Car theft statistics Australia: How many vehicles are stolen annually and which model is nicked most?

What is car theft?

Car theft can be split into two categories: motor vehicle theft (stolen cars) and theft from a motor vehicle (goods stolen from a car).

Both can be financially taxing as insurance companies and police are involved, but they can also be emotional events. Victims of these crimes can feel vulnerable and upset, especially when you consider that 59 per cent of vehicles are stolen from a person’s home (or another person’s home).

In NSW, car theft data is extracted from the Computerised Operational Policing System (COPS) of the NSW Police Force and then analysed for trends by agencies like the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOSCAR) and Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). And it’s from agencies like these that we’ve gathered a snapshot on car theft statistics Australia.

How many cars are stolen in Australia each year?

On average, a car is stolen every 11 minutes.

In NSW alone, there were 14,516 cars stolen between March 2023 to March 2024; which was 2.1 per cent higher than it was five years ago.

Crime statistics indicate that a total of 54,700 cars were stolen and 219,100 households experienced theft from their motor vehicle across Australia in FY22.

Fig 1: Car theft statistics by state, including Tasmania. Note that stolen vehicle figures for ACT have not been included as data results were considered to have a lower accuracy rate by ABS.

The offenders

Out of the 3224 offenders of NSW car theft (Mar ’23 to Mar ’24), 1750 were adults and 1473 were considered juveniles. Of those offenders, males made up the bulk at 2750, while female offenders sat at 474.

Graph sourced from BOSCAR and is based on data from April 22 to March 23.

Car theft statistics by postcode NSW and QLD

The top 10 LGAs in NSW that see the most auto theft are:

1. Blacktown
2. Central Coast
3. Newcastle
4. Canterbury-Bankstown
5. Penrith
6. Lake Macquarie
7. Liverpool
8. Cumberland
9. Parramatta
10. Wollongong

Fig 2: Based on NSW data collected from 2023

Stolen cars QLD - the top 10 suburbs in QLD that see the most stolen car thefts are:

1. Hendra
2. Cairns
3. Logan Central
4. Kirwan
5. Southport
6. Toowoomba
7. Townsville
8. Broadbeach
9. Inala
10. Upper Mount Gravatt

Fig 3: Number of reported offences for Unlawful Use of Motor Vehicle by police divisions, Queensland 2023

When and where is your car likely to be stolen?

In NSW between March 2023 and March 2024, a car was most likely to be stolen on a weekday and at night time. While nationally, 59 per cent of cars are stolen from their place of residence (your home) or someone else’s home; and 29 per cent of cars were stolen from the street or other open land.

Fig 4: Data based on statistics from NSW between March 2023 and March 2024.

What about the other type of theft? Theft from a motor vehicle?

Fig 5: Based on data for NSW FY22.

Personal items include jewellery, clothing, keys, handbags, bags and sunglasses. Electronics include phones, laptops, and smartwatches.

Will I get my stolen vehicle back?

According to BOSCAR, vehicles stolen in regional NSW are more likely to be recovered than vehicles stolen in Greater Sydney. This suggests motor vehicle theft in regional locations may be more likely to be conducted opportunistically for joyriding and transport purposes.

However, vehicles not recovered by Police are most likely to be used in an organised offence/crime or with an intention to convert the car for profit (either as a whole or by its parts). There isn’t enough data to determine if a car stolen to order and sent overseas occurs and what the likelihood of their return is.

In the 12 months to March 2023, two-thirds of stolen motor vehicles in NSW were recovered.

Top 10 stolen vehicles

In NSW 2023, the most frequently stolen vehicles were manufactured by Toyota, Holden and Ford. However, the vehicle makes with the highest rate of theft in general were Holdens, Jeeps and Land Rovers.

Vehicle makes with the largest percentage increase in theft in the five years to March 2023 were Kias, Jeeps, Isuzus, Land Rovers, and Volkswagens.

The Top 10 brands of stolen vehicles in QLD are:

Fig 6: Top-10 Brands of Stolen Vehicles by Brand Names, Queensland, 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2024. Note: The top 10 brands may also be affected by factors such as market prices, market shares and other variables.

Help prevent vehicle theft

Considering how many newer vehicles have increased safety features, like an engine immobiliser, it makes them difficult to ‘hot wire’ and thus thieves are most likely to try to secure the car keys either through breaking and entering the victims’ home or place of business.

Seventy per cent of cars are stolen with their keys! Sometimes thieves will break into your car and use the electric garage door opener to gain access to your house; so don’t leave your garage door opener in your car.

If you do experience theft, make sure you fill out a stolen vehicle report with your local police.

Car theft prevention tips:

Remove all valuables from your vehicle.

Ensure your vehicle is locked.

Do not leave spare keys in your car.

Ensure your keys are secured in a safe place out of plain view, even at home.

Ensure that your home is secure.

If you have information for police, report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers or call 1800 333 000.