And the most stolen car of 2010 was...

BMW X5s and Range Rovers are the most desirable cars for thieves, new figures suggest. Together with the BMW M3 and Audi RS4 taking third and fourth places, these cars all hold the dubious "top positions" in the "top ten most frequently stolen and recovered vehicles of 2010", according to Tracker stolen vehicle recovery systems, which says that 65 per cent of the vehicles it recovered last year were worth an average of £25,000.

"Once again our top ten list shows the thieves' favourites, with the Mercedes SLK and CLK also remaining at the top of the league," said Stephen Doran, managing director of Tracker.

"The VW Golf is an interesting new entry at number nine, proving that it's not just owners of prestige vehicles who need to take note. In fact, 65 per cent of the vehicles we recovered in 2010 were worth £25,000 or less with just six per cent being worth £50,000 to £100,000."

The lowest value vehicles stolen and recovered were a Peugeot 406 and a Ford Sierra at £1,000. The highest value cars stolen and recovered were a Mercedes Benz CL63 AMG at £120,000 and a Bentley GTC at £130,000.

"With 84 per cent of all the cars we recovered last year being stolen using the keys, we remind every car owner to keep their keys safe at all times," added Doran, who said that Tracker worked like an electronic homing device, combining GSM, GPS and VHF technology to track down stolen vehicles.