UK car crime

120,000 vehicles stolen annually Theft and insurance frauds cost �191m 40% of stolen cars are broken up for parts Source: Home Office

But of the 85 cars tested, 61 were broken into within that time with some withstanding the locksmiths' efforts for a matter of seconds.

Top of the security chart, for the second year running, was the Lexus IS200.

The worst car tested was the Peugeot 206.

Only 10 of the cars were actually driven away after being broken into, showing that vehicle immobilisers are becoming more effective in preventing thieves from taking the cars.

Car break-ins and thefts cost more than �3bn in England and Wales last year.

Although car crime actually fell by 3% last year, it accounts for around a quarter of all crime.

The editor of What Car? magazine said car thieves are using new technology to keep ahead of security developments, with some using the internet to gather information on car theft.

Home Office minister Charles Clarke said the report showed that faster action was needed to combat car crime.