Car theft and vehicle crime in Cheltenham
Between October 2025 and September 2026, Gloucestershire Constabulary logged 152 vehicle offences inside a one-mile radius of Cheltenham. There were too few offences to compare recent months with earlier ones.
Cheltenham month by month
October 2025 stands out at 52 recorded offences, while February 2026 dropped to 0. The later six months came in 100% lower than the first six. Average: 12.7 a month.
| Month | Offences | vs 12-month average |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 52 | +39 |
| Nov 2025 | 34 | +21 |
| Dec 2025 | 31 | +18 |
| Jan 2026 | 35 | +22 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | -13 |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | -13 |
| Apr 2026 | 0 | -13 |
| May 2026 | 0 | -13 |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | -13 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | -13 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | -13 |
| Sep 2026 | 0 | -13 |
How Cheltenham compares
Cheltenham sits at number 68 of 84 on our table, with 13 offences a month: around 46% below the typical town in our set. By contrast Cardiff recorded 116 a month.
Over the latest three months the one-mile circle around Cheltenham averaged 0 vehicle offences a month. Central Cheltenham is quieter than most of our Great Britain sample: 100% of sampled postcodes recorded more. For context we counted the same one-mile radius around 400 random postcodes nationwide (Jul 2026, Aug 2026, Sep 2026). Test your own street with the free theft risk checker.
Within the Gloucestershire Constabulary area, Cheltenham ranks 1 of the 2 centres we track at 13 offences a month. The others: Gloucester (9).
Towns nearest to Cheltenham
- Gloucester (7 miles away): 9 a month, 27% fewer than Cheltenham
- Worcester (21 miles away): 19 a month, 48% more than Cheltenham
- Swindon (27 miles away): 23 a month, 85% more than Cheltenham
Where in Cheltenham offences were recorded
The top five recorded locations hold 14% of all offences in the radius around Cheltenham.
- On or near Lansdown Place Lane: 6
- On or near Dagmar Road: 4
- On or near Fairfield Walk: 4
- On or near Nightclub: 4
- On or near Short Street: 4
What happened to Cheltenham cases
The most common recorded outcome near Cheltenham was "investigation complete; no suspect identified" (114 cases).
| Outcome | Offences | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 114 | 75% |
| Status update unavailable | 18 | 12% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 9 | 6% |
| Suspect charged as part of another case | 6 | 4% |
| Court result unavailable | 5 | 3% |
What this means if you park near Cheltenham
Cheltenham sees around 13 vehicle offences a month: low by city standards, yet thieves target the most valuable cars first. Expect pressure to build again around October, the worst month in this data.
Against the 152 offences logged here in a year, an aftermarket immobiliser slows thieves who clone or relay keys, and an S5 or S7 tracker covers you if they still get away. See installation options.
Cheltenham car theft questions
How much car crime is there in Cheltenham?
In the year to September 2026, 152 vehicle crimes were logged inside a mile of central Cheltenham: about 13 every month, placing it 68 of the 84 towns we track (among the lower end).
When was vehicle crime worst in Cheltenham?
Cheltenham peaked in October 2025 at 52 recorded offences and bottomed out at 0 in February 2026; 0 were logged in September 2026.
Are car thieves caught in Cheltenham?
Police.uk shows 114 of 152 Cheltenham cases (75%) closed without a suspect and 11 with a court-stage outcome, so an owner is far better served by an immobiliser and tracker than by the odds of a conviction.
Does this cover stolen cars only in Cheltenham?
Not only. The 152 Cheltenham offences combine cars stolen outright, items taken from vehicles and tampering, because police.uk publishes them as one vehicle crime category.
Source: police.uk, centred on 51.8994, -2.0783, retrieved 2026-11-06. Method and limits.