It’s been more than 15 years since production stopped, but the Holden Commodore VT is still a big favourite with car thieves.
The big Holden and Toyota’s popular Hilux are among the big ‘winners’ on the most stolen list for 2014-2015, released by the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council.
The 2005-2011 Hilux tops the list, but if you combine all model years of the Commodore it shows the doomed Holden is far more popular amongst crims than it has been with new car buyers in recent years.
The Hilux’ popularity is not all in Australia – with the Middle East among stolen vehicles’ destinations, due to what the PR industry would call “global appeal.”
Police say the attraction of ageing Holdens is more due to parts demand for the VT, which sold extremely well in its day.
Across the ditch in New Zealand it’s a very different story, a side effect of its grey import rules.
The top pick to nick for Kiwi car thieves is the Honda Torneo, followed by the Mazda Familia and Subaru Impreza. Holden doesn’t even make the top 10 there.
Australia’s most stolen
- Toyota Hilux 2005 to 2011 … 732
- Holden Commodore VT 1997 to 2000 … 726
- Holden Commodore VE 2006 to 2013 … 717
- Nissan Pulsar 1995 to 2000 … 715
- Holden Commodore VX 2000 to 2002 … 561
- Ford Falcon BA 202 to 2005 … 541
- Holden Commodore VY 2002 to 2004 … 515
- Hyundai Excel 1994 to 2000 … 453
- Toyota Hilux 1998 to 2004 … 435
- Holden Commodore VZ 2004 to 2006 … 413
- Ford Falcon AU 1998 to 2002 … 413
- Toyota Hiace 1990 to 2004 … 374
- Nissan Patrol 1997 to current … 332
- Toyota Hilux 1989 to 1997 … 327
- Toyota LandCruiser 80 Series 1990 to 1998 … 316
- Holden Commodore VS 1995 to 1997 … 300
- Nissan Navara D40 2005 to 2015 … 293
- Nissan Pulsar 1991 to 1995 … 284
- Ford Falcon FG 2008 to 2014 … 281
- Holden Astra 1999 to 2005 … 260
Source: National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council.
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