Twingo is France's most-stolen car

THE RENAULT Twingo has been named France's most-stolen car in a study published today.

The compact Smart ForTwo came second in the theft league table compiled by motoring magazine AutoPlus.

According to the magazine, two-thirds of vehicle thefts in France last year were small to medium-sized cars that were more than five years old.

The findings are based on data supplied by 14 car insurance firms and banks and give the number of thefts for every 100,000 vehicles insured in France.

The Renault Twingo recorded 254 thefts per 100,000 last year with the Smart Fortwo on 186.

AutoPlus said these models were popular because they were small and contained plenty of parts that could be easily resold for a high price.

Third place went to the Audi Q7 - a popular 4x4 in Africa and Eastern Europe and the vehicle of choice for ram-raids on jewellers and cash machines, according to the magazine.