Car theft: SUVs are popular – and a Korean sports sedan
Created: 10/27/2022, 9:30 am
By: Sebastian Oppenheimer
For the first time, the number of car thefts has fallen to a four-digit figure.
Nevertheless, owners of certain vehicles cannot breathe a sigh of relief.
Good news for all car owners: The number of car thefts in Germany fell to a record low in 2021.
As the German insurers announced, 9,805 stolen vehicles were registered last year - eight percent less than in the previous year.
For the first time since statistics began, fewer than 10,000 cars were stolen, as reported by the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV).
In the mid-1990s, around 100,000 thefts were registered each year.
The association cites better security technology, stricter law enforcement and more effective border security as the reason for the falling numbers.
According to the Insurers' Association, the number of car thefts in Germany fell significantly in 2021.
©Panthermedia/Imago
Car theft: SUVs are popular – and a Korean sports coupé
SUVs remain the most popular prey.
Of the ten most stolen cars, there are 9 corresponding models, but the Kia Stinger, a sports sedan, takes first place.
The theft rate for the mostly powerful Korean middle-class model is 11.9 out of 1,000 vehicles.
However, the average claims expenditure was low at 33,547 euros compared to the other top ten models.
The insurance company paid the highest sums to stolen owners of a Range Rover with 75,040 euros.
On average, the damage caused by the theft was 19,100 euros.
Most recently, the GDV complained about high costs for vehicle repairs - which is why the insurers advocate the use of used spare parts.
According to GDV, these are the top 10 vehicles most popular with thieves:
model | Theft rate in parts per thousand |
|---|---|
1. Kia Stinger (1st generation) | 11.9 |
2. Range Rover (3rd generation) | 11.1 |
3. Range Rover Sport (2nd generation) | 6.5 |
4. Toyota Land Cruiser (4th generation) | 6.3 |
5. Hyundai Santa Fe (4th generation) | 6.0 |
6. Range Rover Velar (1st generation) | 5.9 |
7. Jeep Grand Cherokee (4th generation) | 5.9 |
8. BMW X6 (2nd generation) | 5.6 |
9. Lexus NX (1st generation) | 3.4 |
10. Ford Edge (1st generation) | 3.1 |
Car theft: Low risk of theft in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg
According to the analysis, car owners in Berlin have the highest risk of becoming a victim of theft.
2,200 cars were stolen there last year, the rate was 2.2 of 1,000 comprehensively insured cars. The risk of theft is particularly low in the south of the republic.
As in previous years, the theft rate in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg was 0.1, half the national average.
Quite different in the USA: A TikTok theft challenge made the headlines here recently: The cause was a security gap in Kia and Hyundai vehicles – however, customers should pay for the retrofitting of an immobilizer themselves
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Car theft: Differences between insurer and BKA statistics
For its statistics, the GDV can only take into account the theft of cars with comprehensive insurance.
The insurers are not informed of stolen, uninsured vehicles.
The association's figures are therefore always slightly lower than those of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), which takes into account all thefts reported to the police, including those from cars without comprehensive insurance.
(With material from SP-X)