The Most Stolen Cars In South Africa
Vehicle theft and hijackings are a huge problem in South Africa and it is estimated that a car is stolen every 9 minutes. Yes, every 9 minutes. It is vital that you do everything you can to prevent your car from falling victim to these criminals. The numbers have decreased in recent years due to increased security of cars but it is still bad.
According to most sources, South Africa has one of the highest vehicle theft rates in the world and it isn’t going to change significantly any time soon. Yes, some vehicles are stolen due to their owners being careless but if a thief wants your car, they are going to take it.
It is a well-known fact that criminals are using jammers which will jam the signal of your cars remote when you try to lock your car. You will think your car is locked but once you enter the shop you are going to the thief will be entering your vehicle in an attempt to relieve you of it. We need to keep our eyes and ears open at all times unfortunately.
The top 5 most stolen cars in South Africa are:
- The Toyota Hiace
- The Nissan 1400 bakkie
- The Toyota Hilux
- The Toyota Venture
- The Toyota Corolla.
Thieves will target cars that are easy to steal, are in high demand or if the parts are in high demand or simply if they are told to by their superiors.
Cars that are the most stolen are cars that are older models, mostly between 7 and 21 years old because they are nowhere near as secure as a newer car. Mini buses and sedans make up the bulk of this list but thieves are not too fussy as they will steal luxury as well as entry level vehicles.
Let’s look at Toyota as it appears in 4 of the top 5 stolen cars in South Africa. Toyotas are seen as a reliable brand which makes them a very popular target for thieves. The parts found in most Toyotas can also be used in other Toyota vehicles and since Toyota sells more cars than any other company in South Africa, the parts are in high demand.
What happens to the stolen cars?
The cars that are stolen will be resold locally, exported to another country or it will be chopped up and used for spare parts.
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