The Most Stolen Cars in Australia

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As inconspicuous as your car may be, it’s probably not theft-proof. Common Commodores do get stolen. And those doing the thieving have been working on them for years.

However, according to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, plenty of other models are attractive through the night-vision goggles of opportunistic thieves.

The Council monitors the most stolen cars in Australia and found 45,764 passenger and light commercial vehicles were reported stolen in the 2012–13 financial year.

The good news? Theft is down. That’s the lowest number of thefts in a 12-month period since the 1970s. The bad news? Any car looks to be fair game.

The top three most stolen cars (for joy-riding) ranged from the compactish Hyundai Excel X3 to the more muscular Holden Commodore VT and VE.

When it came to thieves wanting to turn a profit, they also went for the Holden Commodore VT and VX. But tradesmen, surfers and fishermen beware! The Toyota Hilux was popular too, coming in second place.

If it’s true “you’re either a Ford or Holden man”, then team Ford is probably feeling pretty smug about now. However, don’t speak too soon. Both the Ford Falcon BA and AU are popular choices for joyriding, as getaway cars or plain ol’ illegal commuting. The Falcon BA also makes an appearance as the 10th most popular car for turning a profit.

Things could be grimmer if you were overseas. In the UK these lists often look more like a luxury-car showroom. Porsches, Volkswagens, Subarus, Audis, Mercedes-Benzes, Range Rovers and BMWs appear on the lists.

Luckily too, Australians have more chance of finding their cars in their home country. German cars aren’t so lucky. Pinched German vehicles show up at various points around Eastern Europe. Poland is one common endpoint, less than 100 km from Berlin.

Locally, upmarket German vehicles are often least susceptible to theft, according to the Council. This includes the Audi A4 and VW’s Passat, Tiguan, Polo and Golf.

If you can’t afford one of those luxury cars, then the vehicles listed below would be of interest – they’re among those stolen every 10 minutes in Australia.
Most stolen cars in Australia (short term):

Hyundai Excel X3
Holden Commodore VT
Holden Commodore VE
Toyota Hilux MY05_11
Holden Commodore VN
Ford Falcon BA
Ford Falcon AU
Holden Commodore VX
Holden Commodore VS
Toyota Camry SV21

Most stolen cars in Australia (for profit):

Holden Commodore VT
Toyota Hilux MY98_04
Holden Commodore VX
Holden Commodore VE
Toyota Hilux MY89_97
Toyota Hilux MY05_11
Holden Commodore VY
Holden Commodore VS
Hyundai Excel X3
Ford Falcon BA
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