The vehicle recovery specialist reported that the Range Rover Sport knocked the BMW X5 off the number one spot which it has held for the last six years, while the Audi Q7 made its first appearance, coming in 10th.

In addition, the BMW 3 and 5 series made a re-appearance after last being listed in 2013 and 2009 respectively. The Mercedes Benz C63 climbed six places to number four, having entered the top 10 last year.

The TRACKER figures also show a 12% increase in the number of stolen vehicles recovered in 2015, equating to nearly £12.5m worth of vehicles being returned to their owners.

Andy Barrs, head of police liaison at TRACKER, said: “Whilst it’s common for car thieves to target premium marques, we should not underestimate the massive appetite for Ford, Vauxhall, and VW models which are stolen in even greater numbers.  

“We believe this is down to the growth in keyless car entry and ignitions systems that are prone to hacking; where criminals target these vehicles by bypassing their security systems, using technology they’ve bought on the internet. By working hand in hand with the UK’s police forces, we were able to assist with 65 arrests in 2015, resulting in some of these criminals being taken off our streets.”