Here’s Car Thieves Most Wanted

in Featured Motorways by Jon C — November 8, 2011 at 9:18 pm | 3 comments

Here are the 10 most favoured cars to be stolen in NZ according to the latest list from AA Insurance.

1. Honda Torneo

2. Nissan Elgrand

3. Subaru Impreza

4. Subaru Forester

5. Subaru Legacy

6. Nissan Skyline

7. Nissan Presea

8. Mitsubishi Libero

9. Nissan Cefiro

10. Nissan Sunny

The Nissan Silvia, which topped the list for the past three years, has been replaced by the Honda Torneo/ It was 2nd most popular last year.

The Nissan Elgrand, new to this year’s top 10 list, was the second most frequently stolen car.

Other models making their debut on the list include the Mitsubishi Libero and the Nissan Sunny.

The theft incidence rate for older vehicles is much higher than newer models. For example, the three Subaru models on the list are older imports rather than new vehicles released in New Zealand with stronger security features.

According to AA Insurance claims data, a car manufactured between 2000 and 2004 is three times more likely to be stolen than a car manufactured between 2005 and 2010.

The average cost of a stolen vehicle in this top ten is $5,101.

The Auckland region was found to have the highest rate of stolen cars, followed by the regions of Canterbury, Wellington, Waikato. Otago appears to have the lowest vehicle theft rate.

Auckland’s theft incidence rate of stolen cars was more than double that of Waikato and a vehicle is 28 times more likely to be stolen in Auckland than in Otago.

Parking your car in the street makes it five times more likely to be stolen than if it was parked in a garage.

A car parked in a carport has almost the same theft incidence rate as a car parked on a driveway.

Respondents to the 2011 AA Insurance Drivers Index, a poll of 3,550 Kiwi drivers, indicate that the majority have had their car stolen from a public car park, closely followed by their residential street or a street adjacent to where they live.

Tags: AA Insurance stolen cars