Australian cities where most cars have been stolen

Holden and Toyota drivers in south east Queensland are most likely to have their car stolen as thefts jump by more than five per cent across the country.   

A car is stolen every 12 minutes in Australia according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and CarSafe.

More than 55,000 cars, or one in every 400, were boosted last financial year, 2,620 from the previous year.

Majority of the cars (17%) nicked were valued less than $5,000 while those worth more than $50,000 (2%) were largely ignored.

The most common areas were in south east Queensland which took up  four of the top five spots on the list of car thefts. 

Brisbane city recorded  2,363 thefts followed by the Gold Coast with 1,612, Logan with 1,176 and Moreton Bay with 992.

Hume in Victoria was the first city outside of Queensland to appear on the list with 923 thefts.

The most amount of thefts, however, were in Victoria, with more than 13,000 vehicles stolen or one in 352. 

Queensland had the second highest amount of thefts, with almost 11,000 stolen, which equals to one in 334. 

One in 498 cars were stolen in South Australia,  followed by Tasmania and Western Australia, where one in every 457 and 384, were robbed, respectively.  

New South Wales had the lowest recorded amount of thefts, with 9,600 stolen or one in 537.    

The Holden Commodore VE – a bestseller for over a decade in the late ’90s and 2000s – was the car most targeted by thieves, followed by the 05 Toyota Hilux.

The Nissan Pulsar N15 is among the most stolen cars in Australia, along with the Holden Commodore VY, and the Nissan Navara D40. 

The most amount of car thefts are in Victoria, with more than 13,000 vehicles stolen or one in 352 (pictured: Nissan Pulsar) 

More than 55,000 cars or one in every 400 were stolen in the past financial year, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] and CarSafe (pictured: Toyota HiLux)

Insurance company Budget Direct has advised drivers to reduce their risk of having their vehicle stolen by closing all windows, not leaving valuables in plain view and parking in well-lit areas. 

If a car needs to be left unattended for an extended period of time, drivers should consider disabling the vehicle by removing the rotor, distributor or electronic ignition fuse.   

Other anti-theft options include steering wheel locks and floorboard locks, which disable the floor pedals.