Thief !
Too late, your Renault Clio IV is gone, or your Mégane, or even your new Peugeot 3008. These three models are the most popular with car thieves.
According to figures revealed by GIE Argos, a group of insurers for the identification and restitution of stolen vehicles, 70,649 claims were recorded in 2023. A figure up 11.1% compared to 2022.
Among the models targeted by thieves, the Clio IV takes the lead.
2,378 examples were stolen in 2023. In second place comes the Renault Mégane IV, of which 1,297 models have disappeared, then the Peugeot 3008 II, stolen 1,181 times.
Their fault?
Being parked en masse on French streets and being quickly resold on the parallel market.
Security flaws on certain vehicles
The Toyota RAV4 or the Lexus NX, for example, have security flaws that make them privileged victims.
For several years, thieves have been using fake connected speakers to steal Toyota 4x4s.
By removing the bumper and accessing the headlight connector, thieves can gain access to the
“CAN bus
,” the electronic brain of the car.
They can then send a forged key validation message.
Once unlocked, the car can be started without resistance.
Several videos of flights carried out in less than two minutes are circulating on social networks.
We have also noted an increase in
“home jacking”
to steal vehicles without break-ins.
Thieves then rely on front doors left open to break into homes to steal car keys left on a table.
“For several years, home-jacking has become a common practice in residential neighborhoods
,” notes the Ministry of the Interior on its website.
Bouches du Rhône, department most affected
From a geographic point of view, car thefts cluster around the networks that allow their flow.
The Bouches-du-Rhône department is the most affected territory according to figures from GIE Argos.
The frequency of flights there reaches 52.7 per 10,000 households over the period between 2022 and 2023. A figure which can be explained by the proximity of the commercial port of Fos-sur-mer, 70 km west of Marseille, which allows a quick connection with the rest of the world.
Val-d'Oise and Seine-Saint-Denis complete the unfortunate podium.
At the back of the pack, we find the departments of Corrèze, Aveyron and Cantal.