Ford Fiesta Theft Epidemic Continues To Impact UK Town

The subcompact Ford Fiesta has been a staple in the United Kingdom for over 40 years, and as such, it was the country’s top used vehicle of 2022. Unfortunately, due to its ubiquity, it became the UK’s most stolen vehicle of 2021, beating out much more expensive models like the Range Rover Sport HSE. This year, car thieves have seemingly kept up their interest in the Fiesta, as more examples have been stolen in the town of Basildon, located in Essex County.

According to the Essex Police Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit, four examples of the Ford Fiesta were stolen in Basildon on December 1st^st, 2023 in a three hour window around various car parks and restaurants, in addition to the local hospital. This latest batch of thefts comes after 100 Fiesta subcompacts were stolen in Thurrock, Rochford, Southend, and the aforementioned Basildon. The police have repeatedly warned owners to make sure they have adequate anti-theft protection on their vehicles. They also believe the cars are being stripped so thieves can sell parts on the open market, which may be a lucrative scheme in an era of supply chain shortages. Alas, the relative ubiquity of the Fiesta will soon begin to fade in Europe, as it has been discontinued in favor of the all-electric Ford Explorer, which will arrive at dealers in 2024.

While the UK deals with Ford Fiesta thefts, across the pond, auto thieves have a much larger Blue Oval vehicle to covet: the Ford F-150. As Ford Authority has extensively documented, the full-size pickup a somewhat sophisticated title-washing operation has impacted the company, its dealers, and unsuspecting buyers alike, with the trucks getting abducted from company owned lots in Michigan. Colorado and Florida have also been dealing with their own Ford F-150 thefts as well.

We’ll have more on the Ford Fiesta soon, so subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Fiesta news, and for comprehensive Ford news updates.