SC cars almost safe as houses

If you want to steal a car, chances are you will do it in Auckland.

Vehicles are almost eight times more likely to be stolen in Auckland than in the South Island, if you disregard Christchurch.

And the news for South Canterbury vehicle owners is reassuring.

Based on the theft incidence rate of all AA Insurance car claims made over the past four years, a vehicle is most likely to be stolen from the Auckland region, followed by Northland, Wellington, Waikato and then Christchurch. South Island regions outside Christchurch appear to have the lowest vehicle theft rate.

Police stats for the Mid-South Canterbury region support AA’s claims, as only six vehicles were reported stolen in the area last year. Two of those cases were resolved. Those figures differed little from 2012 when nine vehicles were stolen, with five of those incidents being resolved.

As well as those vehicles reported stolen, another 178 cases of ‘‘illegal use’’ were reported in the Mid-South Canterbury region. Most of those cases involved a vehicle being illegally taken, but then left somewhere nearby.

According to AA Insurance, the Honda Torneo topped the list of most frequently stolen cars for the third consecutive year.

However, it said owners of newer models of cars on the list should not be unnecessarily alarmed, as thieves prefer older vehicles because they tend to have less sophisticated security features and are often easier to steal.

According to AA Insurance claims data, a car manufactured before 2000 is more than four times as likely to be stolen as one manufactured from 2005 onwards.