THE most stolen cars in the UK have been revealed.

Rivervale Leasing submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to uncover the most stolen cars in the UK.

A total of 56,288 vehicles were targeted by thieves last year, which works out to one vehicle stolen every nine minutes, or 154 per day.

The FOI request reveals Ford Fiesta drivers are at the biggest risk of theft, with 2,384 models taken last year.

Closely following the Fiesta is the Land Rover Range Rover. With 1,917 models nicked last year, the high-price SUV is a clear target for criminals.

But more Land Rover drivers are at risk as our investigation also reveals that 791 Land Rover Discovery cars were targeted.

Another luxury choice which isn’t far behind is the Mercedes-Benz E Class, which had 612 thefts last year.

After studying 10 years of data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), on average, just two in five stolen vehicles are returned to the owner.

Statistics also show 75 per cent of stolen vehicles come back damaged, with 22 per cent written off completely.

Car theft doesn’t just have a serious financial impact.

Research shows 84 per cent of drivers were ‘emotionally affected’ by the robbery, according to the ONS data. Some motorists were even left with panic attacks, plus some experienced depression and difficulty sleeping.

Top 10 UK’s Most Stolen Cars are:

1 Ford Fiesta 2,384

2 Land Rover Range Rover 1,917

3 Volkswagen Golf 1,331

4 Ford Focus 1,200

5 BMW 3 Series 1,042

6 Vauxhall Astra 836

7 Land Rover Discovery 791

8 Mercedes-Benz E Class 612

9 BMW 5 Series 506

10 Audi A3 456