Hearse, fire engine and concrete mixer among vehicles stolen last year

A motoring research charity said the figures show there is ‘literally no type of vehicle that someone won’t steal’.

Bin lorries, ambulances and even a hearse were among tens of thousands of vehicles stolen in the UK last year, according to official figures (Alamy/PA)

Bin lorries, ambulances and even a hearse were among more than 100,000 vehicles stolen in the UK last year, according to official figures.

Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data shows there is “literally no type of vehicle that someone won’t steal”.

One theft each was recorded for hearses, concrete mixers, sewage tank emptiers and fire engines in 2023.

We need to think about how we can make the thieves' task more difficult

Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation

Two tar sprayers, three road sweepers, four bin lorries, seven ride-on lawn mowers and nine ambulances were also stolen.

The most common vehicle body type stolen was a five-door hatchback car with 24,518 thefts, followed by estate cars (20,685), motorbikes (18,673) and small vans (11,172).

The figures, issued in response to a Freedom of Information request, relate to stolen vehicle reports made by police forces to the DVLA.

A total of 106,524 vehicles were recorded as stolen last year.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “This data shows that from a tractor to a tipper to a tar sprayer, there is literally no type of vehicle that someone won’t steal.

“Some will be taken for resale, some for a joyride, but many will be broken up for parts or shipped abroad out of the way of prying eyes.

“Commercial vehicles seem surprisingly vulnerable possibly because of their inherent value or maybe for components.

“The data is a warning to us all that we need to think about how we can make the thieves’ task more difficult, however large or small the vehicle, and no matter whether it is kept on the road, in a shed or a locked garage.

“We all lose out every time an insurer pays up after a theft, as premiums rise a bit more.”