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Are these the most stolen cars in South Africa?

Staff Writer

 ·14 Sep 2015

According to Crime StatsSA, 56,616 vehicles were stolen in South Africa in 2014, taking the total to 810,785 since 2004.

Car Info has published a new article questioning which cars are the most stolen in the country.

The site, which says it offer ‘a whole bunch of objective reviews about Insurance Companies’ notes that car theft means higher insurance premiums for individuals involved personally in the robbery, as well as a general industry premium increase.

It added that if your make of car is at higher risk of being stolen ‘then premiums for that car will naturally be higher’.

CarInfo draws its list of most stolen cars from two sources, one from five years ago, in 2010, and a more recent article that featured on MoneyWeb earlier this year.

Read: The worst hijacking spots in South Africa

The latter article pointed to a spike in the theft of two Toyota models: Hilux and Fortuner, citing Cross Country Insurance Consultants.

Both the SAPS and the country’s insurers are reluctant to provide information on the vehicles that are stolen in South Africa.

Both Toyota cars feature in the top 15 best selling cars list of South Africa, despite their hefty price tags.

BusinessTech recently queried the police, but was told that it does not provide that information. It has also asked two major insurers who both declined to comment.

With approximately 11 million cars on South Africa’s roads, Datadot, puts the number of stolen vehicles in the country at an estimated 1.6 million.

The Automobile Association (AA) said that the motor vehicle market accounts for the disposal of approximately 50% of stolen and hijacked vehicles.

Other stolen vehicles may be disposed of through exportation to other countries, 30%, and the remaining 20% going to the second-hand parts market.

Older vehicles between seven and 21 years old are at higher risk of theft while vehicles between one and four years are at the highest risk of robbery.

“Mini buses top the ratings for cars that are targeted for theft or robbery, with sedans being the most frequent target for criminals. Entry level and cheaper vehicles were also found to be high risk, as well as vehicles with a high market volume,” the AA has said.

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco), estimates that there are approximately 250,000 taxis on our roads. And among CarInfo’s list of most stolen vehicles, is the Hiace, a minibus manufactured by Toyota, and widely used by the national taxi industry.

These are reported to be the top most stolen vehicles in South Africa:

Toyota Hiace

Nissan 1400

Toyota Fortuner

Toyota Hilux

Toyota Venture

Toyota Corolla

CarInfro highlights that Gauteng has the highest number of stolen cars reported: 27,470 between April 2013 and March 2014; followed by the Western Cape with 9,511, and KwaZulu Natal with 8723.

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