The chance of your car being stolen is higher in this municipality Car

From January to April this year, 2972 ​​vehicles were stolen. In the same period of 2022, there were 2810 thefts, so this is an increase of 5.8 percent. In 2021, there were only 2,269 incidents in the first four months of the year: compared to the previous two years, there is an increase of a third. Especially in the province of Limburg, there is a high probability that your car will be stolen from the highway, according to an Independer study based on data from the police and CBS.

It is also surprising that not all cars are equally known to the thieves’ guild. Last year, the most popular car to steal was Toyota. At that time, no less than one in six stolen cars belonged to this Japanese car brand. “I was particularly interested in the 83 percent increase in theft of Toyota cars last year,” explains car expert Menno Dijcks of the Independent. “However, insuring a Toyota has not yet become more expensive, but that may be the case if this trend continues.”

The popularity of car thieves is bad news for Toyota owners, who are also often victims when it comes to catalytic converter theft. On average, sixty percent of all stolen convertible thefts happen with the Toyota Prius and other Toyota models are also popular with criminals of this type of theft.

Car theft is a national problem, but there are significant regional differences. For example, cars are the least safely parked in Limburg. This is because 8.3 burglaries take place here for every 10,000 households; more than twice the national average. Car thieves in Limburg find it easier to have a car disappear at the border, however, the region borders Germany and Belgium.

“You are only covered for car theft if you are insured with WA plus or Allrisk,” says Dijcks. ,, With only WA insurance you are falling out of the boat. So think carefully about this when taking car insurance. If you compare, take a good look at what WA plus costs more than WA insurance. Then make a good decision.”

The safest region to park in is Friesland. In the first four months of the year, only 0.5 cars were stolen for every 10,000 households in this northern state. In Zeeland, too, criminals keep their mobility low, with ‘only’ 0.7 stolen cars per 10,000. The national average is 3.7 burglaries per 10,000 households. On car theft cards you will find theft statistics by province or municipality.

More than a quarter of all stolen cars in the Netherlands are stolen in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague (26.9 percent). But thefts are also often reported in Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Utrecht. However, it is not the big cities that have a high chance of car theft in relation to the number of households. That dubious honor is given to Beek in Limburg. An average of 19 cars are stolen here for every 10,000 households.

“Of course there are premium differences between theft-prone and less-theft vehicles,” says Dijcks. “You see this especially in WA plus and Allrisk insurance policies, because they cover theft. For example, comprehensive insurance for a Volkswagen Golf is almost twice the price of a Kia Picanto, which is less prone to theft. The average annual price for the Kia Picanto it is 846 euros compared to 1655 euros for the Volkswagen Golf. The difference between WA and WA Plus is 445 euros per year for these models.

There is even better news for the 67 municipalities: not a single car was stolen here this year. Wondering if your municipality is included? See all numbers on research page.