Consumers buying a Toyota Hilux are finding their choice of light truck is shared by thieves, with the vehicle one of the most popular light commercial cars among thieves last year.

The car was the third most popular sold vehicle in the selected years of 2008, 2013, and 2015, but it also carries the highest theft rate among the top 10 most popular vehicles. It also has a much higher theft rate than either the total rate for passenger/light commercial vehicles (PLC) or its market segment, the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council says.

The Mazda 3 small sedan has the lowest theft rate among the top-10 most popular cars – only 9.1 for every 10,000 car registrations. That is compared to the average theft rate of 13.4 for other similar passenger vehicles. The car also has short-term and profit motivated theft rates that are lower than the small passenger segment theft rate.

The Mazda CX-5, Hyundai i30 and Volkswagen Golf all have theft rates lower than the 14.4 average for all PLCs. The Toyota Corolla was the top-selling car in 2013 and the second most popular in 2015; however, its theft rate rose last year to 14.5, higher than the total average of 14.4 for all PLCs.

Even vehicles with the highest level of security are still at risk of being stolen if motorists aren’t vigilant about securing their car keys, the analysis says.