Statistics

Car theft statistics

The most stolen cars in New Zealand, and what the theft data means for your cover.

The Toyota Aqua was New Zealand's most stolen car in 2025 for the fourth year in a row, and households experiencing vehicle theft jumped 47 percent in a single year. Theft is one of the main risks comprehensive car insurance exists to cover, so the pattern in this data matters when you insure a car.

Data from AMI claims, the NZ Crime and Victims Survey and NZ Police, part of our New Zealand insurance statistics hub. Every figure links to a primary source.

What are the most stolen cars in New Zealand?

The Toyota Aqua, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Tiida were New Zealand's three most stolen cars in 2025, making up 8, 7 and 6 percent of AMI's stolen vehicle claims. [1]

9,000+

theft and attempted theft claims to AMI in 2025, across 760+ models [1]

4 years

in a row the Aqua has topped the most-stolen list [1]

9 in 10

stolen vehicles were more than 10 years old [1]

~5%

of thefts were hybrids. Outside the Aqua, they barely feature [1]

Theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicles [1]

2025 calendar year, AMI claims

Toyota Aqua

Toyota Corolla

An insured Aqua was over three times more likely to attract a theft claim than the Corolla, the next most stolen car.

NZ's top 10 stolen cars, 2025 [1]

1 Toyota Aqua 8% of claims
2 Toyota Corolla 7% of claims
3 Nissan Tiida 6% of claims
4 Mazda Demio
5 Toyota Vitz
6 Toyota Hilux
7 Subaru Impreza
8 Mazda Atenza
9 Toyota Mark X
10 Mazda Axela

Ranked by AMI theft and attempted theft claims across the 2025 calendar year. AMI publishes the claim share for the top three models only.

Where are the most cars stolen in New Zealand?

Auckland recorded the most vehicle theft claims in 2025, followed by Canterbury, Waikato, Wellington and Bay of Plenty. [1]

1 Auckland
2 Canterbury
3 Waikato
4 Wellington
5 Bay of Plenty

Most stolen vehicles are taken from the street or the driveway; the fewest from garages. [2]

How many stolen cars are recovered?

About 64 percent of vehicles stolen in 2025 were recovered, but only around 40 percent of those were repairable. The rest were written off for parts. [1]

64%

of stolen vehicles were recovered [1]

~40%

of recovered vehicles were repairable [1]

41,000 → 60,000

households hit by vehicle theft, 2022 to 2023: a 47% jump in one year [2]

A never-recovered car is a total loss claim. Third party only cover does not pay for theft of your own car.

Own one of the top 10?

Kapi Insurance arranges car insurance that covers theft, whether your car sleeps on an Auckland street or in a Hamilton garage. The insurer pays us a commission when we arrange your cover, and your premium is the same as going direct.

Get a free quote

What else does the vehicle data show?

New Zealand's fleet is old, uninsured driving is poorly measured, and the road toll is falling. Three facts that shape what car insurance costs and covers.

15.3 years

average age of a light passenger vehicle in 2024. 43.3% of the light fleet is at least 15 years old, and the fleet runs 2 to 4 years older than Australia's, the UK's, the US's or Canada's. Older cars are the ones being stolen. [5]

7.6%

of vehicle owners were uninsured or unsure in the last official government survey. That survey dates from 2009, and no newer official figure exists. Car insurance has never been compulsory in New Zealand, so a crash with an uninsured driver remains a real risk. [4]

272

provisional road deaths in 2025, down from 292 in 2024 and the third annual decline in a row. Motor insurance is still the country's largest class, with $1.7 billion in motor claims paid in 2024. [3] [6]

Sources

Cite any figure on this page with a link back to it, alongside the primary source below. For the full national picture, see our New Zealand insurance statistics hub.