It seems that any Transit will do for thieves -- it doesn't have to be a Transit Super Sport Van

Ford Transits top stolen van list again.

It seems that our light-fingered friends in the criminal fraternity are particularly keen on Ford’s finest vans and often sell them on to unwary buyers.

25% of Ford Transits are flagged up as stolen in HPI Checks.

Unknowingly buying a stolen vehicle can be an expensive mistake — not only will the vehicle be repossessed by the police, but you will also lose the money you paid for it. An HPI check only costs £20 and is a sensible precaution before buying any second-hand vehicle.

Here are the top five most stolen vans, according to identity check specialists HPI.

HPI STOLEN VAN HIT RATES

It’s probably no coincidence that the Transit and second-placed Sprinter are the most popular panel vans on the road — not only are they in strong demand, but there are more about for thieves to choose from.

Daniel Burgess, the Managing Director of HPI, has the following advice for van owners and buyers:

“It’s not just van owners that need to be concerned about which LCVs are most commonly stolen; used van buyers also need to consider the risks. Thieves will be looking to sell vans on to innocent buyers, so the general public and van dealers must be on their guard.  Dealers who unwittingly buy a stolen van not only face losing the van and the money they paid for it, should it be returned to the van’s legal owner, but put their reputation on the line should they innocently sell on that van to a customer who then faces financial loss.”

“1 in 4 vans checked has something to hide, but used van buyers can avoid risks by simply carrying out an HPI Check, which will uncover the vehicle’s history and confirm if there is anything untoward about the vehicle that needs investigating.”

Outstanding finance and write-offs are also a big risk and can result in you losing the van and the money you paid for it. Around 1 in 8 vans checked by HPI still have outstanding finance and 1 in 17 vans have been involved in an accident and declared a total loss by an insurance company. While some of these can be legitimately repaired, some cannot and may be death-traps.

Daniel Burgess concludes. “It’s essential that used van buyers are aware of the risks and don’t get taken in by criminals and dishonest sellers. The HPI Check will tell a dealer whether their potential purchase has been stolen, written-off, had a plate change, might be clocked or is on outstanding finance, offering valuable peace of mind for them and their customers.”

I couldn’t agree more and have used HPI Checks several times over the years for peace of mind when buying used cars and vans. You can do the check online or over the phone — so it doesn’t need to hold up a sale if you want to buy on the spot.