Toyota HiLux a top target for car thieves

The Toyota HiLux accounted for a high proportion of motor vehicle thefts in Australia in 2020, with car thieves’ perennial favourite, the Holden Commodore, the only model targeted more heavily than the Japanese brand’s top-selling ute.

Data for the 2020 calendar year just released by the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) shows that 49,438 thefts were recorded across all vehicle segments, which represents the lowest volume in the two decades since the council’s inception – beating the previous low of 50,277 thefts in 2014.

This has everything to do with COVID-19 lockdowns and other restrictions placed on Australians during 2020, but will come as cold comfort for the victims involved as well as owners of top-selling utes such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger which are increasingly prime targets for thieves.

The top three models stolen last year were the VE Holden Commodore (MY06-13) with 904 vehicles worth an estimated $7.3 million taken by thieves, the Toyota HiLux (MY05-11) with 576 vehicles worth $5.4m, and the PX Ford Ranger (MY11+) with 418 vehicles worth a whopping $13m.

The Ranger’s result covers a broader span of models than the other two, but could be a sign that more recent high-end utes are now being targeted by thieves.

This is also reflected in the fact that the MY12-15 Toyota HiLux was the fourth most-stolen vehicle last year, with 398 vehicles stolen worth $8.1 million, while the VY Holden Commodore (MY02-04) rounded out the top five with 392 cars worth an estimated $1.7m.

Across the segments, small passenger cars accounted for the most thefts at 26.2 per cent, followed closely by SUVs (24.3%) and utes (18.8%).

The vast majority of thefts last year – 36,533 – were classified as ‘short-term’, meaning the vehicles were recovered, while a still-significant 12,905 were profit-motivated thefts which were not recovered.

Victoria had the highest theft rate of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in 2020, despite the state also having the most severe lockdowns at the height of the pandemic, with 11,598 vehicles stolen.

Queensland was close behind with 11,148 vehicles stolen, followed by New South Wales on 8498 and Western Australia on 3739.

You can dive into further details of the NMVTRC’s 2020 theft data on its website.