1) Holden Commodore VE 06 - 13 (898 cars stolen in 2021) Topping out our list.
Car brands including Toyota, Holden and Ford are the firm favourites among thieves and stolen most frequently, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has found. But thieves are also targeting Kia, Jeep and Isuzu in a surprisingly sneaky new social media trend.
The three most stolen vehicles are makes of Hyundai, Kia, and Infiniti.
1.3 Top 10 motor vehicle theft targets in 2021
For the third consecutive year, data from the NMVTRC [1] show that the Holden Commodore VE MY06_13 was the most stolen single model of car in Australia. As a collective model of car, the Toyota Hilux and Holden Commodore were two of the most targeted cars in 2021.
Stats. The Honda CR-V remains on our list of most stolen cars in America. From 12,309 thefts recorded in 2020, it now has 13,308 in 2021.
Toyota Camry
As a popular car model known for its reliability and longevity, the Toyota Camry is a common target for auto theft. Unlike its competitor, the Honda Accord, car thieves typically steal newer models despite the presence of anti-theft technology.
2 Easily Stolen: Honda Accord
Thieves steal the car in mere seconds, and that's especially true given that about 52,244 units disappeared in a single year quite recently. This makes the Honda Accord the easiest car to break into, according to the numbers.
The vehicles in question, 2015-2019 Hyundai and Kia models, such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson and the Kia Forte and Sportage, when equipped with turn-key ignitions — as opposed to cars that only require a button to be pushed to start — are roughly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of a similar age.
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has released its findings for Australia's safest car for 2022 and the 'winners' may surprise you. In top place is the Tesla Model Y, with an overall rating of 92.6 per cent, followed by the Lexus NX with an 89 per cent rating.
As Queensland grapples with a youth crime crisis, the sunshine state has also been crowned the car theft capital of Australia. In fact, 12.4% of Queensland adults surveyed by the comparison site revealed they've been the victim of a car theft, compared to just 5.7% of South Australians and 9.5% of Western Australians.
Keyless theft (otherwise known as relay theft) is relatively simple; all it requires is two small boxes of electronics, which thieves can use to open your car in as little as 60 seconds. Crooks will typically work in pairs to commit relay theft, with one holding a relay amplifier, and the other a relay transmitter.
What happens to all these stolen vehicles? Most are stolen for joyriding and often end up being torched to destroy evidence. Some get broken up for resale of parts. Vehicles are typically worth six to eight times more in parts than a whole vehicle.
Theft facts
In 2019/20, there were 56,312 motor vehicles stolen up 4 per cent in the last 5 years.
Using those parameters, a total of 21,711 SUVs/CUVs were reported stolen during the period. The top five makes and models stolen during the period were: Ford Escape (1,421), Ford Edge (1,140), Ford Explorer (958), Jeep Grand Cherokee (912) and the Kia Sorento (725).
In 2020, New Zealand had the highest car theft rate worldwide, with 1,172 occurences per 100,000 inhabitants. Other countries with the highest car theft rate were Uruguay, Italy and the United States.
According to the IIHS, which is funded by the insurance industry, Toyota and Lexus rack up the most awards, followed by Honda and Acura. Mazda comes in next. Both small SUVs and midsized luxury SUVs take home the most wins, although the list includes vehicles of all types. A Rivian R1T after a front offset crash test.
The highest is the Ford F-350 Super Duty with a 49.1 per cent chance. Also scoring highly in the vehicles in Australia is the Honda CR-V (with a 27.5 per cent chance); Honda Accord (27.1 per cent); Subaru Outback (22.3 per cent); and Toyota Camry (20.8 per cent).
Both Mantyk and Van Slyke are victims of the so-called "Kia Challenge" -- a viral social media challenge that sparked a surge in thefts of Kia and Hyundai cars across the United States. Thieves targeted certain Kia and Hyundai models manufactured between 2011 and 2022 that lack anti-theft controls.
It compares with 330 stolen each day in 2019, or 120,000 over the year, and is further evidence of the apparently unstoppable rise in car crime that has seen vehicle thefts increase by over 50% in the past six years.
Some U.S. cities have reported that 60% or more of their auto theft reports now involve Hyundais or Kias. Videos on TikTok and other sites that illustrate how to start and steal Kia and Hyundai models ‒ using only a screwdriver and a USB cable ‒ have allowed the thefts to spread across the nation since late 2021.
An increasingly prevalent method employed by thieves involves the use of relay devices. In this approach, one thief aims the relay device at the front door of a residence, where proximity keys are often left. The device then transmits the key's signal to an accomplice near the driver's door of the vehicle.
According to Consumer Watchdog, the top ten hackable vehicle models are Ford F-150, Dodge Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Rav 4, Honda CRV, Nissan Rogue, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla. Consumer Watchdog also listed Tesla as the world's most hackable car.
Yes, thieves may use the methods we listed above to steal keyless cars with start buttons, including signal relaying, signal jamming and key programming.