Savvy's breakdown of vehicle theft
We know that many of you offer stolen vehicle inspections to the police so these stats might be of interest.
Savvy looks at the latest data to learn about car theft in different states and territories around Australia.
- Approximately one passenger/light commercial vehicle is stolen every 11 minutes in Australia.
- Queensland had the highest number of individual car thefts in 2021, with over 11,000 cases.
- The Northern Territory had the highest rate of car thefts, averaging 4.15 thefts per 1,000 registrations.
In Australia, car theft is a significant issue, with a passenger/light commercial vehicle being stolen approximately every 11 minutes. Car theft prevention is crucial in combating this problem. Advances in security technology have made it nearly impossible to hotwire modern cars, debunking the popular belief that hot-wiring is still a common method used by thieves.
When it comes to car theft demographics, Queensland had the highest number of individual car thefts in 2021, with over 11,000 cases. In contrast, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and the Australian Capital Territory had the lowest totals of car theft, likely due to their smaller populations.
The impact of COVID-19 on car theft rates has been significant. In 2021, the theft of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles decreased significantly, likely due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The restrictions imposed during the pandemic may have limited opportunities for thieves to steal cars, resulting in a decrease in car theft incidents.
The Holden Commodore VE MY06_13 is the car model that's stolen the most in Australia for three consecutive years.
Regional variations in car theft still exist, with Queensland having the highest number of individual car thefts in 2021. Coincidentally, the state also had a high number of road fatalities and accidents within the same period.
According to Sky News data has revealed that car thieves have got their post lock down groove back and motor vehicle theft across Australia has increased by 11 per cent. A crime data set released by the ABS in June reveals victims of motor vehicle theft reached 55,037 last year, as opposed to 47,803 in the 2020/2021 stats. Obviously there's more cars and people in the UK where 130,389 vehicles were stolen last year, up from 104,435 the previous year (2021).
Motor vehicle theft summary – Australia (All motor vehicles)
| State / Territory | Thefts 2019/2020 | % of Thefts | Thefts 2020/2021 | % of Thefts | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 11,777 | 21.0% | 10,896 | 22.8% | -7.5% |
| Vic | 16,759 | 29.8% | 12,651 | 26.5% | -24.5% |
| Qld | 14,406 | 25.6% | 12,977 | 27.1% | -9.9% |
| WA | 6,845 | 12.2% | 5,635 | 11.8% | -17.7% |
| SA | 3,488 | 6.2% | 2,802 | 5.9% | -19.7% |
| Tas | 1,139 | 2.0% | 996 | 2.1% | -12.6% |
| NT | 643 | 1.1% | 670 | 1.4% | 4.2% |
| ACT | 1,131 | 2.0% | 1,176 | 2.5% | 4.0% |
| AUS | 56,188 | 100.0% | 47,803 | 100.0% | -14.9% |
Source: Carsafe.com.au Dashboard, 1.1 Aus Motor vehicle theft summary, 2019/20 to 2020/21
Motor vehicle theft summary – Australia (Passenger / light commercials)
| State / Territory | Thefts 2019/2020 | % of Thefts | Thefts 2020/2021 | % of Thefts | % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 9,308 | 20.7% | 8,525 | 22.3% | -8.4% |
| Vic | 13,998 | 31.2% | 10,163 | 26.6% | -27.4% |
| Qld | 11,829 | 26.3% | 11,059 | 29.0% | -6.5% |
| WA | 4,721 | 10.5% | 3,924 | 10.3% | -16.9% |
| SA | 2,630 | 5.9% | 2,111 | 5.5% | -19.7% |
| Tas | 868 | 1.9% | 780 | 2.0% | -10.1% |
| NT | 545 | 1.2% | 595 | 1.6% | 9.2% |
| ACT | 1,001 | 2.2% | 1,030 | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| AUS | 44,900 | 100.0% | 38,187 | 100.0% | -15.0% |
Source: Carsafe.com.au Dashboard, 1.1 Aus Motor vehicle theft summary, 2019/20 to 2020/21