Car theft and vehicle crime in Southampton
Police recorded 601 vehicle crimes within about a mile of Southampton between October 2025 and September 2026. Recent months have been broadly steady: 152 offences in the latest quarter against 145 previously.
Southampton month by month
October 2025 stands out at 72 recorded offences, while April 2026 dropped to 33. There was little difference between the first and second six months. Average: 50.1 a month.
| Month | Offences | vs 12-month average |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 72 | +22 |
| Nov 2025 | 61 | +11 |
| Dec 2025 | 35 | -15 |
| Jan 2026 | 49 | -1 |
| Feb 2026 | 41 | -9 |
| Mar 2026 | 46 | -4 |
| Apr 2026 | 33 | -17 |
| May 2026 | 62 | +12 |
| Jun 2026 | 50 | -0 |
| Jul 2026 | 48 | -2 |
| Aug 2026 | 55 | +5 |
| Sep 2026 | 49 | -1 |
How Southampton compares
Ranked against 83 other towns, Southampton comes 15. Its 50 offences a month are about 2.1 times the typical town in our set, next to 116 for Cardiff.
Over the latest three months the one-mile circle around Southampton averaged 51 vehicle offences a month. Central Southampton lands in the busiest 7% of our national postcode sample. Our benchmark is 400 random postcodes from England, Scotland and Wales, counted with the same one-mile method over Jul 2026, Aug 2026, Sep 2026. Test your own street with the free theft risk checker.
Within the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary area, Southampton ranks 1 of the 2 centres we track at 50 offences a month. The others: Portsmouth (27).
Towns nearest to Southampton
- Portsmouth (15 miles away): 27 a month, 47% fewer than Southampton
- Bournemouth (25 miles away): 27 a month, 46% fewer than Southampton
- Reading (42 miles away): 35 a month, 31% fewer than Southampton
Where in Southampton offences were recorded
The top five recorded locations hold 16% of all offences in the radius around Southampton.
- On or near Parking Area: 67
- On or near Petrol Station: 10
- On or near Castle Street: 8
- On or near Cranbury Place: 7
- On or near Onslow Road: 7
What happened to Southampton cases
The most common recorded outcome near Southampton was "investigation complete; no suspect identified" (482 cases).
| Outcome | Offences | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 482 | 80% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 60 | 10% |
| Under investigation | 24 | 4% |
| Status update unavailable | 20 | 3% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 6 | 1% |
| Court result unavailable | 5 | 1% |
What this means if you park near Southampton
With roughly 50 offences a month close to Southampton, assume a parked car here will be tried at some point. Expect pressure to build again around October, the worst month in this data.
Against the 601 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.
Southampton car theft questions
How much car crime is there in Southampton?
In the year to September 2026, 601 vehicle crimes were logged inside a mile of central Southampton: about 50 every month, placing it 15 of the 84 towns we track (among the higher end).
When was vehicle crime worst in Southampton?
Southampton peaked in October 2025 at 72 recorded offences and bottomed out at 33 in April 2026; 49 were logged in September 2026.
Are car thieves caught in Southampton?
Rarely. 80% of the Southampton cases (482 of 601) ended with no suspect identified, while 11 showed a court or charge outcome. Stopping the theft, or recovering the car fast, is the realistic defence.
Does this cover stolen cars only in Southampton?
No. Police.uk counts theft of a vehicle, theft from a vehicle and vehicle interference together as vehicle crime, so the 601 figure for Southampton is wider than stolen cars alone.
Source: police.uk, centred on 50.9097, -1.4044, retrieved 2026-11-06. Method and limits.