Car thieves' favourite models revealed

The Honda Torneo is the most commonly stolen car in New Zealand

The annual AA Insurance list of most frequently stolen cars has been revealed, with the Honda Torneo sitting in the No1 spot.

Mazda Familia and Subaru Impreza also continue to be popular with car thieves, sitting at second and third on the list.

The list is based on AA Insurance's own claims data, which also shows 92 per cent of theft claims for models in the top-10 list were for cars manufactured more than 10 years ago.

To calculate theft incidence rates, AA Insurance measures the number of claims made for each model of car for which 20 or more claims have been made, as a percentage of the total number of policies it holds for that model.

AA Insurance customer relations manager Amelia Macandrew said older cars were targeted because newer models tended to have more security.

"And while older cars can also be a potential target, there are things all owners can do to ramp up their car's security to make them less attractive to thieves, regardless of the age or make," she said. "For example, installing an alarm, a steering lock, or considering a visible immobiliser. Thieves will always go for the easiest, fastest option, so if you make it just a little bit harder for them then chances are they'll lose interest in your car and move on to an easier target."