Vehicle theft rates are now the lowest on record. They dropped 7% during the past financial year, with 82,840 thefts reported nationally. The National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) says while the number of vehicles stolen has dropped, the latest figure isn’t as impressive as the previous three years, which reported drops in the thefts rate of 13%, 19% and 10%.

Just over 20,000 vehicles were stolen in Australia during the June quarter. The NMVTRC says car theft trends have “clearly changed in Australia since 2000/01, when almost 140,000 vehicles were reported stolen”.

“Vehicle theft rates are now the lowest on record with 4.1 thefts per 1000 population and 5.8 per 1000 registration,” it said in a statement.

Older cars with inadequate security continue to be top targets for thieves. Older model Holden Commodores continue to be the most stolen cars, followed by Ford Falcons, Hyundai Excels, Toyota Hiluxes, and Toyota Corollas.