Do You Own A Potential Vandal Target?
The most vandalised car in the UK was announced this week, and it may not be the one you expect.
But before we reveal, let’s look at the most vandalised brands – a list that may not be any real secret. Quite simply think jealousy and you’ll be getting there, with the green-eyed monster blinding vandals to the fact that someone’s pride and joy is being affected by their actions,
Top of the ‘brand most likely to be vandalised’ list is Porsche, followed closely by Saab, Land Rover and BMW – actually, not that closely. Figures suggest that Porsche vehicles are twice as likely to be vandalised as the following three and five times more likely than “everyday vehicles” like the Ford Focus, which has just a 0.58% chance of being targeted.
Frustration or envy?
Certainly not necessarily the case with the most vandalised car in the UK – the Fiat 500. Yes, indeed; Fiat’s compact city runaround has been named the most vandalised car on British roads.
And surprisingly the three-door hatchback is more of a target than the likes of the BMW Z4 and the Range Rover, according to new research carried out by insurance firm Swiftcover. Figures show that the Fiat 500 has a 3.62% chance of falling victim to vandalism – more than twice that of a top-of-the-range Audi TT.
Robin Reames from Swiftcover said: “Our analysis shows that although luxury cars are still more likely to be targeted by vandals, owners of everyday vehicles shouldn’t consider themselves immune.
“The majority of vehicles in the top ten are what we call ‘executive cars’ such as the BMW Z4 and Audi TT, likely to be driven by high earners who see their car as a status symbol, and it probably won’t surprise many to learn that there are two 4x4s in the top ten.”
That Top 10 in full:
- Fiat 500
- BMW Z4
- Peugeot 207
- BMW X5
- Land Rover Range Rover
- VW Beetle
- Audi TT
- Fiat Punto
- Mini Cooper
- BMW 3 Series
So, not all jealousy then. Although the research didn’t detail the nature of the vandalism, the presence of what could be considered ‘normal’ cars (as opposed to status symbols) on the models list would suggest that the scale of vandalism included wing mirror removal and teenage or drunken antics rather than vindictiveness.
Whatever it is, it costs money to fix. The average cost of a vandalism claim is currently £972.75, although they can reach into the thousands, with the most expensive claim this year coming to £5,604.31 for a BMW 125.
So, you; that person there with the brick in their hand, or the key, or the can of spray paint. Do us all a favour and go away.