NZ’s Most Stolen Cars

Over the last six months (to 11/03/25), 4901 cars, motorbikes, trucks, trailers and utes were stolen in NZ, which is slightly down on the six months to February 2024 (4964).

Discard the bikes and trailers and the number is approximately 3543 vehicles, which averages out to about 10 cars, trucks and utes nicked every day. But which makes and models of cars are targeted most by thieves? Read on to find out!

Most stolen cars in NZ

On the most-stolen car lists, the same popular family runabouts always place highly: the Toyota Corolla, the Mazda Atenza and Demio models and the Nissan Tiida. And, looking at the latest NZ Police figures, family cars are the most stolen. The most commonly stolen types of car are station wagons/SUVs, saloons and hatchbacks:

Compare Outstanding Value Car Insurance with Canstar

Looking for great value car insurance for you and your family? Each year, we release our car insurance awards, including winners for Insurer of the Year, Outstanding Value, and Most Satisfied Customers. As part of our award results, we also publish our Outstanding Value Star Ratings, covering car insurance for different age groups. Below are our top-rated providers in the drivers aged 30-49 category. Click here to view our complete car insurance Star Ratings for all age groups.

Comprehensive Cover: Drivers 30-49:

Provider	Star Rating
Car Insurer of the Year

See here for our ratings methodology. The table above is an abridged version of our research. For the full results of our latest Car Insurance Ratings and Award, click here.

Compare Car Insurance

Most stolen car brands in NZ

And of the car, ute and van brands stolen, it’s no surprise that the big names dominate:

Other brands stolen:

Most stolen car models in NZ

But, overall, tradies’ vehicles are the biggest magnets for thieves, who target tools and work gear. But since utes are usually considered work vehicles, they’re often left off many lists of most stolen passenger vehicles. This is despite the number of utes (especially twin cabs) being used as family wagons.

And, as you can see from our list of top stolen vehicles, two of the top three are utes, and the other, the HiAce, is your typical commercial white van.

The top makes and models targeted by thieves in the six months to March 11, 2025:

But before you despair about car crime, one important factor links all the car thefts listed above: the age of the cars taken. The vast majority of the cars and utes stolen were pre-2013 models (80%), 17% were registered between 2013-19, and just a few (3%) were recent 2020+ models.

What this says about the nature of car crime is that newer cars that feature sophisticated security systems are a lot harder to steal, and therefore less of a target for young joyriders.

How to deter car thieves

Of course, if you’re a criminal looking to break into cars, you are going to target places where there are lots of unattended automobiles, and where your presence isn’t going to attract too much attention: think busy car parks. But while the average motorist can’t avoid parking in such places, there are steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of car crime:

• If you’ve an older car without an immobiliser or alarm use a steering-wheel lock. In fact, a steering-wheel lock is a good deterrent for modern cars, too. As keyless entry systems can be hacked by tech-savvy car thieves
• Always ensure your car is locked
• Try to park in a busy area, with surveillance cameras if possible
• Park in a secure garage overnight, rather than on the street
• Never leave valuables in your car
• Don’t leave worthless items in your car that could attract thieves – for example, an empty bag or briefcase

Compare Outstanding Value Car Insurance with Canstar

Looking for great value car insurance for you and your family? Each year, we release our car insurance awards, including winners for Insurer of the Year, Outstanding Value, and Most Satisfied Customers. As part of our award results, we also publish our Outstanding Value Star Ratings, covering car insurance for different age groups. Below are our top-rated providers in the drivers aged 30-49 category. Click here to view our complete car insurance Star Ratings for all age groups.

Comprehensive Cover: Drivers 30-49:

Provider	Star Rating
Car Insurer of the Year

See here for our ratings methodology. The table above is an abridged version of our research. For the full results of our latest Car Insurance Ratings and Award, click here.

Compare Car Insurance

About the author of this page

Bruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery puzzle book 5 Minute Murder.