According to statistics released by the South African Police Service in March 2017, a total of 12 743 vehicles were hijacked in South Africa between April 2016 and December 2016 – that’s 14.9% more than in the 2015/16 financial year, Wheels24 has reported.
The SAPS says that 1 416 vehicles are hijacked in South Africa each month – one every 32 minutes.
Incidents reported to our control centre alone indicated that 34 vehicles were hijacked in the greater Durban area over the past 6 months, and 69 cars were stolen in the same period. National stats for the worst hijacking spots in 2016 showed that Chatsworth ranked 5th in the country with 175 incidents reported, and Pinetown was 7th on the list with 146.
These frightening statistics beg the question, which cars and car brands are the most hijacked in South Africa?
Vehicle company Ctrack released their hijacking and crime statistics from January to December 2016, detailing which passenger vehicles and SUV’s and vehicle manufacturers, are most targeted by criminals.
Businesstech compiled their findings and according the the report, the most hijacked passenger vehicle in South Africa is the Volkswagen Polo. Toyota’s Fortuner was the most hijacked SUV, making Toyota the SUV manufacturer most targeted by criminals in the country followed by Land Rover and Nissan.
Notably, this data is an almost exact mirror of the best-selling passenger vehicle in South Africa every month. The Volkswagen Polo and Polo Vivo are currently the first and second-bestselling cars with the Toyota Fortuner currently in third.
In order, the top 10 most hijacked and stolen passenger vehicles in South Africa are: Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford, Citroen, Kia, Hyundai, BMW, Audi, Renault, Chevrolet.
In order, the top 10 most hijacked and stolen SUV’s in South Africa are: Toyota, Land Rover, Nissan, Mahindra, Volkswagen, Jeep, Porsche, Renault, Ford, Daihatsu.
Sources:
Wheels24
Businesstech
Ctrack
South Africa Today – South Africa News
