CAR theft is shooting up in the area, with most cars now being stolen using your car key as it sits in your own home.

The West Midlands has shot up the car theft league table to become the second worst place for car vehicle theft in the whole country, behind London.

And new analysis has also revealed the top ten cars that the thieves target, with the Range Rover in top spot.

There’s also a warning that drivers need to be very wary when lockdown restrictions lift, because last year it led to a massive 50% rise in car theft.

New analysis of car thefts across the country has been revealed by vehicle recovery firm Tracker.

Once again London is top, but West Midlands has now moved up to second place, with Greater Manchester third.

Nearly all thefts are now keyless cars. It’s now at an all-time high of 93%, a big rise over the last five years.

Having your key safely tucked away in your home does not make your car secure.

Tracker’s Head of Police Liaison, Clive Wain, says that should cause alarm bells for all drivers, irrespective of what car they drive.

“Thieves use sophisticated equipment to exploit keyless technology by hijacking the car key’s signal, typically from the security of the owner’s home, and remotely fooling the system into unlocking the doors and starting the engine.

“This is commonly known as a “relay attack” and accounted for 93% of all our recorded thefts in 2020. That’s a shocking 27% increase in the last 5 years.”

While technology like Tracker can help police trace stolen cars systems, Mr Wain says: “We always encourage drivers to use traditional visual deterrents such as crook locks and wheel clamps to frighten off criminals and protect their car.”

The top 10 of cars stolen is:

1 Range Rover Sport

2. Range Rover Vogue

3. Range Rover Autobiography

4. BMW X5

5. Land Rover Discovery / BMW 3 Series

6. Mercedes-Benz C-Class

7. Range Rover Evoque

8. Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG

9. BMW M3 / Mercedes S-Class

10. Land Rover Defender / Mercedes-Benz E-Class / BMW 6 Series

While West Midlands went up from third to second in the car theft league table, overtaking Essex, nearby Herefordshire dropped out after being 7th in 2019.