Mazda Demio the most stolen - and recovered - car

The Mazda Demio takes the dubious honour of being New Zealand’s most stolen car, as Canterbury trails only Auckland for vehicle theft claims handled by a major insurer.

Of the 12,000 claims AMI received between 2019 and 2021, the Demio accounted for 10 per cent of the total, in spite of making up just 1.5 per cent of the country’s fleet.

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Rounding out the top 10 are the Mazda Atenza (Mazda 6), Nissan Tiida, Subaru Legacy, Mazda Familia, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Hilux, Ford Courier, Subaru Forester and Honda Civic.

Regionally, Auckland had the highest number of vehicle theft claims with 4489 over the past three years, almost double the number in Canterbury (2074).

There was some positive news for Mazda Demio owners with the car also the most likely to be recovered.

AMI data released this week said 94 per cent of stolen Demio cars were recovered – the highest rate out of the top 10 stolen makes and models and well above the average of 70 per cent. 

The Hilux had the lowest rate of recovery at 30 per cent followed by the Courier (47 per cent).

AMI executive general manager claims Wayne Tippet said the data was a reminder for owners to take security precautions and ensure insurance details were up to date.

"Our claims data shows that many cars are parked out on the street or outside someone else’s property for the night when they are stolen.

"Where possible, park down a driveway or inside a garage, and double check your car is locked," he said.

Tippet also recommends owners check their vehicle has a factory-fitted immobiliser, and if not, they should install other preventative security measures.

Top 10 most stolen vehicles across New Zealand:
1 Mazda Demio – 1176 claims
2 Mazda Atenza (also known as Mazda6) – 774
3 Nissan Tiida – 700
4 Subaru Legacy – 458
5 Mazda Familia – 456
6 Subaru Impreza – 387
7 Toyota Hilux – 384
8 Ford Courier – 264
9 Subaru Forester – 237
10 Honda Civic – 187