Nissan Juke Variant Named UK's Most Stolen Car

• Nissan Juke Tekna CVT takes the #1 spot as the UK's most targeted specific car variant, dethroning 2025’s top variant, the Toyota C-HR Dynamic HEV CVT
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate EV leads EV targets - as official FOI DVLA data covering the first six months of 2026 reveals a distinct shift in the UK’s vehicle theft landscape
• Four pure-EV variants now feature in the top 20 most stolen cars - totalling 368 thefts, despite none featuring in the 2025 top 20 full-year ranking[1]
• Individual Ford Fiesta variants continue to slide down the rankings as road stock diminishes following the model’s 2023 discontinuation
• Overall recorded thefts stood at 25,050 over the first six months of the year - with a car being stolen every 10 minutes and 24 seconds across the UK[2]

Growing electric vehicle adoption on UK roads has triggered a major shift in vehicle crime, with four pure battery-electric vehicles breaking into the UK’s top 20 most stolen car list, according to FOI DVLA data covering H1 2026 (1 Jan – 30 Jun) analysed by Tempcover.

The official figures serve as the six-month update to Tempcover's full-year 2025[1] report, which highlighted a surge in hybrid thefts. The H1 2026 dataset reveals a dual trend: a specific petrol crossover claiming the #1 spot, alongside an expanding criminal pivot toward popular pure EVs.

High-Spec Keyless EVs Emerge as New Targets

While zero fully electric cars appeared in the national top 20 theft rankings throughout 2025, the first six months of 2026 mark a distinct turning point as EV models reach a higher volume on UK roads.

Led by the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate EV (joint 6th overall with 115 thefts), the list also features the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Premium EV (89 thefts), Kia Niro 2 EV (88 thefts), and Kia Niro 4 EV (76 thefts) - these four pure-EV variants now sit within the national top 20 most stolen car list, accounting for 368 recorded thefts across the six-month period.

Nissan Juke Variant Takes #1 Spot From Toyota Hybrid

The Nissan Juke Tekna CVT (petrol) has jumped from fifth place in 2025’s full year ranking to become the UK’s most targeted specific vehicle variant in 2026. Recording 197 thefts in the first six months of the year - a 19% YoY increase compared to the same H1 period in 2025 (165 thefts) - it sits 37 thefts ahead of 2025’s most stolen variant, the Toyota C-HR Dynamic HEV CVT, which dropped to second place in H1 2026 with 160 thefts.

Meanwhile, the historical dominance of the Ford Fiesta continues to recede following Ford's decision to discontinue the model in 2023. While seven Fiesta variants remain in the national top 20, total recorded thefts across these trims fell by 35.5% year-on-year (from 1,177 in H1 2025 to 759 in H1 2026). Notably, the Ford Fiesta Zetec dropped from second place in full-year 2025 to fifth place in H1 2026 (121 thefts), leaving the Ford Fiesta Titanium Turbo (140 thefts) as the highest-ranked Fiesta variant in third place.

Official League Table: The Top 20 Most Stolen Car Variants of H1 2026

Based on specific Make, Model, and Trim reported to the DVLA (Jan 1 - Jun 30, 2026)