Security Awards 2010

More than 1.5 million motorists were victims of car crime in 2008 and 2009, according to Home Office figures. As if being a victim wasnt bad enough, offences involving vehicles are also the least likely to be solved, leaving victims out of pocket.

So if you want to avoid being a statistic, make sure your car is one of the most secure money can buy, and featured here as a winner of the British Insurance Vehicle Awards 2010.

The winning cars were selected after exhaustive examination by experts at the Thatcham motor industry research centre. They tested how easily the cars resisted being stolen, or having items stolen from inside them, using attack tests that simulate the techniques of professional thieves.

The winners
Here are the winners and runners-up from each category, with star ratings for 'theft of' and 'theft from' the vehicle.

Supermini

Winner: Volkswagen Polo SEL
Price from 13,720
Theft of

Theft from

2 Seat Ibiza Sport
Price from 11,595
Theft of

Theft from

3 Skoda Fabia (except S and Greenline)
Price from 10,775
Theft of

Theft from

Small family car

Winner Citron C4 Exclusive
Price from 17,045
Theft of

Theft from

2 Volvo C30
Price from 15,355
Theft of

Theft from

3 Audi A3
Price from 15,775
Theft of

Theft from

Family car

Winner Citron C5 Exclusive
Price from 23,095
Theft of

Theft from

2 Volkswagen Passat/CC
Price from 17,750
Theft of

Theft from

3 Vauxhall Insignia
Price from 17,120
Theft of

Theft from

Luxury car

Winner Volkswagen Phaeton
Price from 45,910
Theft of

Theft from

2 Audi A8
Price from 54,760
Theft of

Theft from

3 Mercedes S-Class
Price from 57,815
Theft of

Theft from

Compact executive

Winner Audi A4
Price from 21,315
Theft of

Theft from

2 Audi A5
Price from 24,230
Theft of

Theft from

3 Infiniti G37
Price from 31,200
Theft of

Theft from

Executive

Winner Citron C6
Price from 34,995
Theft of

Theft from

2 AudiA6
Price from 25,810
Theft of

Theft from

3 Volvo S80
Price from 23,485
Theft of

Theft from

Large MPV

Winner Volkswagen Caravelle
Price from 31,735
Theft of

Theft from

2 Ford S-Max
Price from 20,645
Theft of

Theft from

3 Ford Galaxy (not LX)
Price from 22,945
Theft of

Theft from
Compact MPV

Winner Citron C4 Picasso Exclusive
Price from 21,205
Theft of

Theft from

2 Volkswagen Golf Plus (except S)
Price from 19,525
Theft of

Theft from

3 Skoda Roomster (except S)
Price from 13,245
Theft of

Theft from

Large 4x4

Winner Toyota Land Cruiser V8
Price from 56,165
Theft of

Theft from

2 Audi Q7
Price from 40,315
Theft of

Theft from

3 InfinitiFX
Price from 43,500
Theft of

Theft from

Compact 4x4

Winner Audi Q5
Price from 26,935
Theft of

Theft from

2 Infiniti EX
Price from 35,940
Theft of

Theft from

3 Vauxhall Antara
Price from 22,805
Theft of

Theft from

Crossover

Winner Volkswagen Tiguan
Price from 20,510
Theft of

Theft from

2 Volvo XC60
Price from 26,795
Theft of

Theft from

3 BMW X1
Price from 23,315
Theft of

Theft from

Open-top car

Winner audi A5 Cabriolet
Price from 27,605
Theft of

Theft from

2 Audi R8 Spyder
Price 112,500
Theft of

Theft from

3 Volkswagen Eos
Price from 20,695
Theft of

Theft from

Performance car

Winner Audi S8
Price from na (previous model tested)
Theft of

Theft from

2 Mercedes CL
Price from 88,325
Theft of

Theft from

3 Citron C4 Coup Excl
Price from na (no longer on sale)
Theft of

Theft from

Green car

Winner Toyota Prius T3 and T Spirit
Price from 19,505
Theft of

Theft from

2 Volvo C30 DRIVe with Start/Stop
Price from 17,690
Theft of

Theft from

3 Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion
Price from 18,100
Theft of

Theft from

Manufacturer
The VW Group has security sewn up. This year its Volkswagen that comes out top, pushing Audi into second position after four years in top spot.

Its a close-run thing. Both German brands have nine models that meet the demanding standards of Thatchams experts, so its only the greater sales of Volkswagen that clinches the laurels. Since more people will benefit from the effort that Volkswagen has gone to, its a worthy winner this year. Volkswagens roll call of honour includes models such as the Caddy Maxi Life, Caravelle, Eos, Jetta, Passat, Phaeton, Scirocco, Tiguan and Touareg.

For the second year in a row, Volvo takes a highly creditable third place, with seven models making Thatchams grade.

What Car? says
The best manufacturers have gone to great lengths to make their cars as secure as possible. Those that lag behind, however, are often failing to take even the simplest measures to make life a bit harder for car criminals.

Cute styling, a natty interior and loads of creature comforts are all very well, but when your car is broken into or stolen, you might wish that security had been higher up your car manufacturers list of priorities.