The average car theft takes just ten seconds, six times faster than a decade ago, new research has found.
The study from insurance firm LV also found that vehicle thefts where the keys are stolen in order to break into the car now account for two-thirds of the 150,000 cars stolen each year.
The problem for car thieves is that modern cars have extremely sophisticated security systems, making them harder to steal without the keys -- only 2% of stolen cars are broken into and hotwired, compared to 16% five years ago.
This means that thieves are increasingly trying to obtain the car keys before stealing the car, and once the thief has the keys, it is a quick and simple job for them to make off with the car.
Black Audis are the most likely to be stolen.
LV also revealed that the most popular cars targeted by thieves are black Audis, followed by silver and black BMWs.
Conversely, yellow Smart cars are the vehicles least likely to be stolen.
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Black and silver BMWs are also among the cars most sought after by thieves.
Incidences of 'lifting' -- where a car is lifted onto the back of a flat-bed truck -- are also on the rise, accounting for 14% of vehicle thefts so far this year.
The highest number of car thefts occurred in London, followed by the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and North Yorkshire.
John O'Roarke, managing director of LV, said: "There are some basic things that motorists can do to try and prevent theft, such as parking in well-lit areas, fitting the car with security devices, and keeping car keys out of sight and out of reach."
