Van thefts across the UK fell by 16% from 2024 to 2025, with the frequency of incidents slowing from one every 44 minutes in 2024 to every 52 minutes in 2025, according to DVLA data obtained by a Freedom of Information request.
Despite the overall downward trend, high-demand commercial models remain a primary target for theft, according to analysis of the data by Tempcover.
Ford accounted for the highest volume of thefts during the two-year period of 2024 and 2025, with more than 11,700 thefts recorded.
This represented 53% of all recorded van thefts – almost four-times the total of the second most targeted make, Mercedes-Benz (2,935).
The Ford Transit 350 was the UK’s most stolen van model, with 1,309 incidents in 2024 and 2025 combined, accounting for around 6% of all van thefts over the period.
Ford Transit variants featured heavily across the top 10 most stolen models, alongside the Mercedes Sprinter.
Across the two years, the Ford Transit Custom 300 Base had the largest theft increase among the top 10 models, rising 60.87%.
In comparison, the Ford Transit 100 T280 FWD saw the largest fall, down 46.5%.
Ford told Business Motoring: “The Transit is the best-selling commercial vehicle in the UK.
“That means, statistically, that more are broken into/stolen and we work very hard, all day, every day to combat this issue.”
Outside the top 10, among vans with more than 100 thefts over the same period, the Ford Transit Custom 300 Trend saw the largest increase, rising from 49 thefts in 2024 to 116 in 2025 (136.73%).
The data also highlighted a significant disparity in vehicle colour, with white vans accounting for 73% of all thefts in the last two years.
Across 2024 and 2025, 16,121 white vans were stolen – more than seven-times the number of silver vehicles (2,140).
Grey (1,286), blue (920), and black (818) vans followed at lower levels.
While white is the most common van colour, representing more than half of all vans in 2024, the theft rate of 73% suggests these vehicles are being targeted at a rate that exceeds market share.
The Birmingham postcode area recorded the highest volume over the last two years (1,446), followed by Sheffield (695), and Guildford (577).
Overall thefts fell from 11,962 in 2024 to 10,013 in 2025, with January (1,276), followed by March (1,087) and April (1,067) peaking in 2024.
In 2025, the highest levels were recorded in October (912), November (876), and July (871).
