Which cars are stolen the most?

The 2021 car theft statistics clearly show: the number of car thefts in Germany is slowly but surely falling. According to GDV, the general association of the German insurance industry, the lowest value was reported in 2021 for the first time since recording began, which is around 8 percent less than the theft rate from the previous year. In Germany last year, fewer than 10,000 cars were stolen and reported missing by their owners to insurance companies and the police. But which vehicles and makes are particularly popular with thieves and what do car thieves pay attention to ?

Car theft statistics: The most stolen models

Car thieves in Germany primarily target large cars; most of the stolen cars are Kia or Land Rover models, making them number one among the most stolen vehicles . Cars from Toyota and Hyundai are also frequently used and are part of the top 10 , followed by SUV models from Jeep, vehicles from BMW and Toyota. The manufacturer Ford is in tenth place among the most stolen cars. On average, the economic damage from thefts for the insurer is around 19,100 euros per vehicle.

Most cars are stolen in these cities

Car owners are particularly often victims of car thieves in Berlin , with around one in five thefts taking place there. Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Hanover and Bremen follow closely behind the capital. Far fewer car thefts occur in the south of Germany ; the theft rate there is around 0.1 out of 1,000 comprehensively insured cars, meaning half as many comprehensively insured vehicles are stolen as the general national average. In total, car thieves caused damage of more than 187 million euros by stealing insured cars in 2021 .

Theft rate across Europe in comparison – this is where cars are stolen most often

In the European ranking, Germany is well behind other countries; the reported thefts per year are compared with the population density, i.e. per 100,000 inhabitants. According to these statistics, most vehicles are stolen in France, followed by Italy, the Czech Republic and Sweden. Germany, on the other hand, has only 72 thefts per year per 100,000 inhabitants, which is lower than its neighboring countries .

Report car theft to your insurance company immediately

Stolen vehicles must be reported to the insurance company immediately , regardless of whether they have partial or fully comprehensive insurance. In addition, the police must be called in as quickly as possible; in this case, the owner will file a corresponding report. Better law enforcement and border security ensure that eight percent fewer were stolen than in the previous year.

Immobilizers and better law enforcement ensure that fewer cars are stolen

Modern vehicles offer the owner better technical protection measures that can deter a thief. Optimized technical protective measures, such as immobilizers or alarm systems, make car thieves’ work more difficult and ensure that fewer cars with comprehensive insurance are stolen. Cars are most often stolen when the car is not properly secured, so it is particularly important to always lock the vehicle and not leave any valuables behind. If you want to track down the car in doubt, you should use GPS trackers for cars