Which new cars are theft-proof?

By Stuart Johnston

The sad answer to this question is that no cars are theft-proof. No sooner has a manufacturer come up with a new method of locking and ignition-protection, than thieves have found a way of circumventing these systems.

The most expensive cars have the most complex ant-theft systems, but this does not make them theft-proof. The best-quality cars  have window glass that is very resistant to breakage, and this can be an advantage to car occupants in hi-risk hijacking areas.

The police rarely issue any model details as to which cars are the most popular amongst thieves and hi-jackers, but a few years ago, vehicle tracking company C-Track published lists of the most popular cars for theft and hijacking in South Africa.

The most popular amongst thieves in South Africa

Not surprisingly, the two most popular car models  were Volkswagen’s Polo, and Toyota’s Corolla, and these two cars are also far-and-away the best-selling passenger cars in South Africa. The Toyota Fortuner was listed as the SUV most likely to be stolen, again an unsurprising statistic, as it is by far the most popular-selling SUV on the local market.

Expensive cars targeted in the UK

In the UK, contrary to the trends here in South Africa, the most popular cars amongst thieves are up-market cars. Topping the lists in the UK are cars like the Range Rover, Mercedes, and particularly the BMW X5.

Locally, unofficial reports from police working in the field state that the least popular cars are also the least likely to be stolen. This makes sense as rarely-seen cars stand out in a crowd, making them easier to spot once they are stolen. Also, the demand for these cars is lower amongst “fences”, as is the demand for spares from these vehicles.

Garage door remote signal jamming

A device popular amongst car thieves in recent years has to use a common gate or garage-door remote control to jam out the signal from a car-key remote used to lock a car’s doors. Motorists are advised to check that their cars’ door have in fact locked after pushing the “lock” button and walking away from the car.

From April 2016 to March 2017 a total of 42 703 motor vehicle thefts were reported in South Africa. This figure  equates  to almost 8 per cent of annual new vehicle sales in South Africa.