Bike Theft UK - Most Stolen Bikes & Cities
Bike theft across the UK has fallen steadily over the past three years, but the national picture masks significant differences between cities. For people who regularly cycle to work or leave a bike at a station, location can have a major impact on the risk of theft.
New research from cycling insurer Bikmo reveals which UK cities have the highest rates of bike theft. The analysis combines police-recorded crime with local population data, ranking each city by thefts per 100,000 residents rather than total incidents. This gives a fairer picture of local risk and means smaller cycling cities can rank above much larger urban areas. One university city leads by a considerable margin, followed closely by its historic rival. Read on to find out if your city is in the top five for bike theft risk.
In This Article
- Bike theft rate by city 2025
- Why Oxford and Cambridge Consistently Rank Highest
- York and Cardiff Face Different Versions of the Same Problem
- Newcastle Doesn’t Fit the Wider Pattern
- How Many Bikes Are Stolen in the UK Each Year?
- Where Is Your Bike Most Likely to Be Stolen?
- Cutting your bike theft risk
Bike theft rate by city 2025
Here's how the five worst-affected cities compare, ranked by thefts per 100,000 residents.
| Rank | City | Thefts per 100,000 (2025) | Thefts per 100,000 (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oxford | 454 | 660 |
| 2 | Cambridge | 419 | 729 |
| 3 | York | 285 | 445 |
| 4 | Cardiff | 199 | 233 |
| 5 | Newcastle | 190 | 252 |
Rank
1
City
Oxford
Thefts per 100,000 (2025)
454
Thefts per 100,000 (2024)
660
Rank
2
City
Cambridge
Thefts per 100,000 (2025)
419
Thefts per 100,000 (2024)
729
Rank
3
City
York
Thefts per 100,000 (2025)
285
Thefts per 100,000 (2024)
445
Rank
4
City
Cardiff
Thefts per 100,000 (2025)
199
Thefts per 100,000 (2024)
233
Rank
5
City
Newcastle
Thefts per 100,000 (2025)
190
Thefts per 100,000 (2024)
252
None of these five look likely to drop out of the top spots any time soon, so it's worth understanding what's actually driving each one. The good news is that every city on the list saw its rate fall compared with 2024, so the risk is reducing.
Why Oxford and Cambridge Consistently Rank Highest
Oxford and Cambridge’s high bike theft rates aren’t limited to Bikmo’s findings. An ONS-based analysis has repeatedly placed the two cities near the top, with Cambridge usually ranking above Oxford. Research from cycle-lock manufacturer Hiplok also found that both had higher levels of on-campus theft than any other university town included in its study.
Both cities have large student populations and high levels of cycling. Bikes are often left in the same place for long periods, which gives thieves more opportunity to target them. Oxford University considers the problem serious enough to offer students free bike registration and security marking. In Cambridge, cycling campaigners estimate that more than half of students use a bike to get around.
“
Oxford University considers the problem serious enough to offer students free bike registration and security marking.
”York and Cardiff Face Different Versions of the Same Problem
York follows a similar pattern to Oxford and Cambridge, although on a smaller scale.
Around one in five journeys in the city is made by bike, with cycling estimated to account for a comparable share of travel among University of York students. Local reports have also described organised groups stealing bikes from areas near the colleges before moving them to other cities for resale.
Cardiff’s ranking appears to reflect a more persistent problem.
South Wales Police recorded 1,398 bicycle thefts in the city in 2023. Theft and vandalism also made the local Nextbike scheme financially unviable, leading the operator to withdraw its service from Cardiff.
The council has since begun installing dozens of enclosed, solar-powered cycle lockers across the city centre. The investment responds to the limitations of open-air stands, which leave bikes more exposed when unattended.
Newcastle Doesn’t Fit the Wider Pattern
Newcastle stands apart from the other cities in the top five. Its position can’t be readily explained by an unusually large student cycling population or an established reputation as a bike theft hotspot. Local reporting on the issue is also more limited and less consistent than it is elsewhere in the ranking.
Newcastle’s result should therefore be viewed as the outcome of the same population-adjusted calculation used for every city, rather than evidence that it shares the same causes as the other locations.
How Many Bikes Are Stolen in the UK Each Year?
The national figures for the most stolen bikes UK show a sustained fall in reported thefts. Police forces across England and Wales recorded 71,835 bicycle thefts in 2022. That figure dropped to 63,028 in 2023, followed by 54,802 in 2024 and 48,595 in 2025. The latest total represents an 11% year-on-year reduction, but still amounts to more than 900 reported thefts every week.
“
These bicycle theft statistics UK show that only around 2% of reported incidents resulted in a suspect being charged.
”The chances of a case being solved remain low. These bicycle theft statistics UK show that only around 2% of reported incidents resulted in a suspect being charged. Roughly 89% were closed without anyone being identified.
The true number of stolen bikes may also be higher than police data suggests. Owners who believe there’s little chance of recovering their bike may decide not to report the theft, meaning these figures only reflect incidents recorded by the police.
Where Is Your Bike Most Likely to Be Stolen?
Bike theft doesn’t happen only at busy stations or on public streets. ONS Crime Survey data shows that bicycles are most often stolen from semi-private areas around the home, such as front gardens or communal car parks. Weekdays account for around 70% of reported thefts, compared with 30% at weekends.
How you secure your bike matters. Around 60% of the stolen bikes covered by the same ONS data had been left unlocked. Where the remaining share of locked bikes were still taken, it comes down to lock quality, and a lock rated Sold Secure Gold or above is built to stand up to bolt croppers and cable cutters for more than a few seconds, closing off the easiest route for a thief.
Cutting your bike theft risk
None of this means cycling is a gamble. It means the lock matters as much as where you leave the bike. A cheap cable lock is often beaten in seconds, so a proper bike lock rated to a recognised standard like Sold Secure Gold or Diamond makes a real difference, especially if you're commuting through one of the cities above or leaving a bike outside for a full working day.
Locking through the frame and a wheel, rather than the wheel on its own, closes off the easiest way thieves get around a single lock. Pairing your lock with a security chain gives you a second material to cut through, which matters most if your bike lives outside overnight or in a shared bike store rather than indoors. For higher-value bikes or anywhere the shackle itself could be exposed to bolt croppers, a closed shackle padlock protects the vulnerable part of the lock by encasing it, rather than leaving it out in the open the way a standard shackle does.
If you store your bike at home overnight, fixing a ground anchor to a wall or floor turns your lock and chain into a genuine barrier rather than something a thief can simply carry off along with the bike. Given how much of the theft above happens in exactly that semi-private space around the house, that's often the single change that matters most.
Want help matching your security setup to how and where you actually ride? Get in touch with our team and we'll talk through what fits your bike and your risk.
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