2020 security ratings, the BMW X6 M50d was rated Superior, while 4 of the 13 cars tested were rated Poor because relay attacks could open and start them. That result covers one BMW model tested in 2020, not every BMW.

Key programming through the OBD port

Every modern car has an on-board diagnostics (OBD) port, usually under the dashboard, which garages use to read faults and code keys. Once inside, by relay, a broken window or a jammed locking signal, a thief plugs a programming tool into the port, codes a blank key and drives off. Secured by Design, the police crime-prevention initiative, describes this method. It advises having an OBD lock guard professionally fitted and asking the manufacturer or dealer about electronic OBD security.

CAN injection

This method skips the key altogether: thieves pull away exterior trim to reach the wiring of the car's internal network, the CAN bus, and send messages telling the car a valid key is present. Security researcher Ken Tindell, who documented the technique, lists BMW among the makes targeted by devices sold for this. A key pouch does nothing against it.

Taking the keys

In the same survey, the offender used a key or fob, for example one taken in a burglary, in 16.7% of thefts of vehicles in the year to March 2025. That compares with 18.3% the year before and 32.5% in the year to March 2023. Secured by Design's relay theft guidance calls fishing for keys through the letterbox a prominent method.

Where stolen cars go

The published data shows two routes, UK chop shops and export, and does not split either by make.

In 2024, Tracker and police shut 60 chop shops and made 144 arrests. Tracker said high-volume models such as the Nissan Juke and Kia Sportage were increasingly targeted to feed demand for second-hand parts.

Of the stolen vehicles the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) intercepted for export between 2021 and 2024, 52% were premium or luxury makes and 79% were SUVs, according to Thatcham Research. The top destinations were the Democratic Republic of Congo (38.5%) and the UAE (20.1%).

For stolen cars of all makes, QuestGates found the share recovered rose from 42.48% in 2024 to 44.94% in 2025, so more than half were not recovered.

BMW in recovery firms' figures

Recovery firms' figures mostly cover tracked cars, so they are not theft rates and say nothing about where the rest go. Global Telemetrics, which recovered £29.8m of vehicles in 2025, lists BMW third among its top recovered makes, after Land Rover and Mercedes. Smartrack, which recovered £39.4m in 2023, also lists BMW among its top makes and says 68% of its recoveries followed keyless theft. Tracker says its recoveries are dominated by BMW, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Toyota. Each list also reflects which cars that firm's customers have fitted with its trackers.

What reduces the risk

None of these stops a determined thief, but together they make a car slower and more awkward to take.

  • Dealer updates and fob settings. Ask a BMW dealer whether any software or key updates apply to your car and whether Comfort Access can be switched off; Secured by Design notes that some fobs can be disabled. Switching off keyless entry does nothing against OBD programming or CAN injection.
  • Key storage. Keep keys, including the spare, in a Faraday pouch or metal box away from the front door. Check the pouch works by trying the door handle with the key inside it, and use it every time.
  • An OBD guard. A physical lock over the port has to be defeated before a programming tool goes in. Secured by Design advises having one professionally fitted. It slows a thief rather than stopping one, and does nothing against relay entry.
  • A steering lock. Secured by Design says thieves prefer not to tackle physical devices like this because they want to get away quickly. One can be cut, but that takes time.
  • Parking. A locked garage is best. On a driveway, a lockable post helps. Relay thieves work driveways because the car sits close to the key, so pair this with proper key storage.

Where a hidden GPS tracker fits

A GPS tracker does not prevent theft. It is not an immobiliser or an alarm, and it will not stop a relay attack or a programming tool. It tells you quickly that the car has moved and shows where it is, so you can give the police a live location.

A plug-in OBD tracker is the easiest kind for a thief to find, and in a key-programming theft the thief is already at the OBD port. A hidden, wired tracker is harder to find. The Teltonika FMC920 we supply is 12 mm thin, so it fits behind trim, and it sends:

  • Movement alerts when the car starts moving.
  • Towing alerts when it moves with the ignition off, for example on a trailer.
  • Unplug alerts if the tracker's power is cut.
  • Jamming alerts if the GPS or mobile signal is blocked.

An early alert helps, because a car stripped in a chop shop or sealed in a container is far harder to get back. If one comes in, call the police with the location rather than going after the car yourself. Our car theft protection page explains how the alerts work, and the stolen vehicle recovery page covers what happens after a theft.

Plans start at £5.99 a month including VAT per vehicle, with a 14-day free trial and no setup fee. Compare the hardware in our car theft protection trackers range. If your insurer requires a specific approved tracker, check with them before buying.

Questions owners ask

Which BMW is most stolen in the UK?

The 3 Series, on the published figures. It is the only BMW in MotorEasy's 2025 top ten, with 1,131 thefts, and What Car? counted 1,249. In 2024 it was the highest-placed BMW, fourth overall with 1,371 thefts.

Are newer BMWs safe from theft?

No. Among cars first registered between 2022 and 2024, BMW had more thefts than any other make and a rate above the all-make average. The data does not compare newer and older BMWs directly.

Will a GPS tracker stop my BMW being stolen?

No. It alerts you when the car moves, is towed, or has the tracker unplugged or jammed, and gives you a location to pass to the police. It does not prevent the theft.

About this guide: Fleetalyse sells GPS trackers, including the hidden trackers described above. The figures come from the named sources below, and the 2022-2024 make rates are our own calculations from DVLA FOI data. This guide is not endorsed by BMW or by any police force or insurer.

Sources