Worst areas for vehicle crime
Kensington and Chelsea in Greater London has the highest recorded rate of vehicle crime of the 306 local authority areas in England and Wales with a full year of data: 14.4 per 1,000 residents in the year to July 2026, against 4.7 nationally. The spread is wide: the top of the table records 21 times the rate of the bottom. The next highest are Westminster, Newham and City of London. The 100 highest are listed below.
This ranks recorded crime, not danger. A high position means the police recorded more vehicle crime per resident, which is not the same as a place being more dangerous to be in. Somewhere people report readily looks worse than somewhere people do not, and a district that fills with visitors carries their crime against the few who live there.
The 100 worst areas for vehicle crime
Ranked by recorded offences per 1,000 residents over the 12 months to July 2026, across 306 local authority areas: cities, towns and rural districts alike.
| # | Area | County | Relative rate | Per 1,000 | Per 1,000 workday | Offences | Year on year | Share of its crime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kensington and Chelsea | Greater London | 14.4 | 11.2 | 2,086 | -17.3% | 8.2% | |
| 2 | Westminster | Greater London | 13.5 | 7.7 | 2,836 | -29.3% | 3.3% | |
| 3 | Newham | Greater London | 12.5 | 14.1 | 4,682 | +19.3% | 9.2% | |
| 4 | City of London | Greater London | 12.2 | 2.0 | 184 | +49.6% | 1.9% | |
| 5 | Haringey | Greater London | 11.7 | 12.6 | 3,090 | -5.1% | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Enfield | Greater London | 11.5 | 11.8 | 3,772 | -5.0% | 10.2% | |
| 7 | Ealing | Greater London | 11.1 | 12.1 | 4,264 | +0.2% | 9.8% | |
| 8 | Hillingdon | Greater London | 10.7 | 10.8 | 3,530 | +5.3% | 9.0% | |
| 9 | Bromley | Greater London | 10.4 | 10.8 | 3,485 | +5.6% | 11.9% | |
| 10 | Birmingham | West Midlands | 10.3 | 10.5 | 12,226 | +2.4% | 8.3% | |
| 11 | Camden | Greater London | 10.2 | 7.7 | 2,209 | -19.1% | 4.7% | |
| 12 | Solihull | West Midlands | 9.6 | 9.3 | 2,126 | -5.1% | 11.1% | |
| 13 | Walsall | West Midlands | 9.4 | 10.2 | 2,787 | +18.4% | 9.2% | |
| 14 | Barnet | Greater London | 9.4 | 10.2 | 3,795 | -2.4% | 10.1% | |
| 15 | Slough | Berkshire | 9.3 | 9.8 | 1,548 | +18.4% | 9.0% | |
| 16 | Barking and Dagenham | Greater London | 9.2 | 10.7 | 2,132 | +0.1% | 8.7% | |
| 17 | Thurrock | Essex | 9.1 | 9.5 | 1,639 | -13.8% | 9.1% | |
| 18 | Bristol | Bristol | 9.1 | 9.2 | 4,474 | +8.3% | 6.1% | |
| 19 | Croydon | Greater London | 9.0 | 10.2 | 3,688 | +3.5% | 8.7% | |
| 20 | Doncaster | South Yorkshire | 9.0 | 9.5 | 2,880 | -2.7% | 6.8% | |
| 21 | Waltham Forest | Greater London | 8.9 | 9.7 | 2,502 | -24.2% | 8.5% | |
| 22 | Sandwell | West Midlands | 8.9 | 9.4 | 3,149 | +1.3% | 8.7% | |
| 23 | Hounslow | Greater London | 8.8 | 9.5 | 2,620 | -15.8% | 7.9% | |
| 24 | Hammersmith and Fulham | Greater London | 8.7 | 8.1 | 1,637 | -14.0% | 6.2% | |
| 25 | Lewisham | Greater London | 8.7 | 9.5 | 2,612 | -9.1% | 7.1% | |
| 26 | Greenwich | Greater London | 8.6 | 9.4 | 2,581 | +2.7% | 7.6% | |
| 27 | Wandsworth | Greater London | 8.6 | 8.9 | 2,894 | +5.0% | 8.6% | |
| 28 | Cardiff | South Glamorgan | 8.4 | 8.5 | 3,229 | +13.0% | 7.7% | |
| 29 | Redbridge | Greater London | 8.4 | 9.5 | 2,700 | -10.0% | 8.8% | |
| 30 | Lambeth | Greater London | 8.4 | 8.2 | 2,653 | -4.7% | 5.5% | |
| 31 | Brentwood | Essex | 8.3 | 8.5 | 660 | -0.6% | 11.2% | |
| 32 | Brent | Greater London | 8.2 | 8.9 | 2,892 | -8.8% | 6.7% | |
| 33 | Richmond upon Thames | Greater London | 8.2 | 8.1 | 1,605 | -5.4% | 11.2% | |
| 34 | Havering | Greater London | 8.1 | 8.8 | 2,231 | -1.5% | 9.1% | |
| 35 | Islington | Greater London | 8.1 | 7.7 | 1,800 | -26.3% | 4.4% | |
| 36 | Bradford | West Yorkshire | 8.0 | 8.3 | 4,500 | +17.7% | 6.2% | |
| 37 | Hyndburn | Lancashire | 8.0 | 8.8 | 685 | +27.8% | 6.3% | |
| 38 | Tower Hamlets | Greater London | 7.9 | 7.8 | 2,625 | -1.8% | 5.5% | |
| 39 | Middlesbrough | North Yorkshire | 7.9 | 8.3 | 1,232 | -7.2% | 4.2% | |
| 40 | Blaenau Gwent | Gwent | 7.8 | 8.7 | 528 | +28.5% | 5.3% | |
| 41 | Nottingham | Nottinghamshire | 7.7 | 7.3 | 2,551 | +30.4% | 5.0% | |
| 42 | Epping Forest | Essex | 7.7 | 8.0 | 1,058 | -13.1% | 10.1% | |
| 43 | Southwark | Greater London | 7.7 | 7.7 | 2,421 | -6.3% | 4.9% | |
| 44 | North Warwickshire | Warwickshire | 7.6 | 6.3 | 513 | -25.0% | 9.7% | |
| 45 | Coventry | West Midlands | 7.5 | 8.2 | 2,768 | -10.3% | 7.8% | |
| 46 | Hastings | East Sussex | 7.4 | 7.6 | 677 | +65.1% | 5.2% | |
| 47 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 7.2 | 7.9 | 2,031 | -12.3% | 7.3% | |
| 48 | Hackney | Greater London | 7.0 | 7.2 | 1,861 | -15.8% | 4.8% | |
| 49 | Harrow | Greater London | 6.9 | 7.9 | 1,876 | -1.1% | 8.5% | |
| 50 | Leeds | West Yorkshire | 6.8 | 6.9 | 5,713 | -9.8% | 5.4% | |
| 51 | Luton | Bedfordshire | 6.7 | 7.5 | 1,612 | -19.0% | 7.3% | |
| 52 | Dudley | West Midlands | 6.6 | 7.1 | 2,191 | -10.9% | 8.3% | |
| 53 | Milton Keynes | Buckinghamshire | 6.5 | 6.7 | 2,000 | -7.6% | 6.5% | |
| 54 | Bexley | Greater London | 6.3 | 7.0 | 1,626 | -14.0% | 8.1% | |
| 55 | Harlow | Essex | 6.3 | 6.9 | 622 | -13.9% | 5.8% | |
| 56 | Southampton | Hampshire | 6.3 | 6.7 | 1,641 | -10.0% | 4.8% | |
| 57 | Dartford | Kent | 6.2 | 6.5 | 779 | -11.3% | 5.8% | |
| 58 | Nuneaton and Bedworth | Warwickshire | 6.2 | 7.0 | 871 | -12.2% | 5.7% | |
| 59 | Wakefield | West Yorkshire | 6.1 | 6.3 | 2,240 | -5.8% | 5.2% | |
| 60 | Newport | Gwent | 6.1 | 6.3 | 1,015 | +15.2% | 4.5% | |
| 61 | Portsmouth | Hampshire | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1,294 | +23.1% | 4.9% | |
| 62 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tyne and Wear | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1,930 | -2.4% | 5.0% | |
| 63 | Sheffield | South Yorkshire | 6.0 | 6.2 | 3,505 | -19.1% | 5.4% | |
| 64 | Stockton-on-Tees | County Durham | 6.0 | 6.3 | 1,239 | +14.8% | 4.2% | |
| 65 | Merton | Greater London | 6.0 | 6.4 | 1,303 | -6.5% | 8.0% | |
| 66 | St Albans | Hertfordshire | 6.0 | 5.7 | 898 | +10.6% | 7.5% | |
| 67 | Epsom and Ewell | Surrey | 5.9 | 6.2 | 494 | +8.8% | 7.0% | |
| 68 | Rotherham | South Yorkshire | 5.9 | 6.3 | 1,641 | -5.1% | 5.4% | |
| 69 | Basildon | Essex | 5.9 | 6.1 | 1,145 | -32.3% | 6.0% | |
| 70 | Kingston upon Thames | Greater London | 5.9 | 6.1 | 1,021 | +6.4% | 6.8% | |
| 71 | Burnley | Lancashire | 5.9 | 6.1 | 583 | +2.3% | 4.1% | |
| 72 | Sutton | Greater London | 5.8 | 6.3 | 1,250 | -6.5% | 7.6% | |
| 73 | Blackpool | Lancashire | 5.8 | 5.9 | 838 | -15.0% | 3.1% | |
| 74 | Leicester | Leicestershire | 5.7 | 6.0 | 2,229 | -26.0% | 4.7% | |
| 75 | Broxbourne | Hertfordshire | 5.7 | 6.3 | 583 | -4.9% | 6.1% | |
| 76 | Bassetlaw | Nottinghamshire | 5.7 | 6.1 | 712 | -0.3% | 5.9% | |
| 77 | Watford | Hertfordshire | 5.7 | 5.9 | 609 | -14.1% | 5.2% | |
| 78 | Barnsley | South Yorkshire | 5.7 | 6.1 | 1,426 | -13.6% | 5.3% | |
| 79 | Caerphilly | Gwent | 5.7 | 6.0 | 1,001 | +55.0% | 5.3% | |
| 80 | Warwick | Warwickshire | 5.6 | 5.4 | 864 | -2.9% | 6.6% | |
| 81 | Bedford | Bedfordshire | 5.5 | 5.9 | 1,080 | -9.5% | 5.9% | |
| 82 | Colchester | Essex | 5.5 | 5.7 | 1,108 | +31.4% | 5.9% | |
| 83 | North East Lincolnshire | Lincolnshire | 5.5 | 5.6 | 880 | +15.2% | 4.0% | |
| 84 | Blackburn with Darwen | Lancashire | 5.5 | 5.6 | 893 | -20.3% | 5.0% | |
| 85 | Southend-on-Sea | Essex | 5.5 | 5.7 | 1,016 | -17.1% | 4.9% | |
| 86 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | Dorset | 5.5 | 5.6 | 2,231 | -4.6% | 6.3% | |
| 87 | Lichfield | Staffordshire | 5.5 | 5.6 | 610 | -4.2% | 8.1% | |
| 88 | Hertsmere | Hertfordshire | 5.4 | 5.5 | 599 | -22.8% | 6.1% | |
| 89 | Peterborough | Cambridgeshire | 5.4 | 5.4 | 1,205 | -19.0% | 4.3% | |
| 90 | Liverpool | Merseyside | 5.3 | 5.3 | 2,701 | +7.6% | 3.9% | |
| 91 | Hartlepool | County Durham | 5.2 | 5.8 | 513 | +3.0% | 3.2% | |
| 92 | Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire | 5.2 | 5.4 | 1,409 | +1.2% | 3.8% | |
| 93 | Kingston upon Hull | East Riding of Yorkshire | 5.2 | 5.4 | 1,432 | +25.3% | 3.8% | |
| 94 | Gravesham | Kent | 5.2 | 5.8 | 572 | -23.9% | 5.6% | |
| 95 | Calderdale | West Yorkshire | 5.2 | 5.3 | 1,086 | -14.1% | 4.4% | |
| 96 | Preston | Lancashire | 5.1 | 5.3 | 837 | -8.4% | 4.0% | |
| 97 | West Northamptonshire | Northamptonshire | 5.1 | 5.2 | 2,247 | +8.0% | 5.5% | |
| 98 | Tendring | Essex | 5.1 | 5.6 | 794 | +33.2% | 5.4% | |
| 99 | Reading | Berkshire | 5.0 | 5.2 | 913 | -15.9% | 4.5% | |
| 100 | Kirklees | West Yorkshire | 5.0 | 5.3 | 2,217 | +4.4% | 5.0% |
The table stops at 100, by which point the rate has fallen from 14.4 per 1,000 to 5.0. The other 206 areas carry the same figure for vehicle crime on their own pages: search for a place by name, or see all 306 areas ranked by overall crime.
The first rate divides recorded offences by resident population, which is what the Office for National Statistics publishes. The second divides the same offences by the Census 2021 working-day population, which counts the people who are actually there on a weekday rather than the ones who sleep there. In this top ten, Westminster and City of London each fall by more than a third once the same offences are divided by the working-day population instead of the resident one, which is the signature of a place that fills up by day and empties at night.
The last column is this category's share of all crime recorded in that same area. A high rate with an ordinary share is a busy place; a high rate with an unusually high share is a place with a particular problem, and the two are worth telling apart.
What counts as vehicle crime
The Home Office publishes this as a single category, Vehicle crime, covering theft of a vehicle, theft from a vehicle, and interference with one. Vans and motorbikes count, so this is wider than car crime. It is what most people mean by car crime.
Across England and Wales, police recorded 288,403 of them in the year to July 2026: 5.1% of all recorded crime, 5.2% down on the year before.
Areas are local authority districts, the level England and Wales actually publishes boundaries and populations for. A further 24 districts are left out because their police force has not filed a full year of returns; shown with a partial year, they would sit near the bottom of the table looking safe. How the figures work sets out the method, data sources lists where the numbers come from.
Where each offence peaks
City of London tops 9 of the 13 categories, and between them the 13 are led by only 4 different areas. That is what dividing by residents does: a place whose daytime crowds dwarf the people who live there wins almost everything, whatever the offence. Ordered by how much of all recorded crime each one accounts for, so the largest categories come first.
| Offence | Led by | Rate there | England and Wales | Share of all crime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence | City of London | 99.3 | 32.4 | 35.5% |
| Anti-social behaviour | Westminster | 64.2 | 14.5 | 15.9% |
| Shoplifting | City of London | 108.1 | 7.8 | 8.6% |
| Criminal damage | City of London | 19.8 | 6.4 | 7.0% |
| Public order | City of London | 41.6 | 6.3 | 6.9% |
| Other theft | City of London | 158.5 | 6.1 | 6.6% |
| Vehicle crime (this page) | Kensington and Chelsea | 14.4 | 4.7 | 5.1% |
| Burglary | City of London | 31.4 | 3.3 | 3.7% |
| Drug offences | City of London | 30.5 | 3.1 | 3.4% |
| Theft from the person | Westminster | 85.0 | 1.6 | 1.8% |
| Robbery | City of London | 20.2 | 1.3 | 1.4% |
| Weapons | Crawley | 6.1 | 0.9 | 1.0% |
| Bicycle theft | City of London | 24.1 | 0.8 | 0.9% |
Rates are per 1,000 residents over the 12 months to July 2026, across the same 306 areas. For crime as a whole rather than one category, see highest crime rates and safest places to live.