The riskiest place to park your car

The riskiest place to park your car

Forget dark alleyways or deserted car parks. New stats reveal where your car is most likely to be stolen from – and you could be shocked to discover where it is.

Home may be where the heart is, but it’s also where thieves know your car is likely to be parked.

That’s driving a worrying new trend, where the majority of car thefts are taking place in the owner’s home.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports that over half of the estimated 55,000 cars reported stolen in 2022/23 were taken from a home ¹ .

And if thieves don’t take the vehicle, they’re likely to steal valuables from inside it.

In 2022-23, about 220,000 households had items stolen from a motor vehicle. More than seven out of ten of these cars were parked at the owner’s home at the time of the incident .

Items most often stolen from a car include money, a purse or wallet and personal items like jewellery and clothing.

A car is stolen every 11 minutes

When it comes to car theft, we all like to think it will never happen to us.

But data suggests otherwise.

A Savvy report shows a car is stolen every 11 minutes in Australia ² .

Sure, certain makes and models are favoured by thieves over others. The Holden Commodore VE MY06_13, for instance, is the car model that’s stolen the most in Australia for three consecutive years ³ .

However, no vehicle is immune.

And as advances in security technology have made it nearly impossible to hotwire modern cars, thieves are breaking into our homes and grabbing the keys to drive a car away.

It’s a scary thought.

How you can protect yourself

Your car doesn’t just give you the freedom to drive where you choose, when you choose, it is also a valuable asset.

That makes it worth protecting.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to lower the risk of car theft:

1. Have comprehensive cover in place

Insuring your car with Community First Bank gives you the freedom to set your excess to suit your budget, and the flexibility to pay premiums by the month at no extra cost. It makes cover very budget-friendly. Community First offers insurance through CGU, who is backed by IAG – the largest general insurer in Australia and New Zealand.*

2. Lock your car at all times

Keep your car locked even when it’s parked at home. Store the keys in a safe place – not in the open where they can be easily seen.

3. Don’t store belongings in your car

Leaving personal possessions sitting on car seats makes your car a target for thieves. Take belongings out when you park your car so that it’s empty at all times.

To learn more about Community First’s value-packed car cover, call the Community First team on 1300 13 22 77, or visit one of our Community First stores. It’s peace of mind for your car.

¹ https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/majority-car-thefts-happen-home
² https://www.savvy.com.au/car-loans/car-theft-statistics-in-australia-2023-report/#:~:text=Did%20you%20know%20that%20nearly,belongings%20stolen%20from%20their%20car.
³ https://www.savvy.com.au/car-loans/car-theft-statistics-in-australia-2023-report/#:~:text=Did%20you%20know%20that%20nearly,belongings%20stolen%20from%20their%20car.

*These insurance products are provided by Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 trading as CGU Insurance. In arranging this insurance Community First Credit Union Limited ABN 80 087 649 938 AFSL 231204 acts as an intermediary for the insurer of the particular insured product, not as your agent. When making decisions about our insurance, consider the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determinations. A Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for each product is available at our offices. We will give you a PDS on application, which you should read and consider in deciding whether to use any product. This is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs ("your personal circumstances"). Before using this advice to decide whether to purchase this insurance policy, you should consider the appropriateness of it having regard to your personal circumstances, plus obtain and consider the current Product Disclosure Statement for the particular insurance policy.