Compact executive-style vehicles and 4×4s are said to be the vehicles most at risk of being stolen according to HPI, which provides a check system for organisations to monitor the validity of cars they sell on.

Revealing new analysis from its network of checks, HPI says the two classes account for a quarter of all vehicles stolen.

Daniel Burgess, HPI’s director of automotive, added: "Roadsters and small family cars follow close behind, both at eight per cent, suggesting it’s not just the prestige fast cars, but the everyday smaller vehicles that are bringing criminals financial gain.

"The age of a vehicle appears to be a big factor in the type of cars stolen, with criminals most commonly targeting vehicles between four and eight years of age."

The organisation is urging retailers to perform preliminary checks to protect themselves but also a means of boosting their reliability in the eyes of consumers and providing a potential marketing angle for promoting the models they sell.

One danger which has emerged in recent years is cloning, whereby stolen vehicles are disguised using legitimate identities – something which can be guarded against through a check of the VIN/chassis number, V5 and service documentation.

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