Bin lorries, ambulances and a hearse among vehicles stolen in the UK in 2023

Ambulances, bin lorries, road sweepers and even a hearse were among more than 100,000 vehicles stolen in the UK in 2023, according to newly released figures.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data shows the vehicle type taken most often was a five-door hatchback car, with 24,518 thefts, followed by estate cars (20,685), motorbikes (18,673) and small vans (11,172).

But the 2023 thefts also include a few more conspicuous vehicles – including nine ambulances, seven ride-on lawnmowers, four bin lorries, three road sweepers and two tar sprayers.

The figures also include one hearse, one concrete mixer, one sewage tank emptier, and one fire engine.

It shows there is “literally no type of vehicle that someone won’t steal”, motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said in response to the data, which was issued in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

The figures – 106,524 thefts in total – relate to stolen vehicle reports made by police forces to the DVLA.

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”, Mr Gooding added.

“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.”

The Ford Fiesta was the most commonly stolen car in 2023, according to a report by What Car? earlier this year, followed by the Ford Focus and then the Volkswagen Golf.