East London and Birmingham named as car theft hotspots

Ilford, in East London, has been named as the car theft capital of the UK, according to new research.

The data, which is based on 5.8 million MoneySuperMarket.com car insurance enquiries between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, reveals which locations across the country are the most and least likely to be susceptible to car theft.

East London’s Ilford and Romford postcodes top the list, with a car theft rate of 20.3 and 19.1 per 1000 enquiries. This was followed by Birmingham (16.5), North London (14.2) and Bromley (13.3).

The research finds the Orkney Islands town of Kirkwall is the safest spot for drivers, with the lowest rate of reported car thefts at 0.5 per 1000 enquiries. Other Scottish locations including Inverness (0.8), Perth (1.1) and Galashiels (1.2) follow as the next safest locations in the UK.

When analysed by region, London tops the chart as the UK’s car theft capital (11.2) followed by West Midlands (10.9) and Yorkshire and The Humber (7.9). Despite Scotland having the safest postcodes, the South West is revealed as the safest region on average with a car theft rate of 2.7 per 1000 capital.

Drivers aged 40-49 face the highest risk of car theft (8.6), whilst those aged 17-19 years are least likely to report their vehicle stolen (1.5) – most likely due to older generations possessing more desirable cars.