Top 10 stolen cars revealed
The Toyota Aqua has claimed the title of the country’s most stolen car for the third consecutive year, according to AMI.
Data shows there were almost 12,000 vehicle theft claims, including those for attempted theft, lodged with the company in 2024.
Toyota Aqua made up eight per cent of all such claims last year. It was followed by the Toyota Corolla on six per cent and Nissan’s Tiida with five per cent.
Wayne Tippet, AMI’s executive general manager of claims, notes that stolen vehicle claims have started to fall for the first time in four years with those related to ram-raids down by 50 per cent compared to 2023.
“This might suggest that New Zealanders have put security measures and practices in place, and are being more mindful about where they park,” says Tippet, pictured.
He adds AMI’s ladder underscores Kiwis’ “love” for the Toyota brand with five different models in the top nine.
“The Hilux climbed four spots indicating its increasing value, rural and urban appeal, and strong resale values driven by high demand for its parts.”
Thirty per cent of stolen vehicles were not recovered in 2024 and 52 per cent of those that were found were repairable.
Tippet says: “We commonly repair broken glass, damaged ignition systems, dash panels, and external dents and scrapes.
“It’s also important to caution that thefts don’t just occur while a vehicle is parked. We’ve seen claims resulting from carjackings at low-speed areas such as intersections, traffic lights and car parks.
“We should always lock our car doors when driving and consider keeping the windows up.”
AMI’s top 10 stolen cars
1 – Toyota Aqua
2 – Toyota Corolla (up one place)
3 – Nissan Tiida (-1)
4 – Mazda Demio
5 – Mazda Atenza
6 – Toyota Hilux (+4)
7 – Toyota Vitz
8 – Subaru Impreza
9 – Toyota Mark X (-3)
10 – Mazda Axela (+1).
• Most frequently stolen model in each region with regions ranked by claims volume:
1 – Auckland & Aqua
2 – Canterbury & Aqua
3 – Waikato & Tiida
4 – Wellington & Aqua
5 – Bay of Plenty & Demio
6 – Manawatu & Demio
7 – Northland & Corolla
8 – Hawke’s Bay & Demio
9 – Otago & Tiida
10 – Southland & Tiida
11 – Gisborne & Corolla
12 – Taranaki & Corolla
13 – Nelson & Demio
14 – Tasman & Ford Ranger
15 – Marlborough & Audi A4
16 – West Coast & Tiida
