Car theft in the country during 2023 showed significant growth, according to data provided by public and private entities.
Official data on car thefts and recoveries from the National Directorate of National Automotive Property Registries (DNRPA) indicate that last year there were 45,965 complaints in Argentina, which means a increase of 21.3% compared to the 37,885 carried out in 2022 and 39.6% compared to the 32,922 in 2021.
Likewise, claims reports provided by the digital insurance company make sure show that nearly 18% corresponds to total and/or partial theft, and that within this last category, the tire theft is the main reason.
The areas and cars most affected
The insurance broker indicates that if the areas of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) in which the highest percentage of crimes occurred are analyzed, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires is at the top of the ranking with a 12.80% of the total.
Lanús (4.80%), Moreno and Ituzaingó (3.2%) complete the podium for automotive theft, followed by the towns of Berazategui, Villa Luzuriaga, Quilmes Oeste, Florencio Varela, Monte Grande and La Plata (2.40% ), and Benavidez, San Fernando and La Matanza (1.60%).
On the other hand, regarding the car brands most chosen by criminals, Segurarse data indicates that 80% of reported accidents include the following vehicles: Volkswagen (16.15%), Renault (14.73%) , Peugeot (13.88%), Ford (13.60%), Fiat (11.90%) and Chevrolet (10.48%)
If the data is analyzed with respect to the vehicle model, those with more years old They were the most stolen: those manufactured in 2012 are at the top of the podium, with 8.50% of crimes; followed by 2018, 2016, 2013 and 2011 model cars with 7.37% of the thefts.
“We can assume that the evolution in the security system in the manufacture of current vehicles is an important aspect,” they explain from Segurarse, adding that “new cars leave older ones exposed because, in comparison, old models have greater ease of opening the trunk or removing the spare wheel, wheels without lock nuts, among other issues.
The VW Gol, one of the best-selling used cars, is also on the podium of the most stolen models. Furthermore, considering the clandestine resale of auto partscheap and popular cars are usually the first on the list of the most stolen.
According to the 2023 used car sales report from the Chamber of Automotive Commerce (CCA), the best-selling models coincide with the statistics of the most stolen.
These models are: Volkswagen Gol and Gol Trend, Chevrolet Corsa and Classic, Toyota Hilux, Renault Clio and Ford Fiesta.
The insurance company explains that another reason that drives the number of thefts among the best-selling cars has to do with the lack of spare parts in recent months.
Import restrictions favored the growth of the black market for auto parts. Photo Clarín Archive. In 2023, the Center for Experimentation and Road Safety (CESVI) prepared a report called “X-ray of insurance fraud in Argentina” which explains that, faced with the difficulty of importing auto parts, the black market for auto parts grew.
Following other reports, the Ituran Argentina Vehicle Theft Indicator (IRV) shows that vehicle theft nationwide increased almost 30% compared to the previous year. These are some of the data that emerge from their analysis:
- Among the most stolen vehicles, first of all, are private cars and 4x4s. They are followed by utility vehicles, trucks and motorcycles.
- 85% of cases are robberies carried out in groups of between two and four criminals.
- More than 70% of the crimes occurred in the form of armed robbery; and of that total, 97% happened on public roads.
