And the most stolen car in NZ is? 

According to insurance data from AMI, the humble Toyota Aqua remains the most stolen car in NZ. This is the third year in a row the hybrid hatchback has claimed the dubious title.  

AMI’s data, claimed to be the largest general insurance dataset in the country, reported almost 12,000 vehicle theft claims throughout 2024, including claims relating to attempted vehicle theft.

In 2024, the Toyota Aqua made up eight per cent of all stolen vehicle claims, followed by the Toyota Corolla (six per cent) and the Nissan Tiida (five per cent).

Regions where vehicle theft occurred the most rank from Auckland, Canterbury, Waikato, Wellington, and the Bay of Plenty.

AMI Executive General Manager Claims, Wayne Tippet, notes that stolen vehicle claims have begun to decrease for the first time in four years. Stolen vehicle claims related to ram raids are down by 50 per cent compared with 2023.

“This might suggest that, among unprecedented vehicle theft rates, New Zealanders have put security measures and practices in place, and are being more mindful about where they park their cars.”

Of the vehicles stolen last year, 30 per cent were not recovered while 52 per cent of recovered stolen vehicles were repairable.

“Every week, we repair recovered stolen vehicles at our AMI MotorHubs around the country. We commonly repair broken glass, damaged ignition systems, dash panels, and external dents and scrapes on these vehicles.

“It’s also important to caution that thefts don’t just occur while a vehicle is parked. Unfortunately, we have seen claims resulting from carjackings at low-speed areas such as intersections, traffic lights, or cark parks too.

“We should always lock our car doors when driving and consider keeping the windows up.”

The AMI top 10 stolen cars list 

Toyota Aqua 
Toyota Corolla
Nissan Tiida 
Mazda Demio
Mazda Atenza 
Toyota Hilux 
Toyota Vitz 
Subaru Impreza 
Toyota Mark X 
Mazda Axela 

AMI’s top tips for vehicle security:

Where possible, park down a driveway or inside a garage.
If there isn’t any off-street parking available, try to park your car in a well-lit area.
If possible, park your vehicle facing uphill or facing your house.
Consider using anti-theft protection measures, such as a car alarm system, immobiliser, fuel cut-out switch, steering wheel lock, handbrake lock, or car tracking system.
There are some good cost effective GPS tags that can be placed inside vehicles and are very helpful in assisting the police to track the offenders and/or vehicle.
Don’t get out of your car and leave the engine running or keys in it, even for a few seconds.
Always lock your car doors when driving your car and consider keeping the windows up, especially in low-speed areas.
Make sure you always lock your car, especially whenever your car is parked and unattended.
Don’t leave valuables on display.
Avoid leaving windows or the sunroof open when you’re not in the car.